Page 22

21

ADRIANO

“ A driano! Get the fuck out of the car!” Alessandro’s bellow sends a shiver down my spine, in the best way.

I’m out of the car and lifted off my feet in a massive bear hug, laughing despite myself.

“Fuck! Ciro, help, a yeti’s got me!” I gasp, trying and failing to crush him right back.

Alessandro sets me down, grabbing the twins, dragging them into their own brutal embraces.

“You look good, boys!”

Aless has always seemed larger than life to me.

He’s almost as tall as Ciro and Ero, but he’s wide, broad-shouldered. Looks like a fucking sports star, or a fitness model.

More than that, the past couple of months have been kind to him.

He looks years younger, even with the hint of early gray he would adamantly deny at his temples. Just like our father. A year shy of forty and looking distinguished as hell.

Still, he looks ten years younger in the way his eyes shine.

Maybe it’s because he looks like he’s not carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders anymore.

Call me a fawning little brother all you want.

I am.

“You two are fit as shit, bullo !” Aless laughs, throwing a few playful punches.

“You look like you’ve been eating mountain goats whole,” Ciro chirps, dodging and backing off. “What are they feeding you up here?”

Ero almost smiles, the way he does, easily sidestepping the brunt of the hug and the brotherly harassment.

“I don’t have much else to do but work out.”

“Must be nice.” Ero looks off at the mountains, tucking his hands in his pockets.

“Yeah … workouts …” Ciro wags his eyebrows.

“You talking about me?” Isabella snaps from the doorway, leaning on the frame.

She’s a gorgeous woman. Dark, curling hair down to her waist, unusually light, flawless skin. Aless is a lucky man. Even more so as I glance down at the swell in her belly.

“That’s my wife you’re talking about, there, Zero.”

Isa gives us each a hug, a kiss on the cheek.

“Speaking of wives…” she teases, giving me a look.

“Oh, don’t even start…” I grumble.

“Adri’s in loooove,” Ciro sings.

“I’m in arrears, more like.”

“No one understands you when you speak in thesaurus, Adri.”

“Should I say Dom’s got me stuck between your head and a hard place instead?”

“Hard place? Heh. Don’t be gross, dude, we’re brothers.”

“And don’t compare Ciro’s head to a rock. Rocks have substance,” Ero adds, tapping Ciro’s locked knee with his, nearly dropping him to the ground.

“Some things never change.” Aless shakes his head.

“Oh, they change all right. But never for the better.”

“Case in point, Adriano’s still a downer.” Aless takes Ciro and I around the shoulders, guiding us in. “Come! We’ve got food and coffee. Let’s talk on the veranda. It’s an incredible view up there.”

“Good God, listen to him, gushing over his ‘views.’”

“Oh, wait ’til you see our garden out back!”

“Um, do I need to check your man card?” Ciro snorts.

“What’s wrong with gardening? It’s for the kid!”

“The kid?” Isabella raises her eyebrows again. She’s going to get tired of making that face while we’re here.

“Speaking of ‘the kid,’ I finally get it, what they mean by glowing. You look amazing, Isa.” I give her a genuine, warm smile. Despite the way we met, the suspicion and the accusations on my part, all of which wound up being true on her part, Isabella grew on me.

Mostly because of the effect she had on Alessandro.

Her deception, trying to discover our family secrets wound up leading her to the truth about her brother and reuniting with her sister-in-law and niece.

At least some people get happy endings.

“Thank you, I feel like a bloated toad most of the time, but at least I wear it well.” She leads the way up the stairs, past the library, and out the open door onto the patio.

Flopping down on the couch, I take in the mind-blowing overlook, hints of snow high above, sweeping down to lush green, then an explosion of color, wildflowers in full bloom all along the mountainsides.

Vibrant reddish gold and honey colors draw my eye.

Why does everything remind me of her?

“I don’t think I ever appreciated this place as a child.” Aless joins me, offering me a steaming cup of espresso.

“Yours will, though.”

“And what about you? Tell me everything! I feel so out of the loop.”

So we do. The three of us take turns, openly venting and detailing the events of the past few months, filling in gaps for each other where we’re missing facts, or adding elaboration where Ciro feels the need.

