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I meant to lay out the rules for this experiment, but in the next moment, the front door swung open, and Enzo strolled in.
“Oh shit,” I mumbled
“What?” Donata followed my line of sight. “The prodigal son returns. Does this mean Rex and he are friends again?”
“It means Rex left the door open for Enzo to fuck him over.” I sipped from my glass.
“What happened?” Luce stepped closer to me.
The tension between Rex and Enzo was palpable. It killed the buzz of the party in five seconds flat.
“Yesterday, after our fight, I went to The Crucible to calm down.”
Donata cocked an eyebrow at me.
“Long story. We’re fine now.” I wrapped my arm around Luce’s waist. “Anyway, I ran into those two. Rex found a way to let all rights to the King’s chair return to the Alfera’s—to Enzo.
“Leave it to Rex to find a way.” Donata crossed her arms over her chest. “And here I thought we were well on our way to being a happy family again. I miss how we were in high school.”
“How were you in high school?” Luce asked.
“We were close. Real close.” Donata’s gaze swept across the room to where Rex and Enzo were deep in conversation. “The four of us understood each other. Being next in line to take over for the family was a huge responsibility. At seventeen, I personally could not wrap my head around it. It was good to have friends that were in the same boat, so to speak.”
“There’s so much hate between them, why?” Luce placed her hand over my heart.
“It’s not hate.” I took her fingers in mine and kissed them. “Enzo got the short end of the stick. That’s all.”
“What do you mean?”
“You weren’t there to pick up the pieces, Santino. It was way more than that.” Donata exchanged a meaningful glance with me, silently asking if Luce knew everything.
“You can tell her. I’ve filled her in on most Society affairs, but I didn’t think to talk about Enzo. It seems since high school, we all made an unspoken vow to never talk about him.”
“Is this because he didn’t get to be king?” Luce asked.
“Our senior year in high school, our parents told us about the deal Michael Alfera had struck with the Society.” Donata released a breath, shifting her attention between Luce and Enzo. “Mainly, that it was time to execute the contract and for Michael to leave forever, minus his children, of course.”
“Enzo and Massimo were to remain as soldiers. Not as head of the family Alfera, just soldiers.” I had never said those words out loud. The minute I put the idea into a sentence, I realized how fucked up that sounded.
“In the process, Enzo lost the love of his life, Aurora Vitalli.” Donata whispered the name I hadn’t heard in over ten years. “She was executed along with the other mafia members who were loyal to Michael Alfera.”
“That’s horrible. Why would the Society do that?”
“The order came from the new king, Luigi Valentino, Rex’s dad. He knew that if he didn’t kill them all, they would one day want revenge. Or simply want Michael back. His new seat at the head of the table wasn’t something Don Valentino was willing to risk. Then or now. He put a lot of clauses in place to make sure no one could usurp him. The main one being, the execution of Michael’s closest associates.”
“You had to do the same when you took over for your dad.” Luce nodded.
“That’s right. It’s how it’s always been done. And now I understand why. I thought I could keep Joey alive, but you saw how that turned out. I almost lost you because of him. The old man wanted me dead for crying out loud.”
“That part, I understand. Business is business.” Donata pursed her lips. “But Aurora and her brothers were innocent. They should’ve been spared.”
When I looked up, Enzo and Rex peeled away from their spot by the grand staircase and made their way toward us. Of course, they knew all the whispering and furtive glances could only mean we were talking about them.
As I watched them approach, realization washed over me. Rex decided to offer Enzo a deal in my presence because he wanted me to be the executor. If Rex and Caterina never had children, Enzo would have the right to claim the King’s chair.
Now Enzo knew there was a way to get his crown back. Would he get greedy and have his friend killed, just so he could be king like he was promised since he was a kid? I hoped not because if Enzo ever tried to go after Rex and succeeded, I would have to be the one to get justice for Rex. Friend or not—I’d have to be Enzo’s executioner.
“You son of a bitch,” I said as soon as Rex was within earshot. “You can’t expect me to do your dirty work.” I pointed at Enzo, a reference to the deal they both made last night.
