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"Let me get my hands on the bastard. It’s he who’s responsible for what happened to Xander. When I get hold of you, I am going to kill you, you motherfucker!"
Massimo tries to steer Christian away, but Christian resists. The two grapple. Adrian leaps to his feet and grips Christian’s shoulder. Between him and Massimo, they manage to maneuver Christian out of the room. The door snicks shut and I turn to Luca.
"Who were you working with?" I snap. "This is your chance to come clean, Luca."
His shoulders flex. He uncurls his fists at his sides and lowers his chin. "The Kane Company," he says in a hard voice. "My plan was to join forces with them, and try to take you down."
"Motherfucker," Sebastian growls. "FuckingCani," he grumbles, alluding to the Italian pronunciation of the word that translates to dogs.
"So were they behind the rigging of the car."
He frowns, "I honestly don’t know."
I scowl, "You’d better know."
"I swear upon our mother," Luca thumps his chest, "I have no idea who’s behind it. When I heard what had happened, all I knew was that I needed to be with my family. That I had to help you track down who did it and ensure they realize that they can’t fuck with us again."
I drag my fingers through my hair. "Fuck," I hiss. "This is bloody unhelpful." I walk around the table, then stalk over to him. "What else can you tell us? What else is the Kane Company up to? You’d better have something for me, Luca, if you want to rejoin."
Luca shuffles his feet. "JJ exploited the fact that I wanted to be Capo. He offered me the chance to be his second-in-command with the understanding that I’d take over from him."
"And his son?" Sebastian frowns, "Wouldn’t his son be next in line for succession?"
"His son’s a tech wiz. Runs a multibillion-dollar tech start-up in Silicon Valley. He’s hardly interested in following in his father’s footsteps."
"JJ’s not that old, though," Seb scowls. "He’s what, forty-nine?"
"If that," Luca retorts. "Look, I didn’t really want to take over as the head of the Kane Company. I just wanted to send a signal to you guys that you were not the only fish in the sea. That if I could not become the Don of the Cosa Nostra, there were other places I could go."
"Fuck, Luca," I glower at him, "all you had to do was talk to me, brother. We could have figured something out."
"The way you did when you went off to LA, leaving the rest of us behind?"
My heart thuds in my ribcage. "I am sorry for that; I truly am. If I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t have left until I had a chance to take the rest of you with me."
"Save it, Mika." He cracks his neck. "It’s water under the bridge."
"Fuck, brother, I would have done anything to ensure all of you were safe. If I had had any inkling that he’d come after you, Luca, I would have…"
"Killed him?" Luca says softly, "There’s still time."
"He’s our father." I roll my shoulder. "As much as I hate to say it, he is our sperm donor."
"And he’d be happy to kill any of us if he could hold onto his position as Don."
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
"Do you really think our ‘dear father’ will let go of his power that easily?"
I squeeze my fingers into fists, "Are you saying he was behind what happened to Xander and my wife?"
"I wouldn’t put it past him."
Fact is, after how he beat our mother and drove her to an early death, I wouldn't be surprised either. And yet, I can't quite accept it. Maybe a part of me still clings to the hope that there is some modicum of love in him toward his own children? Despite what he said about Luca and Xander on the day of the funeral...
I curl my fingers into fists, "He’s a bastard, and granted, he fucked up our lives…but family is the one thing that is important to him." I roll my shoulders. "He’s always been clear that he wanted me to succeed him. Hell, he’s the one who nominated me for Capo. It’s thanks to his vote of confidence that I took over this role."
"You’d have become the Capo with or without his help, Michael." Luca’s lips twist. "You have the leadership qualities, the ability to influence people, the determination and motivation to become a Don, before anything else."
