Nero

by Angelique Jones

  Chapter 5

  Nero, age twenty

  A few months after the death of Jenny’s family, Nero married her. He still loved his little fairy, though she was different than the girl he had met all those years before. She was distant now, withdrawn into herself. Staying close to home for college had been the right choice. Nero bought them a house between the campus and his family’s home so that when he was in school Jenny could spend time with his mother. Nero knew that Jenny was relying on pills to numb herself more and more, so he was afraid to leave her alone. Each day he told himself that it would get better, but he knew that if something didn’t change soon all the love that he felt for her might fade—she couldn’t help it, but she showed him only indifference. He had talked Jenny into seeing a professional at one point, thinking that it might help, but all the quack had done was up her dosage.

  Jenny wasn’t the only one affected by the tragedy. Tori had become a pale, timid version of herself. The closeness they had once shared was gone. She refused to be in a room alone with him, as if she was afraid that the world would end. Tori had even gone so far as to cut off all her other friends, and only left the house to go to school. Caterina, on the other hand, was indifferent. She seemed like she could care less that her friend was dead. His mother said that it was just her way of coping with it, but Nero knew in his gut that it was just as it seemed. Since the day of the funeral, whenever he looked at Caterina, the only thing Nero saw was more and more of their father in her. It sickened him. She wanted to leave home, so Chris had agreed to send her to an all-girls boarding school. She only came home for breaks—and then only when she couldn’t spend them elsewhere with one of her friends. He hadn’t seen Enzo again since that day at the funeral—almost two years ago. Enzo had dropped out of college and started a crew with Joe Franzese, the son of their father’s old underboss. Nero thought he was a piece of shit. Franzese senior, Joe’s father, had died shortly after their own father in a freak explosion—Chris letting the rest of their people know he would not be challenged.

  Word had come through the grapevine that Juliet, his father’s whore and Franzese’s cousin, had opened the type of business that she was totally suited for—a brothel. Not just any brothel, though. One that would have made his father proud. The sick, degrading shit that was said to go on there drew people like Enzo to it in droves, making it the hangout for the who’s who of local sociopaths. Keeping his distance, Nero immersed himself in learning how to run their family from Chris while also getting his business degree at the urging of Grandmother Rose. Since his father’s death, Rose had become a permanent fixture in their lives. She had moved closer to spend time with her grandchildren and to prepare them to one day take her place at the head of the multimillion-dollar “acquisition company” that she had run with an iron fist for years. Her own personal wealth had reached massive proportions.

  Nero’s life, for the most part, was good—as long as he didn’t look at it too closely. He should have known that it was going to change. He should have known that the only constant in his life was that something always turned to shit.

  A cop called just as Nero was on his way home from class one day. The cop who had called had been vague about what was waiting for him, but in his heart he knew it wasn’t good. He turned his car around and started racing toward his family home, barely missing a car coming at him in the other lane. Nero pressed on the gas, speeding forward.

  He could see the smoke from a mile away, filling the sky. Terror filled him as he urged the car forward, wondering if he would find anyone alive. Cop cars and fire trucks filled the roads leading to his family’s home. At first when he pulled up, he wondered what the fuck was going on—the house stood as it always had. No sign of a fire. As he got out of the car, though, the smell of smoke filled his nostrils. He turned his head to look for its source. Nero saw it billowing out through a trees near where the guesthouse stood. Only the frame remained standing. Its charred rafters stood naked against the evening sky, staring back at him ominously.

  As he began to walk toward a group of his people, Nero was stopped by a cop in a suit. “Mr. Genovese? I’m Detective Matterson.”

  “Detective, can this wait? I want to check on my mother and sisters,” Nero said, annoyed. When the cop just stood there, he opened his mouth to blast him and tell him to get the fuck out of his way—until he saw the sympathetic look on his face. Stone-faced, Nero listened while the cop told him that his sisters were fine but that his mother, stepfather Christopher Abandonato, and his associate Thomas Caivano had been in the guesthouse when it burned. This was according to his sister Victoria.

  The cop kept talking, but Nero wasn’t listening after that. Nodding his head, Nero moved past him and walked into the house. The first thing he noticed was Victoria. She was sitting on the couch next to Caterina, staring distantly ahead as she answered an officer’s questions. Blocking out Caterina’s incessant wailing that hadn’t let up for a second, Nero stared at Victoria. There was something very wrong. Moving toward her, he was stopped by Caterina, who launched herself at him and wrapped her arms tight around him. As he held Caterina, Victoria raised her head and looked at him. There was nothing in her eyes. An endless void of unseeing stared through him for a moment before she looked away and returned to staring into the distance.

  Motioning to one of the guys, he tore Caterina away and gave her to him. Going to Victoria, Nero lowered himself onto the couch and listened as she answered the officer’s questions.

  “We were watching TV when we heard the explosion. We raced outside, but when we got there the building was consumed in flames,” Victoria said in a monotone. It was as if she was talking about the weather instead of the death of her family.

  Something is very fucking wrong.

