by Zavi James
“You can’t move in your entire—”
“Watch me.” This was not a joke. Mia wouldn’t lift a finger unless she had to. “Secondly, I need you to head this family for me.”
Mia looked panicked at the words. This wasn’t how we’d planned it. This wasn’t the dream that had been laid out before her. “Luc—”
“I can only do so much from here. Dante will look after the most of it. Emilio will be here tomorrow. Business will be sorted but I need you to keep face,” I clarified. I was far from asking Mia to take the vow and walk into the office every day. I needed her to take up the position at the head of the family the way we had intended without me by her side for the time being. “We can’t show an ounce of weakness now.” I was a selfish prick who was asking for too much, but I wanted it all. We’d put it all on the line and we had it if we could just hold ourselves together a little bit longer. “Can you do that for me?”
Mia looked at me long and hard and for the first time I didn’t fear her saying no because I knew she wouldn’t. This was what she wanted, and Mia had proven to be just as twisted as I was. It was what made her attack Xavier. She could have run after leaving the stables. She could have left without a word but there’d been an opportunity and she grabbed it with both hands.
“Whatever you need,” she whispered.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Dante
“He’s not as pristine as you might remember him,” I said, walking down the hallways without looking up. I was more familiar with the hospital and the rooms than I would have liked. “I mean, he’s still himself. Looks a little rough, but you understand, right?” I was met with silence and sighed. “You’ll see,” I mumbled and pushed open the door to Luc’s room.
I’d never been more relieved than when Luc came around from surgery. He looked completely broken, sporting burns all over his body but the worst of it was his leg. It’d been trapped under the scorching wood after the rafters and roof fell in. The damage was extensive and now we knew that it wouldn’t heal.
Mia was sat in a chair at Luc’s bedside, listening to him intently, hanging onto every word he said to her. I wasn’t sure she should be up and out of bed, but Mia had put up a fight every day to come and see Luc. She hadn’t been allowed to see him straight away, waiting two days as they both went through post-operative checks with the doctor. The only reason Mia didn’t lose her shit was because of the baby, and the only reason Luc hadn’t was because of the pain medication. Now, they were inseparable again.
“I brought a visitor,” I said, breaking them out of their little bubble.
“Link!” Mia cried, eyes growing wide as they locked on Link in my arms. Walking over to her, I sat on the arm of the chair, unsure whether she’d be able to take her chunk of a son with the one semi good arm that she had. Not that I was about to tell her that. “My baby,” Mia whispered, leaning over and kissing every visible inch of him. Link had already paid her several visits, but we’d waited for Luc to gain some strength before putting father and son together.
“Mia, you’re going to smother him,” Luc said, but he watched them with a smile on his face. The first full smile he’d cracked since waking up from surgery. “Hand him over.”
“You’re going soft, boss,” I teased Mia as she looked up, eyes glistening, and I handed Link over to Luc, who could hold him more securely than Mia. “Thought it was about time cub got to see his dad again.”
Judging by the look on Luc’s face I’d made the right decision. It would be a beautiful picture, the three of them huddled together, if it wasn’t so tragic. The burns and the monitors and the grips that were a little too tight as if worried about losing each other. Like something might come along and tear them all apart.
I played my part in doing what I could to make sure that wouldn’t be the reality. I’d forgone sleep to keep things running tightly. Paulo had been dealt with quickly and discreetly after a short hunt. The coward had tried to make a break for it. Back at the hospital, every day, I led the tiny congregation of myself and Mia in prayers and every day she’d cried. I wasn’t sure if she’d stop when it came down to this. Mother was the role that Mia placed above all else.
“Have you been behaving for Lydia?” Luc asked his son.
“Apparently good as gold,” I reported.
“I don’t believe that for a second,” Mia muttered in return. “Lydia’s already covering for him, so I have no chance in keeping him grounded.”
