I stared at her, barely able to lower my panic enough to take in the meaning of her words. “You killed Giacomo, didn’t you?”
Her voice didn’t tremble on the words, and I had no means to lie to her. I was laid bare, stripped of all manipulations and arrogance.
I nodded. “I had no choice.”
She nodded, looking away into the distance behind me. “You know, he fired my mother’s nurse and withheld her medication. Franco’s been taking care of her. If not for him, she would have died without me here to take care of her. It might make me a monster, but I’m not sad he’s dead. Not even for a second. You should know that’s the person I am.”
“I don’t care if you mourn him or not. I don’t care if you’re happy and dance on his grave. Nothing you can do would change how I feel about you,” I said quietly.
Her gaze turned contemplative. “Nothing? What if I took you away from your entire family? Turned your life upside down? What if I took your last name and your men away from you?”
Her questions seemed nonsensical, yet there was only one answer. “I wouldn’t care, as long as I have you.”
She considered that for a long moment, and then her face split into a breathtaking smile. She turned her head to Franco. “Looks like we’re in.”
She held her hand up to her bodyguard, and he surprised me by grinning back, taking her hand, and pressing a kiss on the back. It was an oddly formal gesture.
“What’s happening, tesora?” I asked, bewildered but coming down from my anxious high.
De Luca men filed out of the warehouse, making a u-shape behind Chiara. I realized then that it wasn’t murder in their eyes but duty and respect.
“The De Luca family isn’t that old, did you know? My father was the one who made us important in this city, and his blood needs to be respected. Unfortunately, Giacomo ignored the privilege of his position. He lied to get it and nearly destroyed us to maintain it. I’m a De Luca. I’m old blood. For these men, that means something. I can’t leave Chicago, Antonio. I’m sorry. My place is here. My family is here,” Chiara said.
My heart shattered in my chest, the sharp shards digging in and drawing blood easier than any knife.
Chiara took a deep breath and gathered herself. “But that doesn’t mean that you can’t stay here with me. I’m a mafia queen without a king. Stop being the spare in your family and become the De Luca capo. These men will follow you. The Lucianos are excellent stock, more brutal, cunning, and richer than this outfit. I’ll bring the birthright. You bring the know-how.”
I was stunned into silence for a long moment. “Why, Chiara De Luca, are you asking me to marry you and take your name?”
“I’m asking you to become capo of your own family. An alliance between the Lucianos and De Lucas, New York and Chicago. You think Vincenzo would go for it?”
“I don’t give a fuck if he does because I’m doing it. Wherever you are, I’m there.”
I pulled her to me and kissed her hard. Some of the observing men clapped and cheered. “Are you being serious?” I asked, pulling back enough to let her breathe
“Like a blade between the ribs. Be boss with me, Tony,” she said in a near whisper.“Take your revenge and keep your prize forever.”
I grinned down at her. “Oh, tesora, that was always the plan.”
2 years Later
Chiara
Once a year, there was a meeting that my husband and I never failed to attend. It was always held in different locations. It was too dangerous to meet in the locations. As always, only our most trusted men took us there and guarded our families.
This year, we met in the mountains. I held back a laugh as I watched Rafe forbidding Elena from skiing.
“We’ve already survived one unrecoverable accident, let’s not tempt fate, besides, you’re so grumpy when you’re injured,” he coaxed his ballerina wife, trying to tempt her to a table on the balcony where boozy hot chocolates waited for the après ski.
“Yeah, and you’re a ray of sunshine,” Elena snapped, but rolled her eyes and complied. She sat down across from Suna, who was drinking her hot chocolate sans alcohol.
“Will Lucianos ever stop being the most infuriating men in the world?”
“I think that ship has sailed. They’re monsters,” Suna said, lowering her glasses to smirk at Vincenzo as he passed by, dressed in a black ski suit, a long pair of skis hefted effortlessly over his shoulder. “But I like monsters… so lucky me,” she giggled. She ran her hand over her bump, her second child, still growing in her belly. I mirrored her movement. Her eyes fell to me. “Do you feel her kicking yet?”
I nodded, thrilled as always about any discussion involving children. “Sometimes, I’m not always sure. Maybe I should worry more?”
It was happening, Antonio and I were having a baby and creating an heir for the De Luca family.