His Revenge (Smoke & Mirrors Duet #1)

Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

LEO

“From wounded to warrior, she survived the horrors of her family house and now the memories will burn with it.”

T he subtle knock on the door draws our attention before it opens, revealing my new leaders. Less is gruff, but I am glad that he is still kicking after the dust settled and sitting here waiting for further instruction. The ability to hold back is more important to me than running into the fire unprepared. I see the subtle hints of steel enter Ella’s shoulders like she is preparing for a battle. My sister is still struggling to regain control of her emotions.

“Boss,” Gio greets me, an understanding expression on his face. He and Less take a seat at the conference table close enough for comfort but respecting the space that we need. Claire is sitting on the left side of me and Ella on the right, both holding my hands to show a united front. This is uncharted water for the business, my Father has been in power for the last forty years.

While Claire may be my half sister, she has as much to inherit negatively as she does in a positive manner from the outcome of our Father’s medical situation. I would never sell her hand in marriage, but there will be a lot more inquiries now that we have flaunted her at the wedding. My wife will always wield just as much power as I do as long as I am in charge of the Family business. Taking a deep breath, I steady myself to fill them in with what we know before they report.

“Here is the update. Father is in the I.C.U. but currently stable. We lost Enzo at the chapel; he was too far gone to save. Rome was shot protecting Claire and he died when he arrived here,” I say, barely holding the emotions at bay. This is not the time nor the place to feel those. I need to be a strong leader even on my darkest day or it could put everyone in more danger. Both sets of eyes are glued on me as they process the news of our fallen.

“Overall, we don’t have any additional losses. The man who shot your Father was one of Fabbri’s,” Less spoke, looking from me to my wife and pausing.

“She is not to blame for the actions of her father and I hope as my second you will treat her with the same reverence that Rome would have if he were still here,” I address the unspoken question. I hate this game, the lack of understanding that being tied to her father is the last thing my bride wants. She hates the man more than we do and maybe soon they will see just how much. Less nods slowly, acknowledging my instruction, and looks to Gio.

“The church is still standing and the priest is submitting your marriage certificate now to make things legal. However, Fabbri is in the wind. His house, according to infrared, is empty,” Gio adds the new information for us to process. He left. This had to be in the works for a while to pull it off so fast when things started to hit the fan.

“Thank you. Keep guards posted and everyone is on high alert until things settle down. I have a feeling that this just got started,” I instruct, seeing the weight of those words on my men. A soft knock interrupts us before the door swings open.

“Folks, I need to speak to you about a development in Mr. Angelini’s medical status,” The same doctor as before says with a soft stare, giving me the time to remove anyone that shouldn’t be notified.

“Please proceed,” I give the verbal queue and remind myself to breathe. Both of the hands I am holding squeeze, reminding me that I am not alone. All eyes remain trained on the professional to fill us in.

“Mr. Angelini was rushed back into surgery. He threw a clot that is obstructing his airways and we need to remove it so he can breathe. We are following the expressed written instructions in his file to do everything that we can to save him,” The doctor adds in an attempt to reassure us.

“Do I need to sign anything as next of kin?” I ask on instinct to ensure that I do not make any mistakes.

“As you know, your father and the family business have a long standing relationship with this hospital. He has pre-signed all the necessary forms and provided explicit instructions to staff. The only reason that we have a limit on how many people can visit in the I.C.U. is because of all the equipment and staff that need to easily access the patient.” The doctor fills me in and everything starts to click into place.

This is one of our safe harbor hospitals that we help fund. In exchange, they will patch us up and hide us if necessary. A knock from a new doctor has us all looking toward the door. They walk in with a stoic expression and I know the news isn’t good. In the last decade, my father had become much more ruthless and cold, but now that I have Ella I could only imagine how hard it must have been for him to find Claire’s mom the way that he did. For all of his faults and questionable decisions, I know that he truly loved her and that’s why he hid Claire, to keep her as safe as he could from our world.

“Mr. Angelini, I am sorry to inform you that while we did everything in our power, your Father’s heart stopped during surgery. We attempted extraordinary measures to attempt to revive him, but were unsuccessful. Per the instructions we have, we will be sending his body with the rest of your losses today to the funeral home. Please let us know if you have any questions,” The doctor finishes her sentence and then bows her head and then they both make their exit from the room to allow us time to process.

Every eye in the room turns to me and I feel each stone of the family business land on my shoulders. Looking to my sister first, I see that she does not look any more broken than she did after we lost Rome. I gently squeeze her hand in reassurance.

“We need to put out a statement to all the families that Claire is my sister and she is off limits. They will also need to know that I am now running our business and we can schedule meetings as needed, starting after the funerals. Anyone who is too impatient to wait until we bury our dead is no longer doing business with us,” I instruct and feel both hands relax in my grasp.

“I need to go to his house when we are done here,” Ella says with determination and all heads including mine turn toward her. I can question her and try to take control of the situation or I can uphold my promise to treat her like an equal. Deciding on the latter, I gesture for us all to stand up. We have a plan and places to be.

“Let’s go, beautiful,” is my only response as we navigate our way out of the conference room. Gio and Less watch our backs as we navigate the hospital to the entrance where we parked. Opening the trunk, I remove the extra guns and ammunition that we keep in the car as back up.The men walk with us to our car and wait for us to get in before heading to their own vehicle.

“I have been waiting my whole life to dismantle my father’s castle. This is the best wedding present ever,” Ella says, vindication in her eyes and revenge at the tips of her fingers. The drive over is silent and I try desperately not to miss Rome and his perfectly inappropriately timed comedic relief in every situation. He was the most efficient partner-in-crime and always knew how to keep the mood elevated. When we pull onto the street, the lights of the house are out and there seems to be no activity.

“Butterly, I need to know that you will shoot first and ask questions later. There is no one in that house who deserves to live more than you do. Can you promise me that?” I request before kissing her. The feeling of her lips breathes life into me. Even without Rome, I knew I could live a thousand lifetimes with just her. We apprehensively pull apart and get out of the car.

I have never been this close to Fabbri’s house, and as we approach we all draw our weapons. The front door is unlocked and as we push it open we see the message written in spray paint on the wall. Dripping red against the beige walls THE FUN HAS JUST BEGUN stares back at us. Ella walks to the mantle in the front room, grabs the matches, and starts lighting the curtains on fire. Once the flames take, we exit the house and rush back to the safety of the car.

“There was nothing to save from that house and my father needs to know that he is not welcome here any longer.”