Page 19 of Love & Power

Frediano smiled as he cupped my face and kissed my forehead. “Well said, my girl. Spoken as a true queen who will change the criminal world.”

“I don’t want that responsibility. It’s not what I’m trying to do here,” I argued, pulling away from his hold. “What I said at breakfast wasn’t for show… it’s how I truly feel about this whole thing.”

“Astin, you might not want this responsibility, but you’re going to shoulder it whether you like it or not,” Frediano countered. “We might be criminals, mob bosses, and the seedy underbelly of the world, yet I don’t think you realize we’re also the ones who keep the balance. There will always be those who have no rules or boundaries walking over the dead bodies that litter the ground around them. Most of the time, those more powerful keep them in check, limiting their resources or taking them out permanently if they can’t be managed.”

He must have seen that I wasn’t following his logic, so he switched gears. “Back when I visited for your oath ceremony, you mentioned trouble with the lower-level criminals. Such as that biker gang thinking they had the power to demand more from you or set new terms because you need them. First, you explained how wrong they were and warned them what would happen if they continued to press the issue. Now they ignored everything you said and took over one of your warehouses, killing your people in an act of defiance. What was your response to that?”

“I killed them all and put a new MC in their place who was chomping at the bit to prove their worth,” I answered.

“Exactly,” he said with a smile. “Now, instead of a biker gang, picture a black market organ dealer who’s slaughtering a remote village and bringing too much attention to themselves. That one dealer could be connected to many other criminal organizations, and if he were to get caught by law enforcement, its effects could ripple out to cause trouble for everyone. Those who work in the shadows are all part of the criminal ecosystem whether they like it or not. Allies or enemies be damned when the ecosystem is threatened.”

A dull ache at the base of my skull warned me a headache was brewing from all these revelations. “Okay, so there’s an ecosystem. What does that have to do with me and this fight?”

“The Accardi and Leoni Families are the ones who are stepping out of line,” Frediano announced, getting to his feet and pacing as he talked. “This whole trafficking business is moments away from bringing every law enforcement agency down on us. The five families are some of the most powerful and oldest mob families in the world. We’re always being watched, fending off undercover agents, and our homes or offices being bugged. The De Santis Family is their shield, running interference and serving up other targets for the cops to hunt. Problem is Rocco’s going fucking senile and can’t handle things. He’s slipping. It’s bad enough his grandson is making moves to take over, but no one knows him well enough to determine if this is better or worse for us.”

Grinning to myself, I stood, brushing the grass and leaves off my pants. “Oh, don’t worry about Domenico. The two of us have come to an agreement that I think will work out quite nicely.”

Faster than I’d expected from an old man, Frediano grabbed my arm, turning me to face him. “What did you say?”

“Domenico and I have created an alliance,” I explained, tugging my arm free. “Before I explain, let me make something clear between us. Family or not, you fucking grab me like that again or lay a hand on me in anger, I’ll break your fucking hand.”

The shocked look on my grandfather’s face had me questioning how harsh I’d been. “Look, I’m not trying to be a bitch after we did some bonding here today. I’m just struggling to help you understand that we are equals, and I won’t allow you to treat me like a damn grunt. The diplomatic approach wasn’t working, so I did what I always do, give back exactly what I’m being given.”

He glared at his hand as if it had betrayed him, flexing it before stuffing it into his pocket. “Forgive me, Astin, you had every right to react as you did. I don’t mean this to sound like an excuse, but I know you’ll be the only person to understand. The older I get, the control I have over the anger and violence inside me slips when my emotions run high. Your grandmother was gifted in her ability to help me regulate my emotions. After she passed, I did my best to remember what worked, but somewhere along the way, I stopped caring.”

“I do understand and know exactly what you mean,” I said, running my hands through my hair as the breeze picked up. I locked eyes with my grandfather. “I also know that in your eyes, I’m still that young girl you trained and not the leader of the Caprioni Family. If we are going to take down two of the strongest crime families, then I can’t be worried about you undercutting my authority. I want to do this with you, but if you can’t tell me here and now that you’ll let me lead this fight, I’ll figure out another way that doesn’t involve you.”

Without saying a word, he continued to stare at me for what felt like an eternity. Reaching a hand behind his back, he pulled free a knife and sliced his hand. “As flows this blood, so will my soul be lost if my oath is not true. Life, loyalty, and honor to the heir who claims leadership of the Raffa Family.”

“With your vow, you now have been baptized by blood,” I responded, completing the oath between us.

Grabbing the handkerchief from him, I wrapped his hand. “Why the hell did you just do that? This means nothing when I’m not the head of this Family, you are.”

“I just abdicated my place as head of the family, and you accepted to lead it,” Frediano announced.

Blindsided by this information, I yanked roughly on the cloth, tightening it to the point it made him grunt. “Shit,” I muttered, working at loosening the knot. “That’s not how things work, old man, and you know it. I didn’t cut my hand or say the opening part of the oath. All you did was slice up your hand for no reason, and we don’t have anyone around to stitch it up.”

Pulling his injured hand from me, he tucked it under my chin to force me to look at him. “Why would the new Don bleed for the old man stepping down? I owe my loyalty to you, Astin, as the head of the Raffa Family, not the other way around. Abdications don’t happen often, but if you don’t believe me, then speak to Armond. His father was the last to step down, allowing his son to run things in his place. This is how things need to be. There can’t be two people in charge here, and this is exactly what your father and I trained you for… to be a leader. So from this point on, I will be your adviser and teach you all there is to know about running the Raffa Empire.”

nine

What the fuck just happened?

Backing away from him, I needed some distance between my grandfather and me. Unable to process everything with all my emotions coursing through my body, I started to pace, mumbling to myself. “I can’t… why would…”

Pausing, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, letting the air out slowly before facing him once more. “How the fuck am I going to manage leading two families when they’re in different countries? Not to mention the fact I’m planning to, as you put it, change the criminal world as we know it. Look, I can handle a lot and have been handling more than my fair share since coming out of hiding. You’ve seen what I’ve had to go through just to get the Caprioni Family to take me seriously, and they are a fraction of the Raffa Family’s size.”

“Astin,” Frediano snapped, cutting off my rant. “You might not have been prepared for this moment, but I am. Of course, the timeline of things has sped up with your father’s death, but I have planned for you to take over the Raffa Family since the day you were born. I understand asking you to trust me is not going to be easy, however, that’s what I need to make this transition as smooth as possible.”

Narrowing my eyes, I studied his face trying to figure out what my next fucking move should be. “We need to take this conversation back to the house. I don’t want you to utter a single word about what just happened here or what your plans are until my guys know about this new development.”

To his credit, Frediano didn’t react to the venom in my tone. I’m sure this isn’t how he planned this moment would go, but I was really fucking done with my family moving me around like a pawn. Snatching up my heels, I headed back toward the house. I spotted Beatrice standing guard at the entrance to the cemetery, keeping an eye on me but giving us privacy.

“Beatrice, I’m heading back to the house. Is there a faster way to get to my room than retracing my steps?” I asked once I reached her.

“I wouldn’t say it’s faster, but it’s more direct,” she offered.

After I slipped my shoes back on, I gestured for her to take the lead. We walked in silence, which I needed to get my thoughts in order before dropping this bomb on the guys. What I couldn’t figure out was why it bothered me so much that Frediano just handed me the key to the castle. It’s not like he’d kept his intentions a secret, yet I couldn’t shake this feeling I’d been played.