by Bethany-Kris
Dante stiffened, and his back tensed. Still, he continued pouring a glass of bourbon without facing the room. He did speak, though. “How long were you planning something like this, Andi?”
Well …
“I was never going to marry that woman,” Andino replied. “So use that to answer your own question, Dante.”
Finally, his uncle turned to face the room. There was no doubt about it—the anger and disappointment written heavily across Dante’s brow couldn’t be missed. He clutched that glass in his hand like he might throw it at the next person who talked out of turn. Andino swore the older his uncle got, the less tolerable he was to other people’s bullshit.
Dante sipped on that glass of bourbon, and stared at Andino all the while. A sharp eye that said his uncle was measuring him as much as he was trying to figure him out. That was the thing about Andino, though.
He was fucking full of surprises.
Dante pointed a finger at Andino, saying, “You purposely disobeyed me again, nipote.”
“I don’t see it like that, no.”
“Then how do you fucking see it?”
For the first time, his uncle’s mask cracked. The anger lit up his voice, and took it above the level of calm he had been maintaining. But hey, if it was a fight his uncle wanted … Andino was up for that.
He wasn’t backing down.
Not on this.
“You preach and go on about family and loyalty and doing what we have to in order to protect this thing of ours,” Andino said, “but you forget that those things only work when it is for the betterment of every man, and not one man.”
Dante took a step forward, and arched a brow. “And you think you are every man, Andino?”
‘“I think I am one man, but I refuse to be an unhappy one, zio. I will never be the man who is only the reflection of you because these are the things you chose for me under the guise of duty. Not when I could have done it my own way to begin with. I spoke an oath for this life—I did my vows. But it will not take everything I have. It is not everything that I am. I will not be a better man for it just because you told me to do it.”
That stopped his uncle from coming closer. Dante glanced at him again, reconsidering once more.
“For what, then—the woman? You did this for her?”
Andino shrugged. “Why not? Wars have been started for less, haven’t they?”
“Don’t sound so flippant. This is not a small thing, Andi. It can’t be.”
“It is one thing to me. One thing amongst many things.”
Dante sighed, and glanced away. “I get the impression that you either don’t have the first clue of the uphill battle you’re about to face because you wanted something as silly as a woman you knew you couldn’t have … or you just don’t give a shit.”
“More the latter, actually.”
His uncle’s sharp gaze came back to him. “Is that so? You think you know, then, how you’ll lose control of the Commission when they refuse to accept the woman you present to them? You think you understand how it’ll stain our name and legacy? You think you know? She won’t be accepted by outside organizations, Andino. It doesn’t matter how we treat her, or if we love her. Our actions won’t factor into their opinions at all. Is that what you want for her? The constant reminder that she isn’t up to their standards?”
“She’s what I want. I don’t give a fuck about them.”
“The Commission is clear and you know—”
“Who at the Commission will deny me her?” Andino asked, smirking just a bit. “Me, when I take over your seat? John, when I put him in the seat the Calabrese holds once I bury them? Oh, how about the Donati boss—Cross. The man that is so in love with your daughter he wouldn’t dare consider making a choice that might hurt someone close to her. Maybe Chicago? An organization that has been terrified of another war like the one that decimated them decades ago—unlikely. Who’s left?”
“Vegas,” his father murmured from the window.
Andino nodded, and gave Dante his attention again “Yes, Vegas. You know, where my other uncle controls. So again, who is going to refuse me now?”
Dante blinked.
Andino smiled. “See what I did there, zio? You told me who would take her away, and so I handled it. I always get what I want.”
“And you wanted her,” Dante murmured.
“I will always want her.”
Even if she doesn’t want me.
Because that was a real fucking possibility right now.
Dante scrubbed a hand down his jaw, and stared at anything but Andino. “You know, I didn’t realize you were this manipulative, nipote.”
“I’m not sure if that’s an insult, or not.”
“Definitely not, but forgive me for being pissed that you thought to manipulate me.” Dante leaned back, and sat down on the edge of the large oak desk. He took a second before he spoke again, this time his voice quiet and pensive. “You’ve essentially started a war for a woman.”
“You said that already.”
Dante cut him with a look. “What do I tell them now? All the people downstairs who came here because they expected a party after a wedding—a celebration, Andino. What do I tell them now? That their whole lives are about to be chaotic and dangerous again because you wanted a woman?”
“You tell them that we never cower, and we don’t bend. Marcellos take, but we don’t give. Not for anyone, and certainly not for the Calabrese. That’s what you always used to tell me.”
“I wanted peace,” Dante murmured. “You think I wanted it for them, but I wanted it for you. So you didn’t have to come into this seat with carnage under your feet, Andino. You think it’s easy to be this man? This has never been easy.”
He didn’t expect it to be.
That changed nothing, though.
“I will never make peace with the Calabrese,” Andino countered. “Whether today, or tomorrow, or whenever the hell I take over … it doesn’t matter. I will not ever give them a single inch. They are not even a fraction of what we are, and they shouldn’t be allowed to think they are, either.”