Mostly, it’s like a therapy session for me.

Unloading all of the pent-up frustration and simply sharing the things that have happened to me under Dom, some of what’s transpired with Gloria. Not telling anyone has been a major source of the problems growing in my brain.

Go figure, growing up in a macho-mob, predominantly male household…

You don’t talk about your feelings.

But we do, now.

At least to a degree. I’m not telling them the nitty-gritty details of me and Gloria, the on-again, off-again flirtatious and sexual proximity bombs that trigger every time we’re alone together for too long.

But I do share the important factors. The stuff that’s eating me about our relationship.

The things that are wearing me down about life in the organization under Dom. It’s something I know Aless can understand and can relate to in many ways.

Ciro and Ero are different.

They grew up in the life , through and through. They barely remember our parents, the way they tried to balance our lives and keep us sheltered from some of the harsher realities.

For them, this is all par for the course.

Until I fill everyone in on what Dom wants from Gloria and I.

“You’re fucking kidding?”

“Nope. He wants a child to raise as his own.”

“He’s trying to steal your seed, Adri!” Ciro makes a horrified face right before Ero smacks him.

“So, he goes to all of this trouble, to take the empire from us, and now he wants an heir?” Aless muses, rubbing his chin.

“You said Gloria wasn’t around back then, right?” I ask.

Aless nods, putting pieces together with us. “He never even mentioned he had a daughter, honestly. But he had girls on the side, over the years. Makes sense one of them might have a baby, go on the run to escape this life. Or just him.”

“I feel there’s a missing piece to this somewhere, though. A link between the way he used to be. The way he is now, since he came back.”

“Where was he for two years?”

“And what does the FBI have to do with it, if what that guy Weller told you is true.”

“You never suspected?” I clarify, not wanting to accuse my brother, but genuinely baffled.

“Dom was always…huge. Big personality. He told stories, bragged a lot. Half of what he said, I thought he made up. On the other hand, a lot of actual, true things about him that I learned over the years, that Uncle Giancarlo told me, I would never have guessed. And never would have known because Dom kept his private life locked down.”

“Alright, so maybe he was a mole for the FBI. Maybe he backed out of their deal, went on the run when he didn’t get to take over for Giancarlo?”

“That’s the best I can come up with so far.”

“It still doesn’t explain why he’s so dead set on you marrying Gloria. And why she’s willing to go through with any of it.” Isabella settles back into Aless’s arms, her brow furrowed. It’s great to see them like this.

And great to have both of their cunning minds put to the task.

“Maybe it’s just because Dom’s a sick son of a birch?” Ciro intones, stuffing another cannoli in his mouth.

“Son of a bitch, you mean.”

“I didn’t know his mother, actually, so I don’t know. He always reminded me of a skinny tree, though.”

The levity does help for once, keeping me from spiraling into a pit of my worst fears and worries.

“I think he’s using me to get revenge on us. Keep your enemy closest, you know? Along the way I’m bound to slip up, get into his debt. Or he’s just too pragmatic to kill us off. Wants to keep the twins and me around as figureheads, supporting his changes.”

“From everything we’ve seen so far, those changes are going to cause massive losses for certain people. Huge gains for others. Or he’s setting up his rivals and his allies alike to take the fall for him.” Isabella posits.

“Wouldn’t surprise me if Dom put contingencies in place like a trap door under anyone who works with him. Especially if Giuliano is right, and Dom was more than just a rat, that he was more deeply involved with the FBI somehow.”

“That would explain the two years in some ways too. Maybe he was under their protection,” Aless offers.

“I didn’t get that impression from Weller.”

“And you think we could ever trust a cop?” Ciro scoffs.

“Not entirely. But he knew Uncle Giancarlo, seemed to have a lot of respect for the old man.”

“My question is how Giuliano found out about Dom fleeing from the FBI in the first place.” Aless chews his lip.

“He said it was a slip on Dom’s part when he was seeking asylum. Just a hint that made Carcosa curious enough to contact some of his sources in international affairs. Besides, it’s too coincidental that two completely isolated incidents, one of whom Dom wanted us to wipe off the map, knew that specific fact. I think it tracks.”