“Katia, Rosalie and Tori have all pitched in.” Mia’s back straightened at the mention of Tori, and I swallowed. “Sorry, boss. I should have checked. I can tell her not to—”
“It’s okay,” Mia said, relaxing again. “Luc told me that she let you know where Gabe was heading. She was there when it mattered.”
“Yeah.” I felt my mouth run dry and I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. I hadn’t brought up Tori or our situation to either of them, trying to find the right time.
“What’s wrong with you?” Luc asked, clocking on to my fidgeting.
“I, uh...” I rubbed the back of my neck nervously, and Luc narrowed his eyes.
I’d always planned to bring Link to the hospital today, but I’d brought something else with me, hoping that the baby would soften the blow. However, now that I was faced with the prospect of actually asking the pair, I felt a little nervous. There was no guarantee they’d agree.
“Spit it out, Dante,” he said. I’d have been pissed at him barking orders if I didn’t once think I’d never hear this dickhead yell at me again.
“Luc,” Mia chastised him. “What’s wrong, D?” The worry was etched all over her features and I realised that she must have thought there was another nightmare waiting for them. We were still dealing with the police and doing what we could to make sure it didn’t get passed on any higher up. The situation did not look good and it wouldn’t be a quick cover. Xavier still managed to fuck us all over, even from the morgue, but we’d get a handle on it. It would just be a long and careful game.
“No! No, no, no. Nothing’s wrong. There’s nothing that’s wrong,” I rambled. “I just needed to ask you both something.”
“Well, go ahead and ask,” Luc pushed, and Mia looked at me expectantly. I reached into my jacket and nervously pulled out the small ring box. “Oh, fuck off,” Luc said, eyeing it in my hands.
Things had definitely changed because Mia didn’t even flinch at Luc swearing with Link in his arms. Either that or she knew it was a lost cause to try and stop us.
“D?” Mia asked.
Blowing out a breath, I straightened out my thoughts. “I want to propose to Vittoria. I kind of already did. Long story. Very tired and very stressed and thought that... well, thought that maybe I’d lost my family. I fucked it up, but I wanted to ask permission to ask her properly.” I kept my gaze locked with Luc as I spoke. “I’ve had a few days to think over it properly without two potential funerals hanging over my head and I still want to marry her.”
“D,” Mia said awkwardly. “Wouldn’t it be better to ask Gabe? He’s Tori’s twin. Or Emilia might—”
“He’s not asking out of respect,” Luc told her.
“Well, technically...” I said, shrugging.
“You’d do it even if I said no?” Luc asked, staring me straight in the eye. There were times he was my brother and times he was my boss. Luc didn’t often pull rank, but it was necessary, and I understood the depth of the question.
“No,” I answered without hesitation.
“The ring is pretty presumptive.” Luc nodded to the box and I went red to the tips of my ears.
“You picked out the ring before you asked Xavier,” I reminded him. “We have too much ego to believe someone would tell us no.”
“I don’t understand,” Mia cut in, and Luc shifted in the bed, leaning back and resting Link against him. He winced with the movement, and Mia hovered as she continued, “What’s going on here?”
“I’m not asking permission from her family to give
her away,” I explained. “I’m asking permission for the marriage.”
“For it to go ahead?” Mia asked slowly. “You don’t need our permission.” The amusement laced her words.
Luc ran a hand along the back of her head, coming around her face, and cupped her cheek. “He does, love.”
“Not much is going to happen in this family without your permission, boss,” I said, pocketing the box again.
“Like granting permission for people to get married?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. Luc moved his hand from her face.
“Of all the shit you’ve seen in this family, this is what surprises you?” I asked in return and almost laughed.
“Marriage is an alliance, Mia,” Luc explained simply. “It’s a way to tie families together.”
“Normal people marry for love,” she mumbled.
“We’re all a bunch of highly suspicious psychos, in case you missed the memo,” I muttered but the look Luc shot me made me shut up.