Dante gave Gio a look from the side. “He’s so fucking difficult.”
Gio smiled faintly. “I know.”
“Where did this come from?”
“Does it matter if he’s right, brother?” Gio asked back.
Lucian chuckled from his seat on the couch. “That’s a good point.”
Dante glanced at Andino again. “Where is the Calabrese woman?”
“Why?”
“Curious. I don’t plan to retrieve and return her. Why would I? She deserves better.”
“Canada,” Andino answered. “She is in Canada with a Guzzi who agreed to look after her for the time being, and once it was safe, return her. I called in a favor.”
Dante stiffened, and his gaze cut to Lucian. “Corrado Guzzi? Because I know Andino is not the one who is owed a favor by that young man.”
Lucian shifted uncomfortably. “What do you want me to say?”
“You helped him? You knew what he was up to?”
“Gio isn’t the only one in this family who wants to give his son the thing he wants the very most, Dante.”
The three brothers took a moment to consider each other silently before Dante’s attention came back to Andino once more.
“Do you know what this means, though?” his uncle asked.
“Be specific.”
“Our family—the line will end with your boys. The Marcello name, Andino. Our legacy will end with your boys, if you even have any. Half Italian from the father’s side. Any boys you have—only one can be the boss, and he will be the last Marcello boss.”
The heavy silence that covered the room almost felt suffocating. Andino didn’t have to wonder why, either. He already knew. The idea that their name would end in this criminal world that they had controlled for so long simply because he fell in love and chose a woman that couldn’t continue on the line was a lot to absorb.
&n
bsp; “There’s still John,” Andino said, shrugging. Because really, that still did not matter to him. Haven mattered. And their legacy was always something he was willing to sacrifice for her. He would give up anything for her. “And any sons he might have.”
“John shouldn’t even be a made man if you look into his bloodlines deep enough,” Dante grumbled. “His biological grandmother was only half Italian. His mother has less than a fraction of Italian bloodline in her family lineage. And you think his sons could pass the fucking test? Foolish.”
Lucian cleared his throat, but otherwise, kept quiet.
Andino laughed. “Who is going to be that disrespectful, Dante? Who would be willing to dig into the history of a murdered man and woman just to trace their bloodlines? They killed Lucian and John’s bloodline—any man and woman that came from their family are all gone. Who is willing to disrespect the dead to challenge a bloodline? No one, that’s who.”
Dante glanced up. “You think you have this all figured out, don’t you?”
“If we don’t evolve, then we fail.”
Another sigh echoed.
Finally, Dante asked, “Well, what the fuck do we do now?”
Andino thought the answer to that question was quite simple. “I would like to take Haven downstairs—apparently, she came here with Ma after the church—and introduce her to my family. I would like to see her welcomed, and embraced. Treated with respect for no other reason than I love her, and it is what she deserves. That is what I need to happen now.”
Dante shook his head. “What did you do, Andino?”
Wasn’t it obvious?
“What I needed to.”
EIGHTEEN
“Haven,” her father said. “Did the flight get delayed?”
Haven cringed because not exactly. “As far as I know, no, it wasn’t delayed. I just won’t be able to make it in time. Not today, anyway.”
“What?”
“Something came up,” Haven said, searching for the right words.
“Oh, the man your mother mentioned?”
Jesus Christ.
“Did she tell you about that?”
She swore she could hear the smile in her father’s tone when he said, “She did tell me. She was worried you wouldn’t make the right choice.”
Haven blinked. “Pardon?”
“In case you’re wondering, you made the right choice.”
Because she stayed, she realized.
Oh.
“Haven,” her father murmured.
“Yeah?”
“I know you’re going to feel guilty, and think that you should be here, but please don’t do that. Please don’t. Your mother and I are okay. You have things to handle there, and that’s fine. We’re still going to be here either way when things settle out.”
“I should be there, though,” she said.
“You should be happy,” her father returned. “That’s what we want. That’s all we’ve ever wanted, sweetheart.”
Well, fuck.
How was she supposed to argue with that?
“And on another note,” her father said, “about this man.”
Haven smiled. “What’s that?”
“I expect to meet him. Size him up, scare the shit out of him maybe.”
Have laughed under her breath. “If I told you to save your breath, would you listen?”
“Can’t. Father’s duty. He’ll understand.”
“Dad—”
“Now, don’t you go taking this away from me, Haven. You’re all grown up, and this is the only time I can do this.”
Sure.
She just laughed.
“Although, he must be something I guess, to make you change your plans like this. You always were so stuck in your ways. Nothing could ever change your mind once you decided on something.”
He wasn’t lying.
“Andino is …” Haven struggled to find the right words.
“Hmm?”
“Overwhelming.”
Yeah, that was as good of a word as any.
Why not?
Her father chuckled. “Yeah, love usually is.”
