by Seth Eden
Marco looked as pleading as I felt. “He’s right.”
“Just because I was born third shouldn’t keep me from the throne I’m entitled to,” Alessandro said finally before folding his hands over his stomach in quiet resolve.
I watched in shock as Luca reached around his middle finger and pulled off the ornate gold ring with a bright topaz jewel set into the middle. “You think you can steer the ship better than me, brother?” He slammed the ring down on the desk. “Be my guest.”
Checkmate
1
Alessandro
“With the power vested in me by the state of Pennsylvania, Gabriel Varasso, you may now kiss your bride.”
I smiled and clapped along with the rest of my family as Gabriel leaned forward, taking Stacy’s neck between his hands and pulling her lips to his. I had to give them credit. To successfully pull off a whole wedding in a week was an impressive feat to be sure. Willow and I took almost a year to plan ours. It helped that Stacy was a simple woman and really just wanted her friends, family, and a white dress. It wasn’t a traditional wedding gown but was a white, sleeveless sundress with a lace overlay, and she had white daisies threaded into her blonde hair. It was perfectly Stacy, and as I watched Gabriel smile at her like she was the only thing in the world, I was glad he’d found her.
Even amidst all of the insanity our family had suffered from in the past year, Gabriel still managed to wander out and find a wife of his own. I never would have pegged him to end up with someone natural and eccentric like Stacy, but in a really weird way, she was his perfect pair. She kept him grounded, and someone to keep us grounded was something all of the Varasso men needed desperately.
I stared across the aisle from where Stacy and Gabriel were standing and let my eyes land on my own wife, Willow. She looked absolutely beautiful in her blush sundress, with her brown hair half up and half down. Our eyes locked for a moment, and she smiled at me, and my heart did a little backflip. We’d been together for over ten years, including dating, and I still never got tired of that smile. It lit up my world. It was my reason for getting up in the morning. She kept me grounded, and I loved her more than anything else.
Gabriel took Stacy by the hand and pulled her down the makeshift aisle of the outdoor wedding, and our friends and family on either side of them pulled poppers, sending confetti cascading into the sky. When they’d reached the end of the line, Luca and Molly folded in toward one another, linking arms, followed by Marco and Kelly, and finally, Willow and myself. When her arm was linked in mine, I couldn’t resist the urge to lean over and kiss her on her forehead. She threw a little glance of confusion at me, but I ignored it. It was no secret that I loved her—it was bound to creep out.
Once we were out of the way of the reception, the wedding staff we’d hired ushered the attendees away to where a massive white tent had been set up for the ceremony. The wedding photographer took a variety of photos—some of the bride’s party, some of the groom’s party, some of just the bridesmaids, some of just the groomsmen, some of Stacy with her parents, and some of Stacy and Gabriel with her parents. I stopped keeping track after a while. We stood in a little clump off to the side while Gabriel and Stacy posed for a variety of pictures of just the two of them.
“A wedding in a week,” Willow muttered. “I can’t even imagine.”
“They did what they had to,” Luca replied, standing nearby. “I think if we were staring down then what we are now when I met Molly, I’d have married her in a week, too.”
Marco had one hand around Kelly’s back and the other resting on her engorged stomach. She was eight months pregnant and would be popping pretty soon. Fortunately, Maine wasn’t that far away, so we could have her driven in for the ceremony, but she looked exhausted already.
“You okay, baby? You look tired,” Marco commented.
“Well, I am carrying a whole human inside of me,” she replied, “so yes, I’m tired, but I’m okay.”
“I think photos with the bridal party are done if you guys want to head over to the reception,” Molly said. “It’s not like it’s far. If we need you, we can get you.”
Music was starting up from inside the tent, and the air was already filling with the delectable smell of the preparation of dinner that Molly had designed specifically for the wedding. Fairy lights hung from the edge of the tent, and orchids were placed everywhere around the garden. For being thrown together in a week, it was a pretty amazing wedding. Having a lot of money and a forty-acre estate certainly helped the cause, but the wedding itself wasn’t all that expensive. It was full of Stacy’s little touches and was perfect for them.
