Filed to story: Bound by Honor (Aria & Luca) Drama Story
My eyes widened. “Don’t tell Fina. Not yet. She’ll never forgive you if you punish Nevio for his father’s sins.”
“I’m not punishing him, but I have to keep the Outfit in mind. A child of Remo Falcone will cause too much discord. Not to mention that the Falcone blood carries madness.”
I pursed my lips. “I think you let your hate for Remo overrule your logic, Dante. Don’t lose yourself in useless fury.”
He smiled darkly. “Val, whenever I think of Remo, and that is every time I look at Serafina or her children, all I am is pure rage and thirst for revenge. I won’t rest until I get my vengeance.”
I swallowed hard because his eyes showed absolute determination. Nothing I could say would change it. “Don’t allow it to destroy everything we care about.”
“I won’t allow it to destroy anything.”
Months passed and we returned to a tentative routine in Chicago. Dante and his men were diligently working on revenge but Dante kept his promise.
The kids and I remained untouched of his pursuit of revenge, and even Dante seemed calmer and less haunted.
I thought we might be on a good way toward mutual ignorance with the Camorra.
Maybe I had been foolish.
Any dream of peace, of normalcy was shattered when Dante, Danilo, Pietro and Samuel got their hands on Adamo Falcone, Remo’s youngest brother.
Shortly after Dante got the news about the capture, he got ready to leave for the safehouse where they kept the boy. A boy, only fifteen.
Dante was withdrawn, lost in his thoughts as he put on his jacket over his gun and knife holster. A knife he’d use today?
“Dante,” I said quietly. “The boy is fifteen. Serafina said he never hurt her.”
“He is not innocent, Val,” Dante growled, his eyes flashing angrily. “He’s part of the Camorra. He is a Falcone. You don’t know the first thing about this family. If you did, you wouldn’t even consider asking me to spare Adamo Falcone.”
His anger hit me unexpectedly.
I nodded slowly. He was right, I didn’t know anything about the Falcones except for the rumors making the rounds and the few things Serafina had said since she’d been freed. What I knew was that Adamo would pay for a crime he hadn’t committed yet. Maybe he’d become as cruel as his brothers, but right now he wasn’t.
“Leonas will be inducted in three years, will that make him guilty for your crimes as well?”
Dante tensed. “That’s not the same.”
Wasn’t it? I didn’t know. In less than two weeks Leonas would turn nine, still a little boy in my eyes, but for our enemies he was a future Capo in the making, a potential enemy.
“Dante?” Pietro called, his voice ringing with open eagerness.
I shuddered.
“I need to leave now. We can continue this discussion tonight.”
He hesitated then he came toward me and kissed my lips before he stalked out. Slowly I walked after him but I stopped halfway down the staircase. Samuel gave his father a grin which he returned. Their hunger for revenge was tangible. Dante didn’t even bother hiding the dark hunger for blood.
I clutched the banister, feeling a little lost.
Before they left, Dante looked up once more but his eyes didn’t reflect conflict. Adamo Falcone wouldn’t be granted any mercy. He’d suffer in his brother’s stead.
I headed downstairs and into the living room where I found Ines, Sofia and Anna with the twins. Nevio was crawling over the floor while Greta clung to Ines. The little girl looked a bit lost without Fina.
“I don’t like that Fina’s going to be there when they torture that Falcone boy.”
Anna gave me a wide-eyed look. I’d hoped she wouldn’t find out about the torture but Ines was lost in her worry and didn’t even realize how much she revealed in front of our girls.
“Fina said the boy is not much older than Sofia and me, only fifteen,” Anna said.
“He’s a Camorrista,” Ines said. Nevio crawled toward me, and I picked him up. His dark eyes flashed up to me, and I tried to imagine how Dante and the other men could see only bad when they looked at this boy.
I sighed. “I don’t know Adamo Falcone.”
“Does he deserve to be tortured?” Sofia asked curiously.
Ines shrugged. “Fina didn’t deserve to suffer either.”
Anna looked at me for answers. I wasn’t sure what to say. Sofia and she were twelve, and they suffered the consequences of Remo’s actions as well. Both were homeschooled, shielded from the outside world, their golden cages more restraining than mine had ever been as a young girl.
Steps rang out and Santino appeared, dragging a struggling Leonas after himself.
“What’s going on?”