“Then why did Giuliano and others back him or help him at all.”

“Simple. They all hated us,” Ciro says around a mouthful of pastry.

“That’s…” Isabella shakes her head, baffled.

“Pretty accurate, unfortunately,” Aless finishes, shrugging at his wife. “Mostly due to the fact that the Diamantes have been on top for so long.”

“Also why we got complacent…let our guard down,” Ero snaps, frowning.

The five of us stew over it for a while, the mood more than a little dour. Finally, Isabella perks up, catching my eye and smirking ruefully.

“So … tell us more about Gloria.”

“Yeah, like can she be trusted?”

Isa smacked Aless’s arm. “No, just…what is she like?”

Part of me wants to clam up. Shut down. But Isabella’s eager, bright eyes and possibly the fact that I genuinely haven’t had anyone to talk to in months, cracks my defensive barrier.

“Gloria is ridiculously smart. And adaptable, dynamic. One minute I think I’ve got her figured out, the next, she flips everything around on me.”

“She’s really got you all twisted up in knots. Ero and I have been saying it all along.”

“No we haven’t.”

“Fuck off. But she kind of does. Especially when she opens up, when we banter. I would swear she’s this funny, vibrant, genuine person. Then Dom shows up and she’s the spitting image of him.”

“You said you thought he had something on her, though. Maybe this is her way of surviving.”

“Have you just asked her? Put her on the spot?”

“Right, because that would have been the smart thing to do. Things have been too chaotic. And I’ve been too stuck in my head to think straight.”

“Especially when she’s traipsing around in those low-cut blouses,” Ciro snarks, winking at me.

“She is really hot.” Ero chimes in and all four of us look at him suddenly. “What? I like pretty girls too.”

“At least we know he’s actually human…”

“Anyway, that’s not a bad idea, to just ask her what’s going on. She’s said a few times that she’s just playing Dom’s games. Doing what is necessary. That just always seemed like such a cop-out for any and all behavior in our line of work, you know?”

“It’s an easy trap to fall into, justification. Just remember, it’s usually because the person is trying to find a way to live with what they’ve done, what they’re doing.”

Alessandro swinging in with the wisdom.

That’s what’s missing from my decisions.

I’m all logic, or I used to be. Now I’m getting muddled up with emotions.

We worked so well together before, balancing my logistics with his heart and philosophy, Ciro’s positivity, and Ero’s…well. He gets things done when we won’t make up our minds, one way or another.

“Sometimes, you have to take a risk to find an ally. And it looks like she’s the only one you have.”

“Yeah. I don’t see how there’s any way around going back and seeing the wedding through, or at least biding my time leading up to it. It may provide us with an opening. Or, I’ll go further, and become Dom’s son-in-law. Dangle the bait of a grandchild in front of his face and pry out every detail about his secret dealings and dirt.”

“Dom can’t be fooled, not easily. But he is cocky. Arrogant. When he thinks he’s won, he might slip up.”

“And then you take that fucker down.” Ciro claps his hands loudly.

The four of us nod, but it feels like a pep talk more than a plan. Circling around what we know we want to accomplish, saying the right things. Big talk. No substance.

Isabella’s lost in thought through it all, tapping her chin with one finger.

“I know that look,” Aless mutters, raising his eyebrows at me expectantly.

“So…” Isabella starts, and somehow even the twins snap to attention at her tone, the way she instantly commands the room is so indicative of the tenacity that led her to Alessandro.

“…have you thought about the alternative?”

“To what?”

“To killing Dom.”

It clicks one by one in our expressions. Me, Aless, Ero, then Ciro.

“Diamantes do not work with the police,” Ero snaps.

“He’s right. Historically, every time we’ve dealt with the feds, it’s burned our family. Giancarlo distanced himself from some of the old ways in that regard. He rarely supported buying the cops to cover for us. He opted for lawyers, cleaners, and such.” I clarify for Isa, who hasn’t been privy to our organization for long.