“You guys, really,” Kelly said, running a hand along Marco’s face. “I’m okay. Really. It was an eight-hour ride here, and it will be an eight-hour ride back. I’ve got plenty of time to not be on my feet. I’m fine standing for now.”
No one pressed after that. We stayed standing in the group, paired off by couples, until Gabriel and Stacy were done with their pictures, then we made our way over to the tent as a group. Everyone clapped as we walked in and took our places at the wedding party table. It was round, per Stacy’s request, despite the fact that everyone else thought it should be rectangular. Stacy didn’t really explain her insistence, but once we were around the table, it all became clear. Luca was talking to Marco, Gabriel was talking to me, and the wives took turns talking to one another. We were a tight-knit group that liked spending time together. A long table would have restricted us to whoever was immediately to our left and right, so the round table suited us much better.
Dinner was served—garlic and herb braised eggplant steak for the vegetarians and garlic and butter braised steak for the meat-eaters. Stacy was vegetarian, working on vegan, and Gabriel had taken up the diet in support of his wife, so they both had the eggplant. Kelly did too since she’d developed a meat aversion in pregnancy. The rest of the brothers, Willow, and Molly all had steak. We ate and drank, and then the dishes were carried away, and dance music started. Luca and Molly left almost immediately, always desperate for a moment to act like a normal couple, and Gabriel and Stacy went, as well. Marco and Kelly grooved as best they could in their seats, and Willow and I stayed sitting and still, just enjoying the atmosphere.
“No dancing for you two?” Kelly asked after a while.
Willow and I both looked at each other, knowing the truth between us, but also that we weren’t sharing it with our family for the time being. “No,” Willow answered for us. “I’m not much of a dancer.”
Marco laughed. “You certainly seemed like one at your wedding.”
“Well, when it’s your wedding, you get the mysterious dancing superpower,” I joked, trying to keep the conversation light and away from the truth.
“I suppose that’s true,” Kelly said, staring out longingly at the decor and guests. “I’ll be happy when we can have a proper wedding.”
Marco leaned over and kissed Kelly’s forehead. “Soon, my love.”
Kelly and Marco had to forego a formal wedding when they got married because they were both in the witness protection program and already expecting their first child. They were planning a formal wedding when they found out they were pregnant with their second child, and a certain traumatic event threw all of the Varassos back into the thick of the organized crime business. She was due in about five weeks, and we were supposed to end things for good before then. I hoped that by this time next year, we were all sitting around a table at Kelly and Marco’s wedding instead, stress-free, and hopefully…
I looked over at Willow, and when she noticed my stare, she looked up at me. “What?”
I shook my head. “Nothing.”
…hopefully, all together.
Luca came back from the dance floor and sunk into a seat, sweat pulling at his forehead.
“Where’s Mol?” Marco asked.
He pointed over his shoulder. “Stacy’s mom stole Gabriel, so Stacy stole Molly.”
I looked over, and Molly a
nd Stacy were dancing together, doing a variety of silly hip-shaking moves and giggling together.
Kelly grumbled. “That looks like so much fun.”
Marco rubbed Kelly’s shoulders. “I know, baby. I’m so sorry.”
Luca hopped up from the table and ran over to where Stacy and Molly were dancing and said some words we couldn’t hear across the distance. Suddenly, Stacy and Molly ran over to the table, and Stacy dragged Kelly up from her seat. They stayed right near the table, and their movements were much more subdued, but Stacy and Molly danced around Kelly, and Kelly started to smile and dance along with them as best she could. They continued dancing together until, eventually, Stacy split off and walked over to Willow. She looked down at Willow, and Willow shook her head. Stacy insisted, reaching down to take Willow’s hand.
“She is the bride,” I huffed to Willow, earning myself a death glare, but Willow relented and let Stacy pull her from her seat.
The four wives danced together, and eventually, Willow cracked a smile as she swayed along. When the song ended, all four women returned to their seats, and shortly thereafter, Gabriel returned.