He continued, “The last thing we’d want is for anyone to get any big ideas and pose a threat.”
“So, we get final say,” Mia concluded.
“You do,” I said, putting my hands on the rail at the foot of the bed and looking between the both of them. “And I’m asking you whether you’ll allow it.”
Luc handed Link back over to Mia, less concerned about her being able to carry him, before he answered me. “This is the riskiest bet I’ve ever seen you put your money on.”
“You have to play big to win big.”
“You’re risking my family.”
“She helped us in the end. She knows who you are to her and she hasn’t said a word.”
Luc tore his eyes away from me, moving his focus to Mia who in turn was looking down at Link. “Love,” he prompted her.
Mia looked at Luc first before exhaling and moving her eyes to me. “We’re about calculated risks,” she said slowly. “And that means having a clear head. Love doesn’t always allow you to think with a clear head.”
Things would change. I’d known that. I’d always known that. Unlike everyone else, it didn’t surprise me to watch the way Mia took to it all. A baptism by fire, quite literally, had hardened her and made her wary.
“I’ve had time to think. I know what I’m asking of you both and I’ll also understand if the request is declined.” I only ever spoke to Luc like this, but Mia was no longer just my sister. If she gave me a direct order, I’d follow it with the same loyalty I did for Luc.
“You trust her?” Mia asked me. Luc sat quietly, watching the exchange, and I almost wished he would pitch in. I’d spent over a decade with him, nearing two, learning the way he reacted to situations until I knew him better than he knew himself. I didn’t have that luxury with Mia. She was a wild card who kept proving us wrong the moment we thought we knew her.
“I do,” I admitted. “We still have a lot of work to do.” That was an understatement. Vittoria and I would need to start from scratch and build ourselves again but this time I wanted her to know there was an endgame. That if we could rebuild then we would have each other for the rest of our lives. A saner person would have waited to propose but the fear of losing people around me without them knowing how I felt had shaken me and I’d already asked and didn’t plan to move backwards. “I’m not planning to rush anything. We’ll draw out the engagement.” It was a step out of tradition but felt necessary for them and for us. Until I’d voiced my plans, I hadn’t realised just how badly I wanted them to agree.
Mia looked to Luc who cocked his head. “What are you thinking?” he asked her. “Do we allow it?”
“Isn’t that decision yours?” Mia asked.
“Sounds like Dante answers to the both of us,” Luc replied. Then he dropped his voice and told her quietly, “They’ll all answer to the both of us now.”
Luc may have taken up the post. He’d be the one to attend every meeting, to deal with business up front but he had been working with a silent partner for months. If Mia was uncomfortable, Luc took it into consideration, evidenced by the way he iced out Jonah when Katia was spreading rumours.
It wasn’t just that. The news that Mia pulled the trigger spread thick and fast in the family and had shrouded her in yet another scandal but this one didn’t see her outcast. It made her feared, which is what she needed. No one would dare to underestimate her anymore and judging by the number of people who’d asked to see her, people were lining up to get in her favour. Not just women, but the men as well. Mia had done what they’d failed at, whether by accident or not.
“D,” Mia whispered, and I felt the ache in my chest at the impending refusal.
It was okay. I could try again in the future. Vittoria hadn’t seemed completely sold on the idea so there was no certainty that she’d have agreed to marry me anyway.
“You have to be prepared for what happens if she ever lets us down,” Mia told me. “We can’t keep showing mercy to the people who cross us.”
Under the surface, dampened by social etiquette, everyone held something colder and crueller than what they shared with the world. Some of us had been raised to never hide it but people like Mia were still learning how to harness it. Without fail, it always appeared when it came to her family. There would be no survivors if they came for the ones she loved, no matter who they were to her.
“I understand.”
Mia nodded slowly. “Everyone deserves to be happy, D, but I think you deserve it the most.”
