Page 29

Chapter 29

Vito

Raf sits on the sofa as I pace the office at the estate while we wait for Massimo.

He hasn't peppered me with questions after finding out about Eden and me. I know he's brimming with curiosity about how we pulled it off without anyone having a sniff. As well as wondering what the hell has gotten into me. I've always been a one-and-done guy, never did a relationship. Never did complicated.

But his worrying trumps his curiosity.

Worrying if I might be six-feet-under soon. Worrying, like me, that the attack on Eden was because someone found out about the two of us.

I stop pacing and turn toward my right-hand man and best friend. "I don't know what will happen—"

“Vito.” He rises from the sofa. "Just take it one step at a time and don't do anything reckless."

I clench my jaw because what I'm about to do isn't just reckless; it's dangerous and maybe a bit insane.

The office door opens, and Massimo fills the doorway before pushing inside. Creed follows him and closes the door. When I called Massimo, he told us to meet here rather than at his private residence. Mamma and Triple S are still sleeping.

My brothers look like polar opposites at the moment—Massimo, still in his suit, hair smoothed back; Creed, hair mussed, sweatpants, a T-shirt, and bare feet.

Massimo's dark, intense eyes lock on me. His expression is unreadable. He goes to the sidebar and pours a vodka. For never being one to drink too much, he seems to drink more lately, but I hold my questions on that for now.

"Talk to us, Mass," Creed says in a husky, sleep-thickened voice.

"Ed was attacked tonight." He turns to Creed. "The attackers had a tattoo like Manuel Morales."

Creed rubs his jaw, frowning. "Someone connected to Morales targeted Ed? Why? What's the connection with Gilly's owner-operator?"

"No clue."

"Could she have been involved in something before becoming Gilly's successor, and this is spill-over?" Creed asks, walking further into the room.

My hackles raise that there's even the slightest accusation that Eden would be involved with a cockroach like Manuel Morales or that she had done something to bring this on herself.

Creed leans his shoulder against the mantel of the fireplace. "Is she okay?"

It guts me that I wasn't there with Eden while she debriefed with the Chamber heads and that I need to rely on secondhand information updates about my woman.

"She's fine physically and is handling the attack quite well; she's a lot like Aiken. Ambrose will survive, too." Massimo sips his drink and turns to me.

I know what's coming.

"How did you not only know about the picture Ed took of the tattoo but also get a copy, Vito?" he asks.

I can feel Creed's startled stare settle on me and Raf's wary one, but I keep my eyes on Massimo.

If he had suspicions after Babbo 's funeral and what happened with Eden and me, then tonight would've confirmed them. I could make up an excuse—Raf had thought of two logical ones on the way here, but I'm done hiding this from my brothers. Because I need them—especially Massimo—behind me, since my gut tells me the threat to Eden runs deeper than we think.

"I think you know how, brother."

Raf hisses at my admission, and Creed rocks back on his heels and murmurs 'fuck.'

Massimo white-knuckles the vodka glass, his jaw clenched. "Are you saying you've crossed the line into non-neutral territory with Ed, Vito?" His voice is low and dangerous.

"I'm saying I'm in love with Eden." I avoid confessing outright.

As a Chamber head, Massimo will be honor-bound to disclose my infraction. However, I'm banking on his loyalty, honor, and love as my brother to trump that. The collective good of the Chamber never comes before the collective good of our family. Our family always comes first. Always.

There's stunned silence. Then, my calm, controlled brother erupts .

"Do you know what you've fucking done?!" His shout vibrates off the office walls. He throws his glass of vodka at his desk, the crystal shattering against the dark, knotty wood. Then he slams into me with the force of a mountain shifting.

I let him push me back, his large hands fisting my jacket, and he rams me against the wall.

"How could you do this, Vito?" He half-jerks, half-shakes me. Anger ripples off him, but there's fear there, too. "How could you choose the pleasure of your goddamn cock over this family? Over your safety and possibly your fucking life?"