“Your mom is a spitfire,” he said, kissing Stacy on her cheek.
“Where do you think I get it from?” Stacy replied.
“Thank you,” Kelly said. “I know that wasn’t really the most fun but—”
Stacy put a hand on top of Kelly’s. “It was so much fun. I got to dance with all of my sisters at my wedding. What could be more fun than that?”
Cake was served, and the guests quieted again as everyone settled into dessert. At the head table, we were quiet, as well, but not because we were digging into our cake. We exchanged glances with one another, and it was unspoken across the table—we wanted to talk business, even though we decided we wouldn’t at the wedding.
“I’ll do it since no one can get mad at the eight months pregnant woman,” Kelly broke the silence finally. “What’s next?” She looked at Stacy. “I’m sorry, Stace, but I’m in a car back to Maine today, and that makes me anxious enough. I need to know something. I hate that I have to leave without my husband.”
Stacy shook her head. “It’s okay. I wanted to ask, too.” She grabbed Gabriel’s hand. “You guys have been awesome this week, keeping the business away from the wedding, and I’m so thankful, but I’ve been going crazy wondering what happens now.”
Gabriel looked at Stacy. “You sure?”
She nodded. “Positive. I married into this family, knowing what it meant.”
Gabriel gave her a kiss and stared lovingly at her. “I love you, Mrs. Varasso.”
“I love you.” Stacy looked over at me. “Okay.”
All eyes turned to me, apart from Luca and Molly, who both kept their eyes trained in other places, but I could tell they were listening. Exactly one week ago, I told Luca that I thought he had no business running the family. We were, hopefully, nearing the end of our shady dealings, but snuffing out the Binachis and getting all of our loose ends tied up was going to take a rougher neck than the one Luca was ruling with. I told him that I thought he should hand over the throne of the family to me, and he did, but reluctantly.
The only person who seemed to hate his loss of power more than him was Molly. Maybe it was just that she hated taking orders from anyone other than her own husband, maybe it was because she was irritated I snatched the reins before she could, but either way, she’d been downright nasty to me ever since Luca turned the ring over to me. It’d created a bit of strain between my eldest brother and me, as well as between our wives.
“We still haven’t found Dario yet, though we’ve been looking. Marco called nearly every leech he knows out in the city, and we still haven’t dug him up. Don’t let up, Marco. Crack skulls if you need to. What he did to our family is unforgivable. There’s a beautiful life waiting for us in Maine, but we can’t have it until we know the threat here has been eliminated.”
Marco nodded. “Yes, boss.”
“Wait, you don’t have any leads?” Kelly asked, her voice drenched in concern. “What if you don’t find him before I go into labor?” She looked at Marco. “You promised you wouldn’t miss the birth.”
“He won’t,” Luca replied. “I will personally see to it that the second we get the call, Marco is on a plane on his way to Maine. It’s an hour and a half flight. If you even feel like you’re going into labor, call, and I’ll have him on Dad’s jet in no time flat.”
I glared at Luca, irritated. He wasn’t the head anymore and didn’t have the right to speak out. I opened my mouth, but before I could get a word out, I felt a hand on mine. I looked over, and Willow was looking back at me.
“Not at the wedding,” she said, a hint of warning behind her voice.
I looked over at Luca, and he was side-glancing at me, daring me to say something, but I gritted my teeth and turned my attention to Kelly. “Marco won’t miss the birth of his child.”
Kelly nodded and took a deep breath. She didn’t seem to entirely believe us, but she also understood that there was no choice but to do so.
“The car is ready to take you back to Maine, and the driver knows all of the hospitals between here and there just in case,” I continued. I looked at Gabriel and Stacy. “The newlyweds will be riding with you and enjoying a honeymoon night in Maine before flying back in tomorrow morning.”
Kelly gasped and looked at Stacy. “You can’t do that! It’s your wedding night!”
“Exactly!” Stacy replied. “I don’t mind all of this, but I don’t want to consummate my marriage in Philly. We can’t rightfully fly off on vacation just yet, so Ricky and Sasha are getting Gabe and my new home ready, and we’re going to live it up.” She touched Kelly’s hand. “Don’t worry, really. You’re helping us.”
