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A haunted look passed Samuel’s face, and he surprised me by rasping, “And I love you, Fina. I’ll save you.” For him to say those words in front of another man, his enemy, he must be even more worried for my life than I thought.
The tears spilled over then. Remo walked past me and switched the screen off. I didn’t hold them back. I let the tears flow freely, not caring if Remo saw them. Remo watched me with narrowed eyes. Maybe my emotions annoyed him. I couldn’t care less.
“I thought Danilo was the man who owned your heart, but now I see I was wrong.”
I wiped at my eyes. “He’s my twin. I’ve never been without him. I would walk through fire for him.”
Remo nodded slowly. “I believe you.”
REMO
Nino, Adamo, Savio, and I drove to the initiation together. My thoughts kept straying to Serafina. I’d locked her in the bedroom again, and Fabiano would keep an eye on her and Kiara while we were gone. I would have preferred to have him at the initiation as well, but someone needed to protect Kiara and make sure Serafina didn’t do something stupid. I doubted she’d find a way out of the bedroom, but if anyone could do it, then it was her.
Nino was driving and Savio and Adamo sat in the back. It reminded me of the past, the months we’d spent on the run from the Russians, part of the Camorra, and the other mob families. We’d been on the road almost constantly, never staying anywhere for long, and still our pursuers almost got us a couple of times.
Nino slanted a look at me as if he, too, was remembering those days.
We pulled up in front of one of our casinos on the outskirts of Vegas, where the initiation would take place. The parking lot was crowded with limousines. My soldiers were already there. I got out first, not waiting for the bellhop to open my door, and stalked inside the casino with my brothers on my heels. The place had been closed since yesterday for the occasion. Inside familiar faces greeted me. Some of my men were nursing drinks at the bar. Others were engaged in conversation with each other. None of them were playing poker or roulette, even though the croupiers were there just in case. They knew it was a test. An alcoholic shouldn’t run a bar. And my underbosses and captains better not gamble or do drugs. Lower soldiers had more leeway.
Eleven Underbosses and their Consiglieres were invited for the initiation. Most of them were barely older than me. When I’d taken over power, I removed most of the old Underbosses and chose their young ambitious heirs or bastards. Similar to me and my relationship with my father, only a few of them had been sad to see their fathers gone. Only three cities fell under the rule of older Underbosses, who were loyal to the bone.
I shook their hands before we gathered in the center of the room. I put a hand on Adamo’s shoulder. He stood tall, for once his expression not betraying his emotions, but I could feel his tension under my palm. “Today we’ve come here to initiate my brother Adamo.”
The men nodded a greeting at him. They had all dressed in suits for the occasion, and my brothers and I had followed the tradition of dressing up. “As with every initiate, blood has to be paid.”
Nino dragged a struggling Mason toward us. Fabiano had locked him in the utility closet. Adamo tensed under my hand, and I squeezed his shoulder lightly.
Nino threw the asshole to the ground. He wasn’t in school anymore. A drop out, who’d managed to gather a posse of well-off, much younger kids around himself and introduced them to drugs. His father had been a Made Man before I disposed of him in my claim for power, but the son was even more useless than the father.
His mouth was covered by tape, and his eyes were wide with terror. I handed Adamo one of my guns. As an initiate, he wasn’t allowed to bring his own guns. Adamo pointed the barrel at Mason’s head. I was close enough to see the slight tremor of his hands. I squeezed his shoulder again, encouragement as much as a reminder not to show weakness, and then he pulled the trigger.
Mason slumped forward dead. Adamo shuddered under my hand and slowly lowered the gun, his expression hard, but in his eyes I could see the hint of conflict. It would get easier with time. The men nodded their heads in approval, and Adamo met my gaze.
“It’s time to get the tattoo.”
Nino came forward with the tattoo equipment, and Savio carried a chair over. Adamo sat down, rolled up his sleeve, and held out his forearm.