Anger that he'd reduce Eden and what I feel for her to just carnal lust rears its violent head.

"This isn't about my. Fucking. Cock. " I shove him, making the mountain that is my brother stumble back.

Maybe at first, I thought it was—that I just needed to fuck Eden to get her out of my system. But even then, my body, subconscious, and probably my heart recognized my obsession for what it was. It could never be one-and-done with Eden. I started to belong to her the moment I heard her voice over the phone.

" I. Love. Her. You grumpy motherfucker."

Massimo stares at me in disbelief, clenching his hands.

"Fuck!" he roars so loudly I'm worried the soundproof walls may not contain it and will wake up Sophie and Mamma .

He stalks the perimeter of the room like a caged, wild animal. His massive shoulders strain against his suit jacket as he rips at the buttons to undo it and pull it off.

"Something's not right with the Chamber, Massimo."

His head snaps to me. "Don't deflect and make this about them."

"I'm not," I grit, pushing away from the wall to move closer to him. "I don't know how the connection with Morales fits into this. However, let's start from the beginning regarding Eden: Aiken called me with his dying breath."

Massimo stops his stalking. "You said that was a fluke; it could've been anyone from his call log."

"I left out a crucial piece of information." I look at him levelly. "He said, ' Vito… Call Ed.' He called me purposefully."

"Motherfucking hell," Raf whispers, shaking his head.

Massimo grinds his teeth. Creed comes and sits in the chair in front of Massimo's desk, silent but contemplative as always.

"Aiken called me on purpose because there was a reason he thought I could help him. Or that he could trust me." Massimo stays silent, and I continue, "Gus said that a month before he died, Aiken told him that if anything happened to him, he was supposed to call Ed, and he gave him a phone number."

I'm almost certain I can hear Massimo's teeth grinding now. "Gus didn't tell me that. Neither did you," he accuses.

"I didn't say anything because it didn't factor into protecting our family."

"If Vito mentioned that, then Papà would have been honor-bound to share that with the other Chamber heads," Creed rationalizes.

"And it would've made Vito look guilty and that he and Aiken had more than a neutral relationship," Raf comes to my defense.

Massimo doesn't like it but nods curtly, indicating he understands my silence.

Creed looks at me, his brow pinched. "But Aiken called you when he was dying, not Gus. And he told you to call Ed."

"I think Aiken wanted both Gus and I involved."

I remember the video of watching Aiken die and him talking to himself while he fumbled for his phone.

Vito… I need Vito… Protect… Tell…

"The more I think about why he called me, the more I feel it's because he trusted me out of all the criminals in this city. And I could do something that Gus couldn't."

Protect Ed? Tell… Tell her what?

I still haven't figured that out.

Massimo—the cunning strategist he is—is silent as he processes this.

"Aiken never went to the Chamber to flag that he thought there might be a threat against him, did he?"

"No," Massimo admits with a rumble. " Papà never said, and he wouldn't have kept that from me."

"And what does that say to you?"

The fact that Aiken didn't go to the Chamber isn't completely damning in and of itself. But things are skewing it in that direction.

I'm hesitant to share this next piece because Eden hasn't approved it; however, I decide to do so because I need to make this case to Massimo.

"Aiken had additional hidden cameras in Gilly's," I admit, and Massimo's jaw turns to stone. "It looks like the feeds were watched, then erased or uploaded elsewhere. The last recording was of Aiken's murder."

Creed hisses out a breath, guessing without me saying that Eden watched that video. I push away the memories of her tortured pain because I can't focus on that now.

"They were pros, Massimo. Attacked him as a unit with clear intent to kill. Dressed in black fatigues, gloves, and balaclavas."

He makes the connection that I knew he would; Eden would've described her attackers to the Chamber heads.

"And yet, you kept your mouth shut about all this," Massimo growls. "When you know the Chamber has been trying to solve Aiken's murder."

