Scorned Obsession (Scorned Fate)

I thought I’d run out of tears, but seeing Renz on his feet instead of lying down in pain or heavily sedated did a number on my heart. It also gave added perspective to Dad’s and my brothers’ anger and their burning desire to sever my connections to the Rossis.

I was in a turmoil between guilt, duty, and my love for Sandro.

Love? I’d always loved him. But there were different types of love and at this moment, I couldn’t analyze which spectrum it fell on.

Because right here, right now, I was overwhelmed with love for my De Lucci family.

“I’m so sorry,” I cried as Renz one-armed me to his uninjured side. I didn’t know how many times I’d repeated the apology. But I would repeat it until they told me to shut up or gag me. But it was as if a balloon of warmth expanded in my chest. I’d been on a roller coaster of my feelings for Sandro, and I wondered if I was reluctant to find happiness with him, to fully commit to him until I’d seen with my own eyes that Renz was okay. That my obsession with Sandro didn’t cost my brother permanent damage.

“Not your fault,” he said fiercely. “How many times have I told you this?”

I raised my eyes to his and tears were streaming down his face. “It doesn’t matter how many times you tell me, I would never forgive myself if the unspeakable happened to you.”

If Renz died.

I would have made Liz a widow.

Sam wouldn’t have a father.

Oh, God.

The horror of it consumed me again, competing with the fullness in my heart. But crying was cathartic.

I didn’t know how long Renz hugged me while I drenched his chest with my tears. My brothers and Dad continued to protect me and they were putting all the blame on Sandro. This would have to change. But baby steps. I wasn’t their innocent sister who got into scrapes and came up smelling like roses. It was because it was always Sandro who found me in my less angelic moments.

“Just know we don’t blame you,” a feminine voice said beside me.

I turned my attention to Liz. My dear sister-in-law, who had more patience and kindness than anyone I knew. I let go of Renz and hugged her so I could whisper in her ear, “We’re sorry to put you and Sam through this.” And the we included Renz. I imagined Liz had been through hell when Renz and I went missing. When I pulled away, I swiped the tears from my eyes and said, “I hope Renz wasn’t a terrible patient.”

She gave a brief laugh. “He’s been stubborn about his pain meds, and he’s still on a round of antibiotics. But one of The Grindhouse gym members is a TCM practitioner. He took one look at Renz and said his Qi was misaligned. Also, Ivy figured it was his guilt and anger that’s preventing him from healing. That was where we were earlier for a consultation.”

Nico was the TCM believer because he was the health nut, more so with Ivy’s influence. I was more a pop-a-pain-med kind of gal, but I could have an open mind.

“Bianca is back, so I’m sure I’ll get better,” Renz grumbled.

Liz and I glanced at each other and grinned. “Where’s Sam?”

“She’s in the apartment with the nanny,” Liz said. “Figured we’d get the grown-ups settled first.”

“Good idea.”

“I’m hungry,” Renz said. “Anyone want food?”

“See? He’s already better.” Liz grinned. “It’s the first time he wants to cook.”

“Or we could just order from Eamonn’s,” Mom said dryly.

“Good idea.” My brother was already heading into the kitchen. “But let me get some appetizers started.”

“I’ll help!” Liz called after him.

“Me too,” Sera and Ivy said in unison.

Mom got on the phone with Eamonn’s.

The guys had settled around the twenty-seat communal table. Divina and Sloane were still in the booth in front of it.

It was like a demarcation line, and I was in the middle. “When is Tommy getting here?”

“Maybe ten minutes with traffic,” Dom answered.

“We should call Sandro and tell him everything is fine.”

Dom looked at Dad and my brothers.

“No,” Dad said. “He let us suffer for over two weeks. He can last another few hours.”

“This is not a tit for tat!” I fumed.

“Isn’t it?” Matteo nodded to the damage of the café.

“It wasn’t us,” I said.

“Wow,” Dom said. “Are you considering yourself one of them now?”

“Dom,” Dad warned. “Let’s not make this worse.”

Mom returned, and her eyes made the rounds at everyone at the table. “Food is on the way. From the looks of it, everyone will feel better once their blood sugar isn’t crashing, hmm?”

“Food isn’t going to fix this.” My stomach grumbled loudly and made me a liar.

Sandro

“I want to talk to Bianca,” I growled into my phone.

“Looks like they want you to suffer a little,” Luca said dryly.