  “Why were your mother, stepfather, and Mr. Caivano in the guesthouse, Victoria?” the cop asked.

  “My mother was planning on redecorating,” she answered.

  Since when?

  “Now, Victoria, let’s start at the beginning again—”

  “No. My sister has been through enough. She’s answered your questions,” Nero told the cop, putting a stop to the interrogation. When Nero saw the fucker open his mouth to argue with him, he stood up. He took Tori with him. Motioning to one of his guys lounging by the door, he told him to take her to her room and to call the doctor that they kept on the payroll. Looking at Tori, Nero was afraid that with everything that had happened in her short life, this might be the thing that pushed her over the edge.

  Once she was out of sight, Nero turned back to the cop.

  The self-righteous little prick went and got his commanding officers?

  “Mr. Genovese—” the detective started, but Nero cut him off.

  “My sister has been through a trauma and needs to rest. She has answered all your questions once already, and will be available to answer anything else that you might need once she’s feeling better. I’ll have my family lawyer contact you at that time.”

  Seeing that Nero wasn’t going to budge, the detective took out his card. “Here is my information. Please have you lawyer contact me as soon as possible so that we can set up an interview.”

  Nodding his head, Nero showed the detectives out. He knew that he couldn’t very well throw them off the property, but he sure as hell could get them out of the house. Once the place was cleared of cops, Nero went into his stepfather’s study. He saw his man Paul there, and told him to gather the others but to leave two outside to watch the cops. Going to Chris’s chair, he sat. He tried to block out all emotion. Grieving could come later—now was not the time.

  “What happened?” he asked as the last guy to enter closed the door.

  “We don’t know. Chris and Thomas were having a meeting in here, then the next thing we knew, there was an explosion. There was no way to get near the place—even if we knew they were in there. The place burned hot and bright. There was definitely an accelerant used.”

  “You’re telling me th
at none of you saw them go in there?”

  “We were in the kitchen, eating—your mother had made dinner and called us in.”

  Jesus Christ. Chris couldn’t have been so lax about security.

  “So none of you saw or heard anything?” he demanded, wanting to rip them apart when each shook his head no.

  If none of the guards knew anything, then how the fuck did Tori know that they were in there?

  “Secure the house and keep an eye on those fucking cops until they leave. We’ll talk more after they’re gone,” he said, dismissing them.

  All but Matteo, one of Chris’s top guys, filed out. Closing the door as the last one left, he came forward and took the seat in front of the desk. “Nero, you have to move quickly.”

  Chris narrowed his eyes at Matteo. “What do you mean?”

  “Right now, there’s no leadership for our family. It’s been wiped out. You need to be brutal and swift. You have to take power before Enzo does. You know as well as I do that there is something very wrong here. Chris and Thomas where not stupid men. They had a house full of guys, yet the two of them went off without telling us—and took your mother with them. No. The boss would never do anything to put your mother in danger, which means that he didn’t feel that it was a dangerous situation. They knew whoever did this.”

  He stopped as if considering his next words very carefully. “Have you ever known your mother to call all of the guys in at once? I talked to a few of the others, and she was apparently adamant about every one of them coming into eat. For some reason, she didn’t want anyone outside. The only thing that would make your mother put aside safety would be because she was doing something for someone that she loved.”

  Fuck. He’s right. If this is true, it must have had something to do with one of her children.

  “Find out where Enzo is,” Nero said. He knew that his mother would never do anything to protect Enzo, but it was the only thing that seemed to make sense. He watched Matteo walk out, then Nero got up and followed a moment later.

  Enzo must have had something to do with this, but Tori said she knew they were in there.

  Walking slowly up the stairs and down the hall, his gut felt like lead. His mind was forcing him to entertain thoughts that couldn’t be true.

  He had just reached Tori’s door when it was opened from the other side by the doctor. Grief filled the older man’s face as he looked at Nero. Chris had been his friend for years. They had run the street together as children, but Chris always thought his friend could do better—and had forced him to. A lot of times Chris had to go without, but he made sure that his friend had realized his dream. The doctor had never forgotten it.

  “I gave her a sedative. She should sleep through the night. I couldn’t get her to talk—she appears to be in shock. If she doesn’t snap out of it by tomorrow, I want you to call me. Do you want me to check on Caterina before I go?”

  “Yeah, doc. Thanks.”

  “If you need anything, Nero, you call me. I don’t care when or what it is about—you call me. And when you find the bastards who did this, I’ll do whatever you need to make sure they stay alive long enough to pay,” he choked out hoarsely. Squeezing his shoulder, Nero stepped aside so that he could pass.

  Emotions clouded Nero’s thinking as the doctor’s words sunk in and the reality of what happened hit him.

  They’re dead. They’re gone and there’s no bringing them back.

  Taking a step forward, he entered Tori’s room. Instead of being in bed like he assumed she would have been, she stood by the window gazing out into the darkness. Nero moved silently to her side, but she didn’t respond to his presence. A misty look covered her eyes, as if there was no one home. Taking her arm, he led her to the bed and put her in it. Not an ounce of awareness filled her—she just looked at the ceiling. She was lost in a place where what happened could not touch her. He knew there was no point in trying to question her while she was like that, so he turned and left the room. Closing the door, he found Matteo in the hall.