"Until tonight, they were just loose happenings, Massimo. Even today, I didn't put the pieces together."

The three of them look at me quizzically.

"Lixin. He's the linchpin in all this. My gut is screaming that."

"I think that's jealousy talking," Massimo snarks.

"I am fucking jealous," I admit with a snarl, hating that it was Lixin saving Eden tonight. "But there's something off about him or the Chamber as a whole. You admitted as much after what happened with the little impromptu Let's Get To Know Ed session."

"That's reaching, brother," he scoffs. "I think you're letting your jealousy cloud your judgment."

"There are the weapons Lixin wants me to get from Adamus Jones—it's like he's preparing for war." That reminder makes Massimo pause, and I forge ahead. "And why was Lixin there tonight at three AM?"

"He came to make sure Amazu wasn't causing trouble."

In my opinion, Amazu is public enemy number two, right up there with Lixin. "And why was Amazu potentially causing problems?"

Massimo frowns and resumes his pacing. "He was drunk at Gilly's. He texted us Chamber heads for a ride. Ash and I were the only ones available."

"Why wouldn't he get one of his men to pick him up?" Raf asks.

"Good question." Massimo's big hand rubs the stubble lining his jaw. "He made comments tonight that sounded like there's an internal war about to break out in the Fire Clan."

That means something is rattling their ranks. Bill—Amazu's second—is steady and stalwart, the complete opposite of Amazu himself, but he isn't one to breed mutiny.

Massimo's next statement chases away my thoughts about inner gang politics. "He asked Ed if she had chosen a successor yet for Gilly's."

"What?" I stiffen. "Did he fucking threaten her?"

Massimo holds up his hand, telling me to calm my shit down. "She said that wasn't the context. But…"

"It's an inappropriate question," Creed muses.

Why would Amazu ask that? I don't even know if Eden has chosen a successor.

Raf flicks a worried glance at me. "What happens if there's no successor named?"

"The Chamber appoints one," Massimo says.

"Would it be by vote?" I ask, and he nods. "So, a three-to-two split would get someone in."

What's at play here? To get a biased leader at Gilly's?

What does that achieve?

Gilly's doesn't control anything in the criminal world. Its power is that it's a neutral zone, safe and private; none of the security cameras captured audio.

My head snaps up. "Aiken's hidden camera recorded audio."

"What?" Massimo looks startled.

"I think he heard something being planned that he shouldn't have. Something bigger than Gilly's."

"Something that three Chamber heads would work together and benefit from the owner-operator of Gilly's being in their pocket?" Creed starts putting possible puzzle pieces together.

"There is no evidence to support this," Massimo objects. "It's far-fetched."

"And Aiken was owner-operator for fifteen years; anyone would have to assume that he had a successor picked after all that time," Raf reasons. "Someone untainted and non-biased."

"Unless they take Eden out before she has put anything for her successor in place." My predator is baying for blood, ready to become unhinged on whoever is a threat to Eden.

Creed sits back in his chair with his brow pinched. "Let's go with the hypothetical situation that three Chamber heads are banding together for unholy purposes. Who would they be?"

"Lixin and Amazu," I answer without hesitation. Raf and I exchange a look.

And Massimo, being who and what he is, doesn't miss it. "What?"

I make a choice to come clean on another dark, dirty secret. "Ash."

"No fucking way," he instantly dismisses.

"Only because he may have reason to side against Eden."

Massimo's massive frame stills, and his right eye twitches. "Explain."

I glance at Creed.

He's too damn smart for his own good, and he puts the pieces together and pales slightly. "That night…"

Massimo steps toward me, menace and wrath rolling off him. "What. Did you. Do ?"

"Creed played no role in it."

"Except pick up Eden's car," Raf mutters.

I sigh, then explain what happened the night Cutt and Jax attacked Eden. To his credit, Massimo listens stoically to the full story.

Then charges me like a bull.

It's Creed who jumps between us and stops him.