My eyes stung at her sudden softness. I sniffed and joked, “You sure you still want to marry, Luc? We could always elope, you know.”
“Before I get her to change her mind,” Luc warned me, not taking the joke. He never would when it came down to her.
“Sorry!” I threw up my hands and strode over, kissing Mia gently on the cheek.
“When are you going to ask her?” Mia asked, as I stepped away from her.
“Soon,” I replied. “Let me recover from this.”
Luc and I exchanged a hug. He clapped me on the back and said, “About time you fucking grew up.”
I laughed and replied, “What would Charlie think of us now?”
Chapter Thirty
Dante
“I’ll be there,” I told Luc. His latest idea was one that had me questioning if they’d checked his head properly. Maybe they’d preformed a partial lobotomy without any of us realising.
“You know as well as I do that won’t mean anything. Mia and I need to be there and it’s not like I can go,” Luc said. The last few days had seen him undergo a battery of tests and have his surgery date set while Mia was discharged from the hospital, came home, and started rebuilding her life.
“Don’t you think she’s been through enough?” As soon as I said the words, I wished I could take them back. Luc hadn’t meant for Mia to be put through the ringer. None of us had. “I didn’t mean—”
“I know.”
“He has a point,” Emilio said, peeling himself from the wall. He’d arrived earlier in the week and had made himself at home at Luc and Mia’s place, completely at ease now that the Moretti family had been pushed from the top spot. “She’ll need to show her face.”
“I’ll be there,” I gritted out again.
“On what side of the church, Dante?” Emilio asked, lifting an eyebrow and looking slightly smug.
“That’s not fair,” I told him. News of my engagement hadn’t flown under the radar and there were more than some questioning glances being thrown my way. I’d made a choice that most deemed rash and unreasonable, but I’d yet to have anyone say anything to my face because they knew it happened with Luc’s blessing.
“Considering everything that’s happened, I think there’s a reason to be questioning everyone and their motives. Luc should be trusting no one but his family.”
“Enough, Emilio,” Luc barked out sharply. “Dante is family. You don’t question that again.”
Emilio held his stare for a long moment before giving a curt nod. “I
was out of line.” It was the closest I’d get to an apology.
We’d known Emilio for years, but he didn’t understand the bond of a found family. The Diaz clan were all about blood. Horatio had trusted his sons implicitly, never playing them off against each other, and Emilio and Eduardo worked effectively together. A beautiful life that all of us dreamed of but couldn’t afford.
“It doesn’t matter where you’re sitting at the service,” Luc informed me. “Mia will need to go.”
“Mia will need to go where?”
Even Emilio jumped at Mia’s soundless appearance at the door, fingers twitching instinctively towards his weapon until he realised who had intruded on us.
“I didn’t mean to scare you, Emil,” Mia said softly. She was the only other woman that could get away with calling him that because Carmen would skin her husband alive if he ever thought about upsetting Mia.
“Where’s Dom?” Luc asked her.
“Comfort break. Where will I need to go?” she repeated.
Luc held his arm out and Mia dutifully joined his side. It was painful to look at them both. Better than when they had first been admitted to the hospital but a far cry from when I’d first realised Luc would be completely whipped by this woman, at Dom’s wedding. Battered and bruised and looking exhausted. Luc hid it better, but his patience was thin, giving away how frustrated he was feeling.
With Carmen’s guidance, Mia’s long locks had been chopped short, getting rid of the scorched ends until it stopped at her chin, making her look more mature. I didn’t realise hair could change someone so drastically, but the cut transformed my baby sister into a woman who looked like the world owed her and she would rip apart anyone that stopped her from getting it. I knew the truth, though. She was still soft at heart and healing in her own way.
“Xavier’s funeral,” Luc said, and I watched Mia. Her body tensed and the smile she wore for seeing Luc alive and up and talking in bed, tightened. “It’s important that we attend.”
“You’re planning on going?” Mia asked, not looking at him.