  “Where is he?”

  “Held up at one of Juliet’s Franzese whorehouses.”

  “Send two men to watch him. I want to know where he goes and who he meets with.” Moving away from Tori’s door, he motioned for Matteo to walk with him. “I want you to go personally and pick up Jenny. Don’t tell her what has happened, just have her pack a bag for a few days—and make sure she has her meds with her.”

  Christ, that’s going to be another problem. Jenny’s a mess on the best of days. This might just send her over the edge.

  “After you’ve dealt with her, meet me back in the office and we’ll get started on what has to be done,” Nero finished wearily as he walked into Chris’s office and left Matteo to do his bidding.

  Standing in the office, he felt lost. He moved to the desk and sat. Now was not the time for doubt or grief, he knew. Now was the time for swift and brutal action if he wanted to have any chance of taking control of the family.

  …

  Immense joy and satisfaction filled Juliet. Laughter welled up from the depths of her soul.

  That bitch Adriana is dead. Everything is falling into place.

  Chapter 6

  Nothing. We have nothing. Not one clue about what the hell happened that night. Victoria’s a fucking zombie, either crying or walking around in a daze. The girl’s been destroyed by the loss of our parents. Caterina, on the other hand, acts like nothing’s happened. She just keeps going on and on about wanting to go out with her friends and how tired she is of being cooped up in the house.

  Grandmother Rose had arrived the day after the fire and hadn’t left. Nero was grateful for her presence because Jenny was worthless in dealing with the girls. He had told Jenny after Matteo brought her to the house what had happened, and her only response was to up her daily dosage of pills.

  What help could she be to Tori when all she does is just walk around in a daze?

  The cops kept making trips out to talk to the girls and the guards about that night, but they never had anything new to say. Nero knew that they really didn’t give a fuck that his family had been murdered—as far as the cops were concerned, a couple of scumbags had reaped what they sowed. Staring out the office window, Nero waited for Matteo. He was coming in to give him a report on Enzo’s activities. Enzo had been busy since Chris’s death, going around and gathering allies. Nero had been just as busy rallying support from within and outside his family, but he knew the truth. The truth was that the men who supported him to his face could be the same men at his back with a gun if they sensed an ounce of weakness.

  “Anything new, Matteo?” Nero asked as soon as he heard the door open and close.

  “Nothing—and that’s the problem. Enzo is confident. Way too confident. We need someone on the inside,” Matteo said, shaking his head. His concern was almost tangible.

  Yeah, I know that. I know that the shit that we don’t know is way worse than the shit that we do.

  “Who do you have in mind?”

  “Anthony Lucasio. He’s new to our family. Only been with us about a year, but he’s loyal. I say we have him put out that he’s unhappy with his place under your rule and is looking to rise in the ranks.”

  “Wait until the funeral. The cops finally released the remains. We’ll have the service in three days, and Enzo will be in attendance. Have Anthony introduce himself then.”

  “Not a bad idea. Enzo would never expect for you to arrange anything like that during the service.”

  Yeah, the old Nero would never have disrespected Mom like this, but Chris would have understood—he would have done anything to find out who killed the woman that he loved and respected.

  “I don’t trust anyone but you for the moment, Matteo, so—” he started to say before a knock sounded.

  Silently, Nero watched as Matteo went to the door and peeked out. He stepped back to let Rose enter.

  Moving to the chair if front of the desk, Rose sat before speaking. “Everything is
arranged. I’ve spoken with Father Fred, and he will handle the service. A catering company will bring the food.” She paused then, seeming to consider her next words. “Where are you on finding the culprits?”

  Normally, Nero would not discuss such a topic with a woman, but Rose was different. Rose was basically the head of her own family. The woman had no issue with taking a personal interest in either blood or money.

  “No closer than before. We still have no idea why they were in the guesthouse.”

  “Someone in this house knows,” she said, frustration filling her voice.

  “I agree.” Rubbing his hand across his face, Nero felt his own frustration. It was the same frustration that built with each day that passed.

  “What about Caterina?”

  “What do you mean, Rose?” he asked, leaning back in his chair.

  “I mean that the girl is acting like her parents’ death is an inconvenience and nothing more.”

  “I know that she’s acting like nothing happened, but I can’t see her not coming forward if she knew something. Besides, I’ve asked Tori. She backs up Caterina.”

  “How do you figure that, Nero? I’ve spoken to Tori too, and she seems to just parrot anything Caterina tells her,” Rose snorted.

  “Rose, let’s wait until after the funeral. Then we’ll sit the two of them down and get answers.”

  “Fine. Now that that is taken care of, what about Jenny?”

  “I appreciate everything you’re doing, Rose, but I’ll deal with my wife.”

  “You had better do something soon, Nero—or you won’t have a wife to deal with.”

  Yeah, like I don’t know that myself. I haven’t had a wife since the day I married her.