“Not to mention, what if Dom is still working for the feds? Gathering intel to sell us out to them?” Ciro offers in a moment of rare strategic inspiration. No one ever said he wasn’t sharp, but…

“I won’t rule it out. But enough about all of that for now…” I smile, forcing the worries out of my head and rising. “We’ve got a bit of time together. Let’s not waste it!”

We eat, we drink. We laugh. Jibes turn to arm wrestling and challenges, pool games, darts, long into the night. Isabella excuses herself at some point and lets us cut loose. When the sun comes up, we’re passed out all over the game room downstairs.

After another day and night pass in the same way. Reveling in the mountain views, the fresh air, with my family, my brothers.

Sure enough, it is too short.

But it’s exactly what I need to recharge. To remember why we are still fighting, still looking for a way through the storm. To another day where we can live and thrive. And just maybe get what belonged to us back.

I’d settle for much less. But I have to keep trying.

Standing in in the driveway, none of us wants to be the first one to say goodbye.

Alessandro is frustrated, understandably so.

“I just wish I could do something to help.”

“You are doing something to help. You’re protecting yourself. You’re keeping Isabella safe, the baby safe. That’s what’s most important right now.” I smile, gripping his massive shoulders.

“Look at you. You always were too responsible for your own good.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t feel so responsible. I feel like I’m fucking in over my head.”

To be fair, Adri’s always in over his head. I mean, look at him. He’s the shortest, get it?” Ciro snickers.

“I get why we call you Zero.” Ero rolls his eyes.

“Adriano may be the shortest of us, but he’s got the best brain out of all four of us,” Aless continues, meeting my gaze. “Use it. Outsmart that bastard. And stay safe.”

Isabella watches from the porch for a while, resting her hand on her belly. When the time comes, I give her a friendly grin, hopefully putting the tension of my behavior in the spring behind us. We’re family now after all.

“Good luck, Adriano,” she says, stepping down.

“Not going to tell us to be careful?” Ciro quips.

“No. Be fucking deadly . Do whatever it takes to survive,” Isabella says, joining the four of us. She’s like the fifth point in the star. The missing piece in our puzzle. She fits right in, even if I know she doesn’t necessarily agree with everything we do.

“Where are you two off to next?”

“Uh, not sure,” Ciro gives me a look.

“Barcelona. There will be new mission parameters for you there.” Dom trusted me to relay that message at least, if not the details.

“Seriously? Already?”

“Yeah. Looks like you won’t be making my special day. Just do me a favor.”

Ciro and Ero both perk up.

“Follow those missions to the letter .”

Fiero nods, seeing the look in my eye. Ciro hesitates, grimacing.

“You’re going to do something stupid aren’t you?”

“I learned from the best, from watching you. And I need you two out there, causing mayhem.”

“For someone who doesn’t feel qualified to lead, you sure look good doing it.” Aless hugs me, slapping me on the back.

The drive back down the mountains is a bit somber. Quiet.

The hours it takes to get to Florence is a buffer, a time of introspection for all three of us.

The twins drop me off, letting me out near my hotel. I don’t say much, just that I’m proud of each of them.

“Sacramental schmuck.” Ciro grins.

“It’s sentimental, you dumb fuck.”

“You’re both jackasses.”

“Says the guy getting married.”

There’s nothing much to say to make it any easier. But we all feel it. The shift in the air.

And I hope it doesn’t mean that I won’t ever see them again.

I’m about to head toward the hotel when I feel the tingling, instinctive prickle. It’s hard to pinpoint, until I glance down the street, spot the car turning onto a side street.

The same car that’s been following us all over Italy.

It’s funny how that clicks, years of training.

I’ve just been too distracted to realize the hints my mind was noticing as we traveled.

At the edge of the building, I slip between a street vendor, keeping tight to the wall as I make my way quickly down the street, catching the corner of the vehicle parked just around the bend.

In the glare of the late afternoon, I can’t see the driver, but from this angle. They probably can’t see me either.

And they made a mistake parking on a vacant street.

Rushing up to the side of the vehicle, I draw my gun, tap the window sharply.

“Get out of the vehicle now. Make any sudden moves and you’re fucking dead.”