"You fucking killed an MC member? Ash's cousin ?" Massimo spits, and his nostrils flare. "And dragged Creed into it?"

Creed pushes him back to widen the space between us. "I just picked up Eden's car."

"He made you an accomplice, baby brother."

Creed snorts. "Are we a court of law or something? Mass…" He grips our brother's face. "Listen to Vito. Hear him out. My feet are still on the other side of the line."

Massimo jerks back. "You shouldn't be in here for this discussion."

"You're the one who dragged my ass out of bed, remember?" Creed shoves his hand through his mussed hair. "This is about our family. I'm staying." He turns to me. "But no more fucking secrets."

I clench my jaw because I can't promise that.

Raf saves my ass in a manner of speaking. "Regardless of whether or not it's Ash, why would three Chamber heads band together for something so underhanded? They'd risk the collective alliance of all these years and war."

They'd have to gain something epic, but at this point, I had no clue what that could be.

In all honestly, I'm working on gut instinct and conjecture here.

"What about the tattoo?" Creed pulls us back. "You're sure it's the same one as Morales had?"

I open my phone and show Creed the picture Axin sent me. His face hardens as he studies it.

"First Morales' doppelg?nger, now this." He looks at me, then Massimo. "Someone's toying with our family."

"It's connected somehow," Raf says, giving me a worried look. "Do you think someone knows about you and Eden, Vito?"

There's no way, but I can't declare that without explaining how we've been meeting.

Massimo grips his hair in a fist; it's the first time I've seen my brother not perfectly well-groomed in a long time. "Motherfucking Christ. Vito, do you know what position you've put me in?" He turns to me. "What you did to Cutt could break the peace treaty of all these years—"

"I did Ash a favor, and you fucking know it," I grit. "Cutt went to the home of Gilly's owner-operator and broke in. You think he was there to get her address to mail her a goddamn Christmas card? How would that look for the Havoc Guardians?"

I'm sure his teeth crack when he grinds them. "Well, how about the fact you pissed all over the line of neutrality and have been sinking your dick into someone forbidden?"

This time, my teeth nearly crack. " Fuck . You—"

"Enough!" Creed shouts.

Massimo resumes pacing the room, heaving like it's physically hurting him not to beat the shit out of me. The tendons of his neck are prominent, and he's opening and closing his fists. "I need a full assessment of the potential fallout so I can do damage control before it bites us in the ass. Where are Cutt and Jax's bodies?"

Raf and I exchange another look.

"What other fucking secrets are you keeping?" Massimo snarls. I think if I were within arm's reach, my nose would be broken as he looks at me with malice. "Did you involve Mario or any of our family's resources for the clean-up?"

"We didn't need to." I risk getting closer to my nearly feral brother. I've never seen him like this before; he's resembling me in the unhinged department right now. I don't make that comparison because that would really make him lose his shit. "Eden wouldn't allow us to use Santoro resources; she used hers."

His nostrils flare. "You motherfucking idiots—"

"Not Gilly's," Raf quickly clarifies.

"Explain," Massimo nearly spits. He points his finger at me. "You're lucky I haven't demoted you to a foot soldier after all this bullshit. You're supposed to be my second-in-command, the protector of our family."

My fists clench. "Calm your fucking tits." I seethe, but calm myself because two hot-heads right now will be like throwing a pack of burning matches into a barrel of gasoline.

"Calm my fucking tits?" Massimo growls but then chokes back a laugh, shaking his head. "Vito, you have thirty seconds before I actually do demote you to a foot soldier for relying on using Eden's resources," he makes air quotes, "to cover up a murder that could topple this family."

I'm feeling quite smug. "Ohith."

Massimo is about to say something but snaps his mouth shut.

"What did you say?" Creed looks a bit slack-jawed.

"Ohith and Axin."

"They're dead."

"I can assure you they aren't. Axin is the one who called me about Eden tonight."

