I had been feeling so sick and so afraid that I never really looked at Vic, but he had a similar build to Dante and looked to be around the same age, thirty. Seeing the military photos made me realize how much they seemed to have in common, and I wondered what would Dante do if his life was in jeopardy. Would he do something as desperate as Vic did? I didn’t know, but by their brief exchange, I thought he would. This part of his life was one I would never fully understand.
Dante and Vic’s voices grew louder as they returned to the living room. I hated not knowing what was going on. I understood the danger I would be in if I knew too much, but it was obvious I was already in danger just being a part of the Gambino family.
As I watched them enter the room, something Toni once told me popped into my head. Gia, if there’s one thing you’ve gotta learn, it’s that I always know everything. I wondered how true that was and if Vic brought her up to say she was in danger. Maybe she knew something and didn’t realize it.
Dante sat beside me and pressed his lips to my forehead and took my hand. He looked into my eyes, and as I looked into his pale blue eyes, the room spun because of him and not the drug.
“Are you okay to walk or do you want me to carry you to the car?” he asked.
“I think I can walk,” I said.
Vic came over to my other side and both men helped me stand up. I felt a little loopy at first, but then gained my footing. As we approached the front door, Dante stopped and turned to Vic.
“Thank you for sharing that information with me,” Dante said.
“I only did what was right,” Vic said.
“If you need help, remember you’re now a friend of mine.”
‘Friend of mine’ was a Mafia term I grew up hearing pretty regularly. I didn’t know exactly what it meant, but I had the idea that Dante was telling Vic he was under the Gambino umbrella.
I closed my eyes as Dante drove us home. I didn’t want to think about the day or about anything at all. I just wanted to pretend I had a normal life where things like what I had been through didn’t happen.
Dante’s warm hand covered mine and I clasped my fingers around it. Something about his touch had the ability to calm and excite me at the same time, and I hoped that would never change. Leaning towards him, I rested my head against his broad shoulder and fell asleep.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Dante
We drove home in silence, but my mind didn’t stop churning. I wanted to get Gia back to where I knew she was safe–our home. But I couldn’t spend much time with her.
The information Vic gave me was valuable, and I needed to act on it before anyone realized what was going on. Everything needed to look the same. I thought about those closest to me and began thinking about my plan of attack.
Whatever I did needed to put the Palumbo family in their place while telling the other families to not fuck with the Gambinos. I was tired of my family having to hide.
As I pulled into the garage, I listened to Gia’s steady breathing. Hopefully when she woke the chloroform would be completely out of her system.
I carried her upstairs and into our bedroom. Leaving the lights off, I pulled back the comforter and gently laid her on the bed.
She had been through a lot lately. Planning the wedding was taking a toll on her. She didn’t say anything, but I could tell. I knew she wished for her own family to be there with her, but it was a fantasy she wanted, not what she really had.
I brushed my lips against her forehead, not wanting to wake her, then made my way towards the door. As I pulled it closed, she rolled onto her side and pulled the pillow closer to her.
She had been through so much between Terry and now me. I wondered why she stayed. She didn’t need me, but I needed her. I was lost without her.
***
Sitting in my office just outside our home, I felt lost. Vic Capuzzo’s words rang through my head. It’s someone under your roof.
I didn’t know who to trust anymore. Could I even trust the words of a man wanted dead by his own family? Palumbo wasn’t smart enough to use Vic like that. Plus I knew Vic was telling the truth. I could tell. But Vic only gave me one name, and I knew there had to be others.
I had gone soft. My time with Gia, of being in love, made me hesitant to make the bold moves I needed to as the Gambino Don. It angered me because it meant I had a weakness. My enemies knew that if they wanted to have me by the balls, all they had to do was get to Gia.
The old Dante would have taken care of things without a second thought. Now I felt paralyzed. Before, I would handle things myself. As Boss, I had to remember the chain of command to protect myself. I had to delegate. And I had to think bigger than just one job or one mark. I wasn’t used to thinking that way.
Being the Don also reminded me of the family I had lost. It was times like these that I wished my father was still around to guide me and make sure I knew what to do as Godfather. As head of the family, I didn’t have anyone to turn to for help. I was on my own.
I had to stop feeling sorry for myself. The entire Gambino family depended on me now and with the information Vic gave me, I knew where to start.
Leaning back in my office chair, I looked at the photos of my family on my desk. The one in the center was of Gia pulling her suitcases behind her the day I first saw her.
I had a plan to cement the Gambino family as top of the food chain, but who could I trust? The job had to be kept quiet, and I needed to use those I trusted the most. I didn’t want the Palumbo family to know I was onto them. And I wanted to make sure the other families respected us the way they should.
Grabbing my phone off the desk, I tapped on Mitcham’s name.
“Get my brothers together next week,” I said. “I want a sit down.”
“Do you want the sit down here or there?” Mitcham asked.
“There. The less Gia knows, the better.”