My convoy was still an hour from Manhattan. At a rest stop, I switched driving with Arnie. Cops were all over the interstate and I couldn’t drive without my lead foot weighing down on the gas pedal. The last thing we wanted was to get pulled over and have a cop discover a trunk full of illegal weapons. I had two sub-machine guns hidden in the spare tire compartment. It didn’t help that the De Luccis were declining my calls.

It was payback.

“Can’t you do something?”

“Hey, they’re my family too. But Dom released Tommy. He’s in the café. I hear they’re enjoying an Irish feast.”

“What the fuck?”

Luca chuckled. “This is good. Now don’t screw this up.”

He ended the call.

I hated when he did this, but he was Luca Moretti. He suffered no fools gladly. At least this drama between the Rossis and the De Luccis was keeping his mind off his missing wife.

I slipped the phone back into my pocket. It was pushing three in the afternoon.

“No luck?” Arnie asked.

“None.” I’d probably pissed off the De Luccis enough by hitting redial over and over. We were grown men behaving childishly.

Motherfucker.

I tapped the corner of the window and willed the Expedition to travel faster.

Bianca

“It wasn’t us who did this!” Tommy repeated.

We were still gathered around the communal table. When Tommy arrived, I was outraged to see the bruises on his face. He couldn’t open one eye. Divina gasped a sob when she saw him, and I glared at Dom.

But would I expect anything less? We were the mafia. Someone had tipped off Dom where Tommy was the same night somebody shot up Jabbin’ Java and Tommy wasn’t too far from here. But my cousin was smart enough not to jump to conclusions.

“I believe the Rossis didn’t do this,” I told them. Mom was right. Everyone was calmer after eating or maybe it was the carbs from the mashed potatoes, but at least the smirks from my family didn’t aggravate me like earlier. “Just as we believe it wasn’t the De Luccis who set fire to the club. Not your MO.”

Dom was about to say something, but I cut him off. “Now Gian’s poker game, though, I wonder.”

“No idea what you’re talking about.” Dom’s face remained neutral because he was being watched, but I didn’t miss the look Matteo and Nico exchanged. Meanwhile, Trevor’s mouth twitched, and he disguised his smile by taking a sip from his super-sized soda.

Matteo and Nico may be mafia adjacent, but the secret organization my father started, The Archer Syndicate, kept the underworld in check. They were more organized and technologically advanced than the average mafia, moved easily from corporate boardrooms into the underworld, and with Dad’s financial resources, was virtually unstoppable in getting things done. Heads of the Syndicate were called Archers. Their soldiers were called Arrows. The organization didn’t have the bullshit recruiting requirements of other crime families based on race or gender. They didn’t care whether you’re white, Asian, or Arab. Italian or Russian. Male or female. It was based on skills and alignment of beliefs. Most of its members were ex-military, like Trevor and my cousin Ronan, or financial powerhouses like Matteo and Ivy’s brother, Daniel.

A popular move of the Syndicate was to leak information to law enforcement and let them do the cleanup, especially when it came to human trafficking. I had no love lost for Gian, but illegal gambling was a revenue source Sandro was keeping. I needed to have a chat with Matteo, who was the current head Archer, but this conversation had to happen without Divina and Tommy present.

A commotion outside captured our attention.

“That’s as far as you go, Rossi!” someone shouted.

My heart leapt to my throat. Sandro is here.

I got out of the booth, but Nico stood in my way.

“What the hell?” My blood boiled. “Move!”

“He’ll need to face us first,” Matteo said.

I tried to sidestep my brother, but he stepped in sync with me. Exasperated, I glanced at my mother. “Mom.”

She looked resigned. For a moment, I forgot that this was not a sibling squabble where she had the power to settle our arguments. For a moment, I felt powerless. That I was out of my depth dealing with a situation like this.

“Bianca,” Tommy called my name.

I glanced at him. There was encouragement on his bruised face. He still believed in me.

“You’ve come this far, girl,” Sloane whispered.

Divina pursed her lips and nodded.

Dad and Matteo had already exited the premises.

“You can’t keep me from my husband!” I gritted into Nico’s face.

His expression remained unbending. “Watch us.”

Trevor took his place to keep me contained as Nico followed Matteo and Dad. Tommy tried to get up, but one of the soldiers who brought him in pointed a gun at him.

“Is that necessary?” I hissed at Dom.

He nodded for his soldier to lower his weapon. “Then stay in here and let your family do what they gotta do.”

“Fine,” I growled. “It’s probably a good idea that those stubborn asses are distracted.” I mentally asked God’s forgiveness for calling Dad a stubborn ass.

Dom looked amused. “What’s on your mind, cuz?”

I crossed my arms. “Reopen negotiations.”