"Okay, so they're alive." Creed sits heavily in a chair by Massimo's desk. "But how do they connect with Eden?"

"Ohith is her adoptive father." Raf still sounds a bit star-struck when he talks about him.

"He rescued her off the streets; Ohith faked his and Axin's death so they could leave this world behind to give Eden what she felt she needed: no ties to this city."

"What in the actual fuck?" Massimo exhales, shaking his head. "Are you for real?"

"Looks like she's come full circle, then." Creed frowns and glances at me. "She came back to solve her brother's murder, but she might have put herself right in the crosshairs."

"Axin has been here since she returned, watching her back." I focus on Massimo as I loop us back to my suspicions. "He saw the attack, but before he could get out to Eden, Lixin was there and killed the two attackers."

"So we have three case scenarios," Raf adds, looking between us all. "Lixin was at the right place, at the right time, by fluke. Or he was watching Eden and stepped in. Or he orchestrated the attack to swoop in to save her."

Creed's fingers drum on the arm of the chair. "If he orchestrated the attack, I'm sure whoever those two guys were, they didn't sign up to be killed. Whoever they’re connected to could retaliate, either against Lixin or Eden."

"Fuck." Massimo sighs. "This is getting more convoluted, not clearer. I need to cancel my trip for the 'Ndrangheta meeting."

"I don't think that's wise, brother."

"I can't leave right now, Vito. If this is all interconnected, that means our family is in the crosshairs, too. My leaving could be the window for our enemies to attack."

"We need to keep our activities as regular as possible," I stress. "If we change anything up, that could be a sign that we're on to them."

"Sophie has an ultrasound and doctor's check-up tomorrow afternoon." Creed looks like his protective monster is about to rip the world apart at the thought of any risk to his woman and unborn child.

Massimo hisses a breath. "That's an important appointment to keep. You're bringing in the next line of Santoros, baby brother."

"I'll assign double the team to escort you and Triple S," I assure Creed.

"Fuck." He rubs his face. "I want to set up a medic suite with all the equipment here. Keep Sophie trapped inside the estate for the duration of her pregnancy."

"Pretty sure Triple S would go triple ballistic on your ass if you attempted that." I chuckle, but sober quickly. "I'll assign our best. She'll be better protected than the First Lady, okay?"

"I'll take point on the teams, Creed," Raf assures, and Creed finally nods.

"We all should get some sleep." Massimo levels me with a hard look. "Steer clear of Ed."

I go rigid at his order.

"As your Don, I'm giving you a direct order. You are not to go into Gilly's or her apartment."

Rage ripples through me. "Brother," I rumble in warning. "Don't make me choose."

His eyes widen. "There is no fucking choosing, brother . Your responsibility is to this family, not to your cock."

I lunge at him, and both Creed and Raf jump between us, holding me back as the unhinged beast in me snarls and snaps.

"Vito, fuck, just calm down." Raf tries to reason as he prevents me from attacking my brother, my Don.

Creed shoves me back, gripping my head, and jerks me to look at him as my chest heaves and I vibrate with fury. Massimo calmly straightens the cuffs of his shirt, back to being in control and unflappable, and I want to smash his goddamn face.

"You are not to go into her apartment ever," Massimo orders. "And you'll stay out of Gilly's for now." He flicks his dark eyes to mine—his unreadable and mine stormy—as I glare at him. "If I can't trust you while I'm gone, you'll be on that plane with me to Catanzaro. I need you here, though, Vito, so don't fuck with me. I need to be able to trust you."

Massimo has unwittingly given me a loophole because he didn't order me not to see Eden. I wouldn't go into Gilly's, but there's the passageway. I keep my face steady to not give anything away and nod at Massimo, indicating I'll follow his orders.

His broad shoulders ease slightly. "We'll discuss your… transgression later."

I grind my teeth. My love for Eden isn't a fucking transgression.

I turn my back on Massimo, then stalk to the door and slam it on my way out.