Page 33 of Capone (Sinful Warriors MC #6)

My sisters were much like me in not wanting to be the reason our parents split. Unbeknownst to my mother, the reason my sisters both moved out at the fresh age of eighteen was because of my father. They didn’t want to be forced out like I was for not obeying him.

When Alessia was fifteen, she heard our father talking in his study with a business partner of his. He was trying to marry her off as well. Alessia saved every bit of her allowance and got a job when she turned sixteen. She saved for two years straight and moved out as soon as she turned eighteen.

My mother tried talking her out of it, but Alessia fed her a story about wanting to explore being an adult without living under her parents’ roof.

My father, on the other hand, was livid.

He never said anything about the arrangement though.

That would reveal his real reasons for being upset.

He knew he couldn’t control Alessia if she was funding her own life.

Alessia enrolled in online classes while working as a secretary. The pay was decent enough, and she didn’t have to worry about a forced engagement.

As soon as Emelia turned eighteen, she followed in our footsteps. She never mentioned Dad trying to marry her off, but I guess she just wanted to be long gone before he did. Alessia helped Emelia earn a position at her place of employment, and they now shared a two-bedroom apartment.

“Oh my God, I missed you two so much,” I cried, wrapping my little sisters in my arms. We stood there embracing one another for a few minutes before pulling apart. I introduced them to Luca and watched as both of them stared at him with stars in their eyes.

I knew Luca was a looker. My man was smoking hot. Even a nun couldn’t deny that. When Alessia flat-out asked him if he had a brother and if he was single. We all laughed.

Emelia reached for Gabi, but she pulled away, practically molding herself to Luca. “Really, Gabi? That’s how you’re going to do me?” Emelia asked with her mouth hung open.

“Hi, Auntie Lia,” Gabi said, but still hadn’t made a move to go to her.

Alessia laughed, stepping forward. “Don’t be salty, sis. We both know I’m the favorite Auntie.” Again, Gabi turned away when Alessia reached for her. The smile on her face dropped, and she faced Luca with her hands on her hips. “What did you do to our niece? She’s never denied coming to me.”

Before Luca could answer, my mom appeared in the doorway. “Surely my precious Gabi isn’t going to deny Grandma as well?”

“Grandma!” Gabi cheered, flinging herself at my mother. I was sure my mother held a spot right next to Luca as Gabi’s favorite person. My mother spoiled Gabi rotten every chance she got.

My mother rained kisses all over Gabi’s face. “Oh, I missed you so much, sweet pea.” Gabi’s loud giggles made us all smile. The thought of what awaited me beyond this doorway was momentarily forgotten.

After my mom was done showering Gabi with kisses, she pulled me into a one-arm hug and then did the same with Luca. “Well, come on in. I’m ready to finally show my grandbaby off.”

Capone chuckled as we followed my mother into the living room. It looked exactly like it did the night I left, minus the birthday decorations everywhere. I could feel eyes on me with each step I took, but with Luca holding my hand in a firm grip, I kept striding.

I saw my father across the room, talking to another man. He turned his attention away from the man and focused on me. I watched as his brows dipped into a deep frown as he looked between Luca and me. The man next to him had an expression matching my father's.

Luca followed my gaze and halted his steps. I looked up at him to see him staring at the man next to my father like he had seen a ghost. Before I could question him, a woman cried out.

“Luca?!” she screamed as she scrambled across the room, throwing herself at him and wrapping him in her arms. “What are you doing here?” she asked as tears ran down her face.

I was so confused about who this woman was.

“I’m here visiting my girlfriend’s family. What are you doing here, Mom?”

Well, that answers that.

The world couldn’t be this small. What were the chances that our families knew each other? And now I was wondering just how they knew each other.

“I said he looked familiar,” my mom interjected, as if something dawned on her.

“Wait, when did you meet my son?” Luca’s mother asked mine.

“A few weeks ago. When I saw him, I couldn’t place where I had seen him before. All the pictures you showed me of him were of him when he was a teenager. He looks a lot different now,” my mom explained.

Luca’s mother smiled through her tears. “I can’t argue with that. My baby is all grown up,” she cooed, caressing his cheek.

“Mooom,” he groaned, causing her to giggle and pull away. He turned to me with a smile before facing his mother again. “Mom, this is my girlfriend, Giovanna. Giovanna, this is my mother, Francesca.”

His mother’s smile slightly dropped before she hugged me in greeting. I wanted to know what caused that reaction, but I let it go for the time being. I had bigger fish to fry tonight. I didn’t need to add anything else to my list of troubles.

My father and the man who stood next to him walked over to us. Their expressions were unreadable. I could feel the tension rolling off Luca. The closer the other man got, the clearer all the answers I needed were.

This was his father. He looked like an older version of Luca with his salt-and-pepper hair and beard.

“Dad.” Luca greeted him with a head nod.

“Son.”

It was so awkward. They addressed each other like complete strangers. I knew how Luca felt about his father, so I knew this interaction wouldn’t be unicorns and rainbows.

My head was spinning. I was still trying to figure out how our families knew one another, and apparently, so was Luca.

“Mom, you never did say how you know Giovanna’s family,” he said as he turned away from his father.

“Well, uhh…” she trailed off, looking away nervously.

“You were promised to their youngest son, Matteo,” my father spoke up.

“Nico!” my mother scolded.

“What?” he asked in a tone like he was confused as to why she was reprimanding him.

