Page 20

Chapter

Five

Sandro

I stood beside Bianca as they loaded the sedated Renz into the back of a van. He tore up his stitches when he refused to leave without her. But Bianca was a Rossi now.

My wife.

Fucking hell. I didn’t know whether I was pissed or pleased about it.

I wanted better for her. A better man. A better life. Anything other than being surrounded by my family. My senses were heightened and on full alert. I needed to get her out of here.

“Renz…” Bianca choked, and if I didn’t have my arms around her, she would have climbed into the van with her brother.

Tommy came up beside us. “Once the driver drops him off at the Mount Sinai emergency, he’s gonna let me know and I’ll give the De Luccis a call.”

“Plates of the van?”

“Taken care of.”

When the vehicle’s door slammed shut, Bianca sagged against me. My arms tightened around her, but she didn’t turnto me. I wasn’t a source of her comfort, but a convenient choice to lean on. I had no illusions about what was going on in her mind right now. Bianca may be part of the legitimate side of the De Luccis, but she wasn’t naïve.

And I was right. She pushed away from me and glared with teary eyes full of contempt and questions that were sure to come. “You’re the boss now?”

My answer was a slight nod.

“How? You’re not a made man.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.”

She backed up another step and, for a moment, anguish crossed her face before more contempt wiped it away. “When?”

“This morning.”

“That fast? The commission…”

“Approved it,” a voice said behind us.

I closed my eyes briefly in agitation. I wanted to break it gently to her. Damn it to hell. I turned to face Raffa.

Also known as the Blind Don, Raffaello Rossi was the only surviving brother of my father’s four brothers. He had a shock of white hair and usually wore light-colored designer suits, but wore black for the wedding and my noon ceremony to become a made man. His blindness came from the shrapnel of a car bomb in an attempt on his life. From my sources, he wasn’t totally blind but could see blurry images. He probably would have been boss if it wasn’t for his disability.

“Have you been planning it for a while?” Bianca asked.

“Just made the request the other night.”

At Bianca’s dubious look, I added, “Luca expedited.”

The commission was like the government of the American mafia. Luca was one of its most influential members. Its role was to control the violence among its members to keep it at a level below public and law enforcement scrutiny. They also approved admission into the made-man roster.

“That son of a bitch,” Bianca muttered.

“Now, now, he’s part of your family, right?” Raffa clucked. “Aren’t you going to give your uncle Raffa a hug? We’re also family now, yes?”

Bianca’s response was to wrap her arms around herself and clasp her biceps in a gesture of defiance. “No, thanks.”

Fuck me.