Page 40 of Caruso (Vegas Mafia #3)

Chapter Forty

Tommaso

I never wanted to tell my story. I never wanted to cast my mind back to that time. It’s inevitable that I am here now. Telling Taylor. The only woman who has melted the layer of ice that formed around my heart the day they took her.

I take a deep breath of fresh, clean, mountain air and nod toward the rock positioned on the edge of the ridge.

“Take a seat; this may take some time.”

We sit together, staring over the scenery as if we’re two people enjoying a hike, not two people who are about to bare all to one another. I have never been so vulnerable. It’s just Taylor and me on top of the world trying to make sense of it.

“It happened seven years ago and three months.”

She is wise to say nothing and merely sits beside me with a blank expression. It’s strange having company when I revisit this tale.

“I had a sister, Loretta, we were twins. ”

I clench my fist to ward off the emotion that name brings with it.

“We were close. As identical in spirit as we differed in looks. Our personalities clashed, though. She was sweet and loving; I, well, it may shock you to discover—was not.”

She nudges me but says nothing, and I appreciate that.

“At the time, we remained firmly entrenched in the mafia business. The Don, my father, controlled with an iron fist. Our childhood was terrifying in many ways but as loving as an Italian home can be. All that mattered was family, and it meant something.”

I pick a stone off the rock and fling it out over the ridge, more as a distraction than anything else, something I did as a kid many times, not so much as an adult.

The wind whips around my words as my memory carves out another piece of my heart.

“As always, others wanted what we had. They tried many times to overthrow us and failed. Mainly low-life criminals without a history behind them, chancing their luck in the hope that one day they might strike lucky. We underestimated them.”

I pull my shades out of my inner pocket and shield my eyes from the glare, from the sun or to hide my expression, both I would say.

My voice is husky as I whisper, “They staged a war, gathered their troops and struck hard. They made a good choice when my parents were enjoying a vacation on their motorboat. I was in the office of one of our clubs when the news hit. The boat exploded like a rocket, taking my parents, their guards and all the staff with it.”

She rests her hand on my arm but doesn’t offer her condolences. Once again, I appreciate the gesture more than words right now.

“Matteo called and told me to return home. At once. As always my first thought was of Loretta. Apparently, she went shopping and Matteo had already alerted her guards to bring her home.”

I throw another stone, the action a comforting distraction from my emotions.

“When I returned home, the place was on lockdown. It resembled a fortress most days, but that day it was impenetrable. We waited for Loretta. She never made it home.”

I stop, testing the next words that threaten to rip my heart to shreds.

“Giorgio was busy planning all kinds of retaliation with Matteo, but I couldn’t focus on anything because my pain consumed me.

Somehow, I knew that Loretta was in danger.

We searched the entire State but found no leads.

Days turned into weeks, and we never heard a thing.

Her guards had been shot dead; her car abandoned.

The cops were no help; they didn’t want the red tape that would accompany a mafia war. ”

I shake my head as if it will help and say on a ragged breath.

“We heard tires outside and the guardhouse called. A car had stopped short and tossed a suitcase into the road before screaming off. I have never run so fast as I did that day, my heart in shattered shards of jagged pain. I knew it was her. Deep down, I looked for hope but found nothing but bitter pain. The guards hauled the case behind the gates to the back of the guardhouse. They opened it and I swear–”

I break off, too emotional to carry on, and Taylor stands and yet still says nothing, merely flings her arms around my neck and buries her face in my neck.

She kisses it softly, and the comfort she gives me tugs on my heart, and as my arms crush her to me, I whisper, “Loretta lay inside the case in pieces, alongside photographs of everything they subjected her to. I will not go into details, but you can imagine her brutal ending. I have never recovered.”

I grip her tightly, and my voice is gruff as I hiss, “We hunted as a pack. Three brothers with murder in mind. One by one we took them all down and spared nobody. We butchered their families, staff and associates in the most brutal of ways. You believe Giorgio is the mad one, the only difference is he wears his madness in plain sight. The men responsible for Loretta’s death took double the time to die that they held her.

We made it painful, cruel and unrelenting, and every scream and cry of terror, every drop of blood and organ that fell was her revenge.

It didn’t help with the pain, but it avenged her murder to a point. ”

It’s as if Taylor is no longer here as I whisper, “We were done. We had lost everything we cared about and only had each other. We sold up, took off to Vegas and the rest you know. The trouble with moving state, your pain comes along for the ride and if we thought distance would make us forget, we were wrong. This place helps; it takes away a little of the madness, and we reconnect with all the good in the world. Now you can see why we are guarded, ruthless and emotionally drained. I had lost all hope of ever being human again until we recognized the same madness in you.”

I kiss her soft hair and whisper huskily, “You were lost; we understand how that feels. You wore your pain behind your bravery and used it against your enemies. It’s qualities we admire, are accustomed to and when you dealt with your demons in the most savage way, we knew you belonged with us.”

This time she pulls back, and the tears running down her beautiful face drip onto her soft smile.

“Thank you for telling me, Tommaso. I understand now.”

I wipe her tears away and kiss her softly on the lips. I surprise myself more than her with my actions, but it feels too right to be wrong.

“So you control rather than deal with surprises. I understand why that’s important to you.”

I smudge away her eyeliner that has run down under her eyes and whisper, “Allowing yourself to be controlled by somebody with your best interests at heart can be liberating, princess. Let me control you to set you free. We can all offer you something you need, and there is no shame in that.”

“In sharing?”

She appears so vulnerable out here among nature, unlike our warrior assassin, who takes no shit in Vegas.

“Being with three people who all offer you something different is nothing to be ashamed about. We are emotionally retarded evil men who crave the soft touch of a woman like everyone else. We are hard, unyielding and belligerent, but you, Taylor, you would give us purpose. For all the wealth to count for something. A family, if you like. Think about it, princess, decide if you can take pity on three assholes who always want the best.”

She leans in and kisses me so sweetly it takes a moment to realize that the pain isn’t hitting as hard as before.

Confessing to Taylor something that slays me every time I allow it in, has been beneficial in so many ways.

For me and for her, because now she has purpose, a challenge if you like and, above all else, a reason to stay.