A lot needed to be planned, and there wasn’t much time. I needed to keep my attention on this. This would cement the Gambino future and keep Gia safe. She might not understand, but I had to let my anger and the darkness take control. I didn’t want her to see me like that. As much as it pained me, I had to avoid her until I met with my brothers.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
One Week Later
Gia
It had been almost a week since I last saw Dante. Sometimes I sat on the balcony off our bedroom and waited to see if I could catch a glimpse of him in his office. Other times I sat by the pool waiting to see if he came out. None of it worked though. He might as well have been kidnapped himself.
I had never been into his office, but I knew the small building had everything he could possibly need. Mitcham and his brothers would meet him there from time to time and without him saying anything, I knew it was off limits to me. I didn’t mind. I understood what business he was in and the privacy he needed. But I missed him.
I would have been happy with anything; a wave, a smile, anything at all. He didn’t even tell me how long he would be away, he just stopped coming into the house. I knew he was busy and I knew whatever he was planning was going to be huge, but I needed him.
I felt so lonely and empty without him. I tried to occupy myself with the wedding, but I didn’t even know if I should keep planning the wedding or not. I just didn’t know what else to do with myself. I needed him to come back and stop being the Boss, even if it was just for a little while.
I was sitting at the island in the kitchen thumbing through a wedding magazine when Toni stopped by. She was in jeans and a cute print top, which made me feel messy in my yoga pants and t-shirt. I pushed the magazine away from me as she entered the room.
“Hey, I haven’t heard from you since…you know, La Terrazza,” she said. “I wanted to give you some time just in case, but I wanted to drop by and make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m fine, Toni,” I said, and she cocked an eyebrow at me. “Really, I am. I’m just…” I looked around quickly to make sure we were alone. �
�I’m not sure what’s going on with the wedding. Dante hasn’t mentioned it. He hasn’t said much of anything to me since that day. He’s been…”
I stopped myself from talking. I remembered again how she said she knows everything, and I wondered how true that really was. Maybe it was from people like me who babbled to her that gave her the information. When I thought about Vic mentioning her to Dante, I felt a little insecure. She and I had grown so close, I couldn’t believe she would do something against the family. But what if I was wrong?
“He’s been what?” Toni asked.
“Busy. Just busy. You know how Dante is. He gets his mind on something and that’s all he focuses on.”
“Yup, that’s my brother!” she said with a laugh. “Have you thought any more about what you want with the wedding?”
“No, not really. We’ll probably just do it at La Terrazza on that date. It just feels weird to me to have something so big.”
“Then talk to Dante about it. Tell him what you want.”
I shrugged. I didn’t know what I wanted, so how could I tell him? The date had been set before we visited La Terrazza. They only had one Saturday available at such short notice, so we took it before we even went there.
“I’m probably just feeling overwhelmed. It’s three weeks away and I haven’t even looked at dresses yet. That’s why I was looking through this magazine, but nothing looks right. Anyway, enough about me, Toni. Please tell me what’s going on with you. I need a distraction.”
“Sure, what do you want to talk about?” she asked.
“Anything! I don’t know, tell me about this guy you’ve been dating. Why haven’t I met him yet?”
She shrugged. “I have no idea. He’s been around, but you keep missing him. He was at the house after Terry’s funeral, but I think you had already gone. That day is such a blur. And he stays over quite a bit, too,” she said as she wiggled her eyebrows.
“Does he have a name?”
“Oh ha! I totally forgot to tell you. His name is Chance. I don’t think he’s Italian at all, which is a nice change, you know? If I had a nickel for every Italian I dated, sheesh! But what can I say? I just can’t resist. Unfortunately, most of the time they were just interested because I’m a Gambino,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “Chance didn’t even know the last name.”
“Okay, now I have to call bullshit on that. Even I knew the Gambino name. There’s just no way he didn’t.”
She stopped for a moment and her face grew serious. Her eyebrows, which were always so expressive, knitted together. As I watched, her eyes turned a little darker just like Dante’s did when he was angry.
“You might have a point,” she said stoically. “Anyway, I know you don’t want to talk about the wedding, but have you talked to my mother yet? She was going to talk to you about wearing Nonna’s wedding dress.”
“Your grandmother’s dress?” I asked. “No, I can’t do that.”
“Of course you can! Nonna’s mother was a seamstress back in the old country, and she hand stitched this dress for her wedding like a million years ago. And then when my parents got married, my mother wore the dress. You really should wear it.”
“No, are you crazy? It’s a family dress, you should be the next one to wear it, Toni.”
“Okay, Gia. Let me put it this way. It’s a beautiful dress, but it’s just not my style. When I get married, it’s going to be something out of the blue out on an island or something. Not in some lace mermaid dress. You’ll look gorgeous in it with your curves, but it’s just not me.”
“Really? You sure?”
“Absolutely! Are you kidding? If you wear it, then maybe my mother will get off my back about settling down. At least for a little while,” she said, laughing.
“When can I see it?”
“How about tomorrow? Mom was having the dress cleaned and everything before showing it to you. I’m really surprised she didn’t say anything about it yet.”
“She was probably afraid to say anything after what happened,” I said.
“You mean…Vic Capuzzo?” she asked carefully.