“So, you’ll tell Mom that—”
“You will be down to visit as soon as you can,” her father interjected. “And that you made the right choice. Yes, I will.”
Haven shook her head. “All right, thank you. I love you. Tell her that for me, too.”
“Will do, sweetheart. Love you, too.”
Once she’d said goodbye to her father and dropped her phone into her bag, she finally noticed the form standing in the doorway. The woman hadn’t made a single noise to alert Haven to her presence.
Kim.
“Are you busy?” Andino’s mother asked.
Haven shook her head. “No, just filling my dad in on where I was.”
Kim nodded, and stepped into the room. “You must be bored in here by yourself. The whole family is just down the hall in the dining room, if you—”
“Maybe not? I … don’t really know anyone, that’s all.”
And to be honest, Haven wasn’t even sure why she was still there. Or rather, what she was waiting for. Kim had been the one to approach her at the church, and then practically demanded Haven leave with their family. At the time, she didn’t have a reason to refuse, and she really didn’t like the way Kev had looked at her like he wished she was dead right where she stood.
Now that she was here … well, she didn’t have the first clue where Andino was, or if she was ready to talk to him. If they did talk, what would he say?
The thought made her heart race.
And ache.
“Well, what about me, then?” Kim asked softly.
Haven didn’t understand what the woman was asking, but just the way Kim looked at her—so expectant and hopeful—she didn’t think she was going to be able to refuse whatever she asked for. Kim seemed sweet, truly. Soft-spoken, and kind. It was hard not to be comfortable when the woman was near.
“What about you?” Haven asked.
“Would you be willing to talk to me for a bit, maybe? I could keep you company.”
Haven blinked. “Talk about what?”
“You.”
She was feeling really slow on the uptake today.
Kim laughed at Haven’s obviously confused expression. “I just feel like … you and me, well we have a lot of catching up to do, Haven. All this time that I could have got to know you, I missed out on. And I would rather not waste more time doing that when you’re standing right here.”
“Why would you want to get to know me? “
“Because Andino loves you,” Kim said simply. “And so, I love you, too. That’s how it works.”
Huh.
“You seem confused still,” the woman pointed out.
Haven shrugged.
What else could she do?
“I guess … this is unexpected. No one cared before. No one was around before, you know?”
“Things are never as simple or as easy as we think they are,” Kim explained. “Especially not in this family with the life we live. I think you’re going to find a lot of things will be different this time around, and they will adore you just as much as I do and as he does.”
Haven gave the woman a look. “You don’t even know me, though.”
“He’s told me enough to know you’re amazing, and strong, and everything he wants. So, what difference does the rest make, Haven, when those are the only things that should really matter at the end of the day?”
“That’s not the only thing that matters,” Haven said sadly, glancing down at her hands. “There’s a lot more to think about too.”
“Nothing is ever easy,” Kim echoed again. “You love him, though, don’t you?”
“Does that matter when I also know I can’t keep loving someone who keeps hurting me?”
Kim’s expression didn’t change at all from that soft smile she wore. “Maybe he did all that because that was the only way he could keep you. Have you ever t
hought about that?”
She did.
Now.
Today.
Kim waved a hand, adding, “But those are things you should talk to my son about. I don’t have all those answers. About you, though … I want to know everything.”
Haven laughed. “There’s not much to tell. Just a normal girl, you know?”
Kim looked her over, but her gaze never felt judgmental or disapproving. “Oh, I think there’s a lot to tell about you. He wouldn’t love you otherwise. Andino isn’t that simple—normal wouldn’t interest him. That alone tells me you’re something amazing.”
Well, then …
How did one reply to that?
• • •
Haven saw him darkening the doorway before his mother did. Andino wasn’t looking at anything else but Haven in that second. She could see the wariness in his eyes—like he thought she might bolt, but he was still going to try regardless.
God.
She loved him for that, too.
“Ma, care to give me a minute?” Andino asked quietly.
Kim smiled as she found Andino in the doorway. “There you are. And sure, yeah. We were just … chatting.”
Andino chuckled. “I’m sure. Telling all my secrets, I imagine.”
Giving Haven a wink, Kim stood from the chair and smoothed down the skirt of her dress. She walked across the room, and stopped alongside her son in the doorway. Her hand came up to pat his cheek with an affectionate touch.
“I was most certainly not telling your secrets, thank you,” Kim said, “and I definitely didn’t tell her about the little whale stuffy you kept until you were twelve.”
Andino groaned. “Ma.”
Kim laughed, and patted his cheek again. “Whoops. I’ll see you later.”
It was only once Kim was gone that Andino finally turned to Haven again. She couldn’t even hide the smile that was stretching her cheeks wide because that was, by far, one of the cutest things she had ever seen.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered. “She …”
“Loves you beyond words,” Haven said. “She really does.”
Andino settled on a nod. “Maybe too much? That’s kind of the thing with Italian mothers. They love their boys entirely too much.”
