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I love this woman more than I love myself. I can't let her go. She and Chance are the only pieces of heaven I'll ever get.
If that means I'll forever have to play killer for my family then so be it. As long as I get to come home and fall deep into Stella's warm embrace, I'll make that sacrifice.
My sister wants me to take my place at the family table. If it means I'll be able to keep Stella then I'll sit and make sure every last one of our enemies knows that if they fuck with us they're going to have to worry about me coming for them.
A bullet with each one of their names on it.
Epilogue
Vitto
Standing at the edge of a small makeshift altar, I sneak another glance at Stella who is looking absolutely stunning in the light pink dress she's wearing. One day it's going to be me and her at the altar. At least that's what I know she wants.
Today is not that day.
A wedding is supposed to be a happy occasion, but as I take another glance at my brother's face, I know this is anything but the joyous event that my father has planned. Today is the day we make it official that Giancarlo marries the Caprini girl. Neither one of them looks as if they want to be here, but that's just how the cookie crumbles. We have to unite the families to make stronger allies, and both of them have to pay the price.
I stay silent and wait for the priest to get through his normal routine, and at the end of it, I cringe when instead of kissing the woman on the mouth, my brother leans over and presses a cold kiss to her cheek. There's an influx of applause from both my family and the Caprini family before everyone files out of the small event space.
"Now that it's over, we've got to have a discussion." Christine corners me before I can go over to my woman.
"We can discuss whatever needs to be discussed later. I've got things to do." I try to walk around, but she grabs hold of my arm and holds me in my place.
I'm getting really tired of having her strong-arm me into doing things. She may be my older sister, but I'm still a man, and I'd like to think that I can make my own decisions.
"Whatever you have to do can wait a minute. Now is the time to act." She hisses at me and glares daggers into my gaze.
"What are you talking about?" I ask and allow her to lead me to a different location.
"They agreed too readily." Christine crosses her arms and looks away from me, something clearly on her mind.
"What are you talking about?" I ask again, trying to get to the bottom of this mystery.
"The Caprini family, they allowed their oldest and the heir to their family to be married off without so much as a fight. Now why do you think that is, brother?" She raises an eyebrow in my direction.
"Because, like everything else, they know how powerful we are."
"Or they're planning something on their own. Giancarlo is the eldest; if anyone, they think he's the next in line to take Babbo's place at the head of the family. If their daughter is already married in, there'd be no fight. All that would have to happen is there'd be one small accident." She leaves off the rest of the thought, and I look around the small area only to see smiling faces. Snakes in the grass slithering all around us.
"You think Gian could be in over his head?" I ask now completely focused on what is going on in the space.
"I think we need to know for sure. Protect your family but be ready for whatever it is that's going on."
I shake my head at the insanity; if she thinks Gian is in trouble, we should just let him know. He can take care of himself.
"We should let Giancarlo know what we suspect." I urge, but Christine does nothing but shake her head.
"He already doesn't want to be part of this marriage; if we let on that suddenly he may be right about this being a bad idea, he'll fabricate something to get out of it. I need him to play the doting husband for now."
"Doting husband, you actually think he could learn to love this woman? Have you not met Rosie?" I chuckle humorlessly.
"I don't care if he loves her; all that matters is he treats her as a husband should. Either way, if we have to take her out, I want to be in control of the Caprini family. It's a win-win situation for all of us." Christine shrugs before walking off, leaving me with my own thoughts.
I shake my head at her retreating form. Out of all my siblings, it's hardest to get a read on Christine. At some points, it's like she's the thorn in all of our sides, the one that has it out for all of us. Then on the flip side, maybe she's really looking out for our well-being, just in a fucked-up way.
A hint of intense need washes over me as I inhale deeply; when I turn, I see Stella walking in my direction. She's moving slowly, trying to make sure that she's not interrupting anything. When she's close enough, I grab hold of her arm and pull her into my body. I want to feel the calmness that always brings with her. When my life feels like it's going to shit, all I need to do is hold her in my arms, and I know I'm making the best decision for my family.
"What was that all about?" she whispers.