Again, Kelly didn’t look entirely convinced and turned to Gabriel. He nodded and smiled, and she looked back at me. “Okay.”
“We have a family meeting tomorrow, but we pushed it back to wait for Gabe and Stacy to get back in. Everyone can sleep in to recover from tonight, and then we’ll discuss our next plan of action to find Dario. Marco has an untapped contact that he thinks may be able to help.”
“I try not to use him,” Marco said. “He’s a snake and a pain in the ass to work with,” he looked at me, “but I have permission to drop him if he gets too feisty, so I think we’ll be able to come to an agreement.”
Kelly shifted uncomfortably, and Marco stopped talking. Of the wives, Kelly had been the least involved in the business. Willow had flat out refused to be involved at all, or even acknowledge it, up until she was kidnapped by our rival gang, the Binachis. Thanks to Gabriel’s new wife, we all walked away from what nearly took all of us out, and from that moment on, Willow had refused not to be involved. She wanted to know everything and demanded to be at my side every step of the way. I wasn’t sure if she was that shaken by nearly losing me or if she just didn’t trust me, but I wanted her by my side as much as she wanted to be there, so I didn’t argue.
My phone rang, and I pulled it out of my pocket. I looked across at Stacy and Gabriel. “This is the end of the night call.” I’d asked one of our staff members to standby to order the wedding staff to start sending guests off. We’d probably all be happy to sit there as a family until the end of time, but it just wasn’t a luxury we’d earned yet.
Gabriel looked at Stacy and then back at me. “We’re ready for the honeymoon.”
I nodded and answered my phone. “Hey.”
“The wedding staff are ready when you are, boss.”
“Yeah. Tell them it’s time.”
“Yes, boss.”
The line clicked dead, and I slid my phone back into my pocket. I looked across at Gabriel and Stacy. “Congratulations, you two, and welcome to the family, Stacy.”
Stacy threw a brilliant smile at me. “Thank you!” She tapped Gabe’s hand. “Let’s mingle and say goodbye.”
“Yes, dear,” Gabriel replied jokingly, and then they stood up from the ta
ble and started toward the guests. Gabriel hung back just long enough to say, “Stace and I will meet you at the car, Kel,” and then was off after his bride.
“I’m gonna take Kelly to get her stuff and get ready for the ride back,” Marco said, and I nodded. He stood up and helped Kelly up from the table. “See you guys.”
“Bye, Kelly! Call when you get into Maine, yeah?” Molly asked.
“Of course. Bye!”
Willow offered a shallow wave, and then Marco helped her up toward the house and out of sight. Luca, Molly, Willow, and I sat in complete silence while the guests filtered out of the party. None of us said anything, and apart from a few curious glances at one another, none of us acknowledged anyone else at the table. When the last of the guests had left, I checked in with the wedding staff to make sure they were good to get the party torn down. I got everyone paid, and then Willow and I made our way back to the estate.
Each couple had their own wing in the estate, and the one Willow and I were staying in was the one designated specifically for the couple running the family. We walked in and locked the door behind us, and I immediately started to undo my tie and pull off my jacket. I threw them over the back of the couch and sat down on it. I fluffed up the pillows and started to unfold the blankets. It wasn’t a great bed, but it was the one I had.
Willow lingered until I looked up. “You okay?” I asked.
Willow nodded. “Yeah.”
I smiled. “Nice wedding.”
“It was.” She was keeping a safe distance from me, looking down at me from the other side of the coffee table in front of the couch. “I’m happy for them.”
“They’re a good pair,” I agreed before starting to laugh. “I still don’t know how they did it in a week. We planned for a year, and shit still went wrong. Remember the chicken?”
She smiled. “Yeah. Here I am, nervous about hugging my convict father for the first time, and Ricky runs up to me to tell me that the entire case of chicken had gone bad because no one refrigerated it.” She chuckled at me. “I thought you were going to rip the caterer’s head off.”
