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Risk took care of Reno’s brothers, Sebastian and Dante, when Reno didn’t even know of their existence. And when Sebastian went looking for answers about his father, Risk made that happen too. He reunited the twin brothers with Reno and their father.
Their father was a piece of shit. He was a power-hungry, egotistical monster who only cared about ruling Nostra Casa by creating fear in his men. When his men showed their allegiance to Reno, his jealousy raged out of control. First, he fucked Reno’s wife, then together, they plotted to kill Reno.
Eventually, they would have done away with Sebastian and Dante too. Dante got wind of this, and Reno got ahead of the situation. It’s said that Reno’s father and wife died in an accident. It’s never been spoken aloud, but it all seems very coincidental that that happened at the same time that the brothers found out the truth.
Make no mistake, Reno can be as cruel as they come. He has no mercy for his enemies, and Satan’s Pride has been careful not to include him in any of our dealings unless it’s absolutely necessary. We’ve even helped them out when it came to saving lives of innocent women and children.
When Risk approached Reno and told him of Jessop’s fraudulent activities and how it affected not only Francesca but all the employees of her companies, he jumped in with both feet.
In a couple of hours, we’re meeting with several other key men who have been brought in as part of our plan. For now, I hang tight and let my mind wander to my tipsy woman who made me laugh last night when she told me all about her evening with the Lady Pride.
I was particularly interested when she told me she had a secret, and I couldn’t tell any of the brothers. Frankie told me about warm socks and singing songs. She told me how happy she is to be part of all this. Then she admitted how scared she is to lose it all.
I reassured her that there’s nothing we can’t resolve together. I could sense the tension easing out of her as we spoke on the phone. I waited until I knew she was ready to sleep and let her go.
“Where are you, man?” Guard bumps my shoulder.
“Sorry. I was thinking about?—”
“Francesca. Yeah, I know.”
“They got pretty toasted last night.”
“Heard all about it,” he says.
Risk shakes his head and smiles. “I gotta have a talk with Hanna about that.”
“Let it go, man. It’s not like she said anything outrageous,” I reply.
“Not about that.” His face grows fierce. “That ex of hers and his father did quite a number on her, and I thought we got rid of all the ‘I’m not good enough’ shit. Then I heard it came out of her mouth again. What the fuck is that about?”
“Words cut deep. She endured years of abuse. It doesn’t disappear that easily,” Guard says. “And what she said was that you make her feel good about herself. It’s a compliment, brother.”
“If the asshole weren’t already dead, I’d do it myself,” he grunts, fisting his hands by his sides.
“Saved you the bother,” Ghost says. “He got what he deserved and suffered for it.” Ghost was on a secret mission for a man whose name he’s never disclosed, and as part of the operation, he was in a prison for the week. So happens it was the same one where Hanna’s ex was serving time. A few days later, Hanna got word of her ex-husband being killed during a prison fight. Ghost was on his way home by then, and it was never mentioned again.
“Personally, I’m loving what Vi said,” Orion says. He can see that things are getting tense and has a knack of turning things around. “I work hard to be her hero. It’s good to know my hard work is paying off,” he jokes.
“All right, guys. Let’s get ready. We gotta roll in an hour,” Guard says, breaking up the idle chatter and focusing on the upcoming meeting of the minds.
* * *
Sebastian is at the door to greet us. He and Risk have a private moment before he leads the way into a boardroom, where both Dante and Reno rise from their chairs to embrace their buddy Risk in a manly embrace.
Sebastian turns to Ghost and quietly says, “Olivia would like to meet up with Abigail soon.”
“We’ll make it happen,” Ghost grunts with a nod.
Sebastian smiles. “Good.” I’ve heard that he’s the unpredictable brother, but since getting married to his wife, Olivia, he seems to have calmed down. It’s a good thing, because I think Reno was becoming less tolerant of his antics. Brotherly love and all aside, Reno would have kicked his ass.
Around the table are several other men I don’t know. Reno makes the introductions. “Gentlemen, meet our Pride brothers and Guard, their leader. This is Risk, Ghost, Orion, and Hammer.” Reno then goes around the table. “Some of you have already met and might remember Nero and Luciano. This is Alessio and Niccolo from Il Destino. This is Raffaele and Ivo from Ultimo Morte. And of course, you all remember Leo.”
I’ve seen Leo on a couple of occasions. He’s Reno’s best friend and more. He’s more like the fourth brother in the family.
We take our seats across from the new players at the table. Reno sits at the head of the table. “I’ve explained the current situation on a basic level. I began with Alessio, and then it came to our attention that this Jessop fellow is a cunning bastard. By chance, Alessio spoke with Raffaele and lvo, and behold, Jessop has made contact and is hoping to make inroads with Raffaele in order to bypass either me or Alessio in this deal. To be on the safe side, we informed Nero and his crew. Jessop hasn’t made an attempt to connect with La Famiglia yet, but we can’t put it past him.”
Rage rumbles within me. My hands clench into fists on top of the table. Guard gives me a warning glance.