This night was becoming more and more mortifying by the second. This had to be some kind of joke. I just couldn’t wrap my mind around it all.

I left home because I didn’t want to marry a man my father had picked out for me, just to end up with his older brother. Yeah. My brain was officially fried, and I just wanted to go home.

Before this conversation could go any further, the chef entered the room, letting us know dinner was served. I was thankful for the interruption. I could tell by the look in Luca’s eyes that he was about to snap at my father.

Once we were seated for dinner, the tension in the room grew. Everyone ate silently, never looking up from their plates. I felt bad for my mom. She looked so sad, and that’s the last thing I wanted.

This is why I didn’t want to come. I knew this night would be a disaster.

“So, what is it that you do for a living?” my father asked Luca, breaking the silence in the room.

Luca cleared his throat. “I work at a security firm as head of security.”

Luca’s father scoffed, shaking his head in disgust. The notion didn’t go unnoticed by Luca, but he chose to ignore it.

I knew he was trying with all his might not to disrupt my mother’s dinner, and I was grateful.

But I also knew our fathers didn’t have too many more times to poke him before he would finally let them have it.

“How much does something like that pay?”

“Nico!” my mother hissed.

“I’m just trying to get to know the man,” my father professed.

My mom opened her mouth, but Luca beat her to it. “It’s fine, Ms. Gia.” Luca looked my father square in the eyes, his face void of emotion. “It pays more than enough.”

“You come from a very privileged lifestyle, though. Surely the pay isn’t what you’re used to.”

At this point, Gabi was the only one eating. She was the only child here and completely oblivious to the drama brewing at this table.

“It’s not, but it’s worth it. I get a great deal of joy walking out my door, knowing I don’t have to look over my shoulder.”

Just like that, he wiped the smug look right off both of our fathers’ faces.

“Pony,” Gabi called him, pulling at the sleeve of his shirt. Luca took his eyes off my father to look down at Gabi, who was seated between us. “More, please,” she said, pointing to the meatballs in the middle of the table.

“You got it, Lil Bit.” He winked, causing her to giggle. The mood in the room slightly lifted as everyone watched them interact. Just like me, they saw the bond that Gabi and Luca had with one another.

“It’s so cute how smitten she is with you. Did she just call you Pony?” Alessia laughed.

“Yeah.” Luca smirked. “At first I thought she couldn’t say my road name, but now I know that’s just her personal nickname for me.”

“That’s so adorable,” Francesca cooed.

Luca placed three more meatballs on Gabi’s plate, smiling down at her. “You want me to cut them up for you?” he asked her. Gabi nodded, and Luca began cutting them up for her.

“It’s very commendable of you, taking care of another man’s child.”

Luca’s hand froze as he stared at my father with cold eyes.

This was it. Everyone at this table knew he was taking a dig. The sarcasm in his tone was evident. He could throw shots at us all night, but I drew the line at Gabi. She was innocent. I didn’t care how he felt about anything else, but my daughter was off-fuckin’-limits.

“Leave Gabi out of it,” I told him.

“Excuse me?” he growled.

“You heard me. Say what you want about me. I don’t care. But don’t you dare mention my daughter.”

“Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?!” he roared, jumping out of his seat. Luca followed suit, daring my father to make a move.

His outburst caused Gabi to jump out of fear, and she started crying.

“Nico! Stop this right now!” my mother begged.

I stood from my seat, throwing my dinner napkin on my plate. “I knew this was a mistake. I should have never come back here.” I picked up my frightened daughter, holding her tight as I tried to calm her down. “I’m ready to go,” I told Luca.

“Good. Get the hell out!”

“Nico, that is your daughter! What is wrong with you?” my mother cried as my sisters tried their best to console her.

My father was beet red. He stared at me with hate-filled eyes. “She is no daughter of mine,” he spat. “As far as I’m concerned, she can take her and that mezzosangue and get the hell out of my house.”

Gasps went around the room.

Everyone watched my father with wide eyes. To call Gabi a mezzosangue was the most disrespectful thing he could do. The term was Italian, and it meant half- breed. I knew how he felt about Gabi, but our family didn’t.

My father’s expressions wavered as he realized he had just said that out loud. My mother’s tears dried up, and now she looked furious, right along with Luca.

“The hell did you just call her?!” my mother screamed, leaping out of her seat. She slapped my father across the face.

“Gia—”

“No! I don’t want to hear it. That is your daughter and granddaughter. What the hell is wrong with you?” My mom turned to me, and her eyes widened as she looked between my father and me. “Why don’t you seem shocked by this? H-has your father said something like this to you before?” she questioned.

I looked at my mother with tear-filled eyes. My silence was the answer she needed. I watched as she removed her wedding ring and threw it down on the table.

“W-what are you doing, Gia?” my father stuttered with a look of panic on his face.

“I want a divorce.” My mother turned on her heels and left the room without saying another word.

My father ran after her, leaving everyone in the room in a state of disbelief and shock at the events that had taken place.

Luca went and hugged his mother goodbye, completely ignoring his father. After saying goodbye to my siblings and promising them to meet up before I went back to Florida, we left.

Tonight was a complete shit show. My father had finally shown his true, ugly colors to my mother. There would be no reconciliation this time around. I was sure my mother would question us at some point to figure out just how much we were hiding from her.

Tonight had shifted our family dynamic into a place that there was no coming back from.

And the only person to blame was Nico Rossi.