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“Someone better tell me what the fuck is going on, and fast,” Caleb demanded, pushing off the wall. “What is the importance of her mother? The woman is dead.”
I flinched at that. Caleb adored my mother. Doted on her.
So it was hard to hear him talk so callously about her.
“Julianna Claire Guillermo was the first-born child of Armando Guillermo, the head of the Sicilian Mafia. His first wife, Maria, Julianna’s mom, died in a car accident shortly after Julianna was born. Armando remarried and had my mom with his second wife. Since Armando didn’t have any sons, he groomed Julianna to take over the family from the moment she was born. Only she disappeared. Vanished. You think Maxim and the Russian Bratva are dangerous, you haven’t seen shit. The Sicilian Mafia is in a league all by themselves. They are old school. They make the Bratva look like the boy scouts.”
“Christian,” I whispered, using Fury’s given name. When he turned to me, I pleaded, “It doesn’t matter. Please stop.”
Shaking his head, he walked over to me, taking my hands. “Why didn’t you come home, Cousin? The family would have protected all of you.”
I shook my head. “It wasn’t that easy, Christian.”
“Get your hands off my wife,” Caleb growled menacingly.
Fury instantly released me, taking a step back.
“I don’t give a fuck who or what she is. I want to know why she left me. Now finish the fucking story.”
Looking at my husband, I treaded carefully. “I was eleven when Dad and I were out running errands for Mom and we witnessed two men being executed. I was too young to understand the gravity of the situation, but Dad knew. The next thing I knew, Dad was forcing me into a car and we left the only home I ever knew. I found out much later that the assassins who murdered the two men were Mafia. Well, that’s what Mom and Dad said.”
“But you didn’t believe them, did you?” Vicious asked.
“No. I didn’t.”
“It was a hit,” Fury said quickly, putting everything together before he surmised, “They killed your bodyguards.”
I nodded. “I think so. I didn’t know why, but I grew up with someone always watching over me when I was away from the house. Mom more so than me or Landon. We just thought they were family, then later that it was because Mom and Dad were important somehow. Anyway, when we left California, the first place we lived was somewhere in Kansas, but that didn’t last long before Dad insisted we head to New York. Mom wasn’t happy with the idea but said nothing, trusting Dad. In the years that followed, we felt safe in the city where we could blend in and no one would be the wiser.”
“Because she was close to the family if shit hit the fan. Fuck!” Fury cursed.
“I can’t say either way, but I can tell you that no one bothered us here. Mom and Dad enrolled Landon and I in school and everything seemed fine. I graduated from high school, went to college, met Caleb, got married, and had our daughter. Everything was perfect. Until it wasn’t.”
“They found you,” Montana guessed.
“Yes. It was right before Tessa’s claiming ceremony. I was helping Virginia pick up some last-minute items when someone called me. They knew the truth about my parents and were going to tell everyone. I didn’t know what this person was talking about and when I called Dad, he told me that someone had broken into the house and that they were being followed. Distracted by the party, I didn’t notice the black van following me. When I realized I was being followed too, I didn’t think. I dropped Virginia off at the clubhouse, told her I’d forgotten something and I’d be right back. Since I already had Sophia withme, I drove straight to the safe house Mom and Dad set up in Brooklyn.”
“And your tracker under my brother’s brand?” Storm asked.
“Landon cut it out.”
“You know who it was that killed the two men, don’t you?” Payne asked.
Taking a deep breath, I whispered, “I’m not sure. I overheard Mom talking to someone about it on the phone.”
“Who?”
Looking at Montana, I clearly said, “Rafaello Romano, Renaldo’s dad.”
Montana cursed, “Jesus Christ,”
Fury gasped, looking at Montana. “Do you know what this means?”
“Yeah. That the fucking Romano family knowingly went after the wife of a Soulless Sinners’ board member. It means war.”
“No!” I shouted, rushing over to Montana. “I said I wasn’t sure who it was. Don’t you see? It’s what they want. It’s what they’ve always wanted. According to Mom, Grandfather hated Rafaello. He was a deplorable, abusive man. When Mom left, she met and married my dad, Rafaello vowed to make Grandfather pay. He almost succeeded that day when Dad and I happened upon them, but Dad knew what to do. But it was too late. Rafaello saw me. He knew Mom had a daughter. If he couldn’t have my mom, he vowed he’d have me for his son, Renaldo. When Mom told me the truth, I knew if I brought it to the club, it would cause a war. There had already been enough blood spilled because of me. I couldn’t stand it if something happened to you, Caleb, or the others. That’s why I left. That’s why my family ran. They were protecting me, like I was protecting all of you. My family died because of me. I couldn’t survive it if something happened to you guys.”
Montana groaned, grabbing me, holding me tight as I cried into his chest. “I was supposed to be at the apartment the day my family died, but I wanted to see Caleb and Sophia one last time. When they couldn’t find me, they killed my parents and my brother. My family is dead because of me. I killed them.”
