Christmas Vows with the Devil

4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Dante

You’re cordially invited to the Vitale Christmas Extravaganza. Please join us in a celebration of love and family.

I toss the invitation on my desk and sink further into my chair.

What a load of bullshit.

Where was their celebration of love and family when they murdered my father in cold blood?

The Vitales mutilated him so badly that we couldn’t even hold an open-casket funeral. Love and family, my ass.

“Tough day, son?”

I glare as Uncle Tony waltzes into my office and pours himself a hefty glass of my finest whiskey.

“I get it,” he continues, chuckling at my sour expression. “Nothing gets you in a funk quite like murdering and pillaging, does it?”

“I don’t pillage.”

“Sure, sure,” he agrees, settling his enormous frame on my custom leather sofa.

With the New York skyline I once loved silhouetted behind him, he looks like a poster for a mafia movie.

Unfortunately, this is my real life.

“The Vitales invited me to their Christmas party,” I tell him, tossing the invitation in his direction.

“Interesting,” he says, catching the heavy cream stationary and studying it. “You’re gonna go, right?”

“Why the hell would I go to that?”

“I don’t know.” He eyes me casually. “To see that girl you’ve been in love with your entire life?”

“She killed my father.”

I hadn’t even put the pieces together. Of course, Gia would be there—it’s her family after all. Just one more reason to burn that stupid invitation.

“You really think that tiny slip of a girl killed your father?” Tony laughs and looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.

“Her name was on everything.”

“And what motivation did a nineteen-year-old girl have to kill her boyfriend’s father?”

“Not her idea, obviously,” I bite back, exasperation rising in me. “I’m sure her father had a lot to do with it.”

“I don’t know, Dante,” he says as he drains the rest of his whiskey. “Your father had a lot of enemies—still does. I think you need to look at what really went down. Ask yourself if you truly believe she did it.”

Uncle Tony’s words settle into the pit of my stomach like lead. I don’t respond, but I don’t need to. He’s been around long enough to know when I’m stuck between anger and reason.

I drum my fingers on the desk, staring down at the gaudy invitation like it might hold the answer to all the questions swirling in my mind.

Tony doesn’t push. He knows better than to try.

I get up and pour myself a drink to gather myself. The whiskey buzzes under my skin, but it’s not enough to dull the pain that is caused by thoughts of Gia. I knock it back, savoring the burn.

“She didn’t just walk away from you, Dante. She ran.” Tony’s voice cuts through the silence in the room. “Doesn’t that fact ever make you wonder why?”

“Not really,” I mutter, refilling my glass. “Not when her family is involved. The Vitales aren’t saints. You know that.”

“Neither are we, kid.”

He’s leaning back, arms crossed, watching me with a level of patience I didn’t inherit. “What’s their game?”

I raise an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“They didn’t invite you out of love. They want something. So, what is it?”

I hadn’t considered that.

Why the sudden olive branch? Especially after all these years of cold silence.

I’ve been at war with the Vitales for the better part of a decade. What makes them think they can suddenly mend things with a goddamn Christmas party?

And then it hits me. This isn’t about family. It’s about power. Control.

“They’re desperate,” I say aloud, realization creeping over me.

Tony nods approvingly. “Exactly. You’ve been expanding—taking over new territories. The Vitales are feeling the heat.”

“Which means they want something from me,” I conclude, more to myself than to Tony.

“Maybe they think they can soften you up, bring you back into the fold. But here’s the thing, Dante—this is an opportunity.”

I look at him, the wheels in my mind turning. “You’re saying I should go.”

“Hell yes, you should go,” Tony says, grinning. “But not for them. For you. Use this. The Vitales are offering a bridge. Walk over it and burn them down on your own terms.”

I turn the invitation over in my hands, contemplating his words.

I know going means I’ll have to see Gia. I’m not sure if I’m ready for that.

After six years, a mix of rage and something else I don’t want to acknowledge still churns inside me. But the logic is there. I can’t afford to let emotion cloud my judgment.

“I’ll go,” I say, the decision solidifying in my mind. “But it’s business.”

Tony smirks. “Sure, kid. Whatever you need to tell yourself.”

I glare at him, but he’s not wrong. There’s more to this than just business.

Gia left a scar on my heart that I haven’t let anyone know about—I barely even let myself acknowledge it. Meeting her again might reopen old wounds.

Or I might finally close that chapter of my life for good.

“Besides,” Tony adds, rising from the couch and straightening his jacket. “With that new family making moves, you could use the extra leverage.”

Russo. He’s been creeping around in the shadows, taking over smaller operations in my territory. But hijacking my cargo ship filled with priceless wines was a step too far.

And if the Vitales are feeling the pressure too, maybe we can use each other. Maybe we can buy ourselves some time.

“All right. I’ll go.”

Tony claps me on the back, his heavy hand lingering. “Good. Don’t trust them for a second. Use them for everything they’re worth. That’s the way it works, Dante. You don’t have to play by their rules. We play by our rules around here.”

I stare at the gaudy invitation. A Christmas party in the mountains.

With the family that betrayed me.

And the woman I used to love.

This is going to be a long week.

As Tony leaves my office, I can already feel the hurt brewing, but I’m ready.

This time, I’ll be the one in control.