I laughed. “Yes, geez. Really, I’m okay. He’s actually a good guy.”
“Oh, okay, so he’s a nice kidnapper,” she said, grinning. “Although to be honest, I saw him at a party a few years back and he could kidnap me any day. I mean hello Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome!”
We laughed, and I was glad she was making light of it. I didn’t want anyone acting like it was a big deal or treating me any differently. I just wanted to get past it and be glad that nothing bad really happened.
Vic had his reasons and as warped as they might have been, I understood them. Maybe being around the Mafia and their way of thinking had an effect on me. I didn’t know. But Vic gave Dante the answers he needed, and I knew that information was invaluable.
Dante might have closed himself away from me over the past week, but I knew why. I knew he was planning things I could never know about. He was making arrangements to keep our family safe. Of course I wished I knew more of what was going on, but I trusted him and I knew he would do only what he needed to.
***
Since Dante had been holed up in his office, I hadn’t been sleeping well. At first I thought it was the effects of the chloroform, but then I realized it was that I missed having him in bed with me and sleeping in his arms.
Staring up at the ceiling, I watched the fan spin and wished it could hypnotize me to sleep. I closed my eyes, but every sound the house made kept me awake. The pop of a floorboard, the heat coming on, even the whir of the ceiling fan seemed louder than usual. Eventually I gave up on sleep and got out of bed.
It was too chilly to sit on the balcony, and I was too lazy to go downstairs. I looked out the glass door to the balcony and noticed Dante’s office light was on. It wasn’t that late, but usually his light was off by now. I knew he wouldn’t tell me, but the yellow I had his office painted was too cheerful for him so he would sometimes sit in the dark.
I wondered if I knocked on the door if he would open it or if he would pretend I wasn’t there. How long did I have to go without seeing him? Even a few minutes would have made me happy.
Sighing, I turned around and climbed back into bed. I turned onto my side, hugged Dante’s pillow to me, and closed my eyes. Maybe if I kept them closed long enough, I’d fall asleep.
All homes have their sounds. Ours popped and squeaked like someone was walking even though there was no one there. The air blew through the vents again, the floorboard popped, and the fan continued to whir. All of it reminded me of how alone I was. Maybe I should get a dog to keep me company, I thought.
The sounds began to disappear as I finally fell asleep. I forced my eyes open to see if I could see the lights from Dante’s office from the bed, but I couldn’t. Maybe I should move the bed again.
Warmth surrounded me and a large hand swept my hair back from my face. I had to be dreaming. Dante’s arm slipped under my head, and he curved his body behind mine. I smiled and felt every muscle in my body relax. It was exactly what I needed.
“Dante…” I whispered.
“Shh, sleep, my angel,” he said. “I couldn’t stay away, but I promise everything is almost over. Just one more day and we can get back to planning our wedding.”
“I love you.”
“I love you more. Now sleep.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Dante
The next day, I came inside the house from my office and found Gia sitting at the kitchen island looking through a magazine. Her shoulders were slumped a little and she didn’t look up at me like she normally did.
“Are you okay?” I asked as I walked over and kissed her cheek.
Placing my hand on her shoulder, I felt tension in her. I sat down beside her and waited for her to tell me what was wrong.
“I’m okay. Just a little disappointed,” she said. “I was supposed to go over your mother’s with Toni to see Nonna’s wedding dress today, but Toni s
ent me a text saying she has to work. We just made these plans yesterday, how does she suddenly have to work?”
Toni cancelled because of me, but I couldn’t tell Gia that. When I found out they had plans to be at the house when I was having my meeting, I had to think quick. I didn’t want either of them there. Luckily, the owner of the restaurant Toni worked for owed me a favor.
“I’m sorry, my love,” I said. “Toni’s job can be like that. If someone calls in sick, she needs to cover for them. That’s the restaurant business. I’m sure you can see the dress tomorrow. Plus there’s plenty of time before the wedding. I’ll make sure you get everything you need.”
She nodded, but I knew it didn’t help her feel any better. Gia had a lot on her mind lately and as much as I wanted to talk to her about it, I had more pressing matters in mind, like making sure she was out of danger. If something was really troubling her, she would tell me.
I gave orders to Jayden to stay behind with a few of my other men. I didn’t tell them where I was going. No one needed to know about this meeting.
Arriving at the house, I went directly into my father’s library. It felt strange to be in there without him. The room was still the same, everything was the same. Even my father’s favorite pen was on top of a notepad, as if he had just been writing.
Seeing my father’s things made me regret choosing his house for the meeting, but I would have to use it in my favor and make my brothers see me the way they once looked at our father as Boss. I cleared the desk of my father’s personal belongings and sat in his chair. It was time I commanded everyone’s respect.
Mitcham entered shortly behind me and took the seat in front of the desk. He crossed his legs and leaned back in the chair. He wouldn’t say anything until everyone was there.
Roman entered with his usual scowl. He sat in one of the other leather chairs near Mitcham. Roman had become increasingly belligerent since I became Boss. He felt it should be his position, but he refused to see that he wasn’t ready for it.
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