I’m fucked if anyone else is going to die on my watch.
47
BEN
“Tell me this is some sick joke,” Sierra says. She is dressed in silk pajamas, wearing a line in the carpet as she paces back and forth in our bedroom.
“I wish I could.” I pull on sweatpants and a plain white T-shirt. We only got home a little over an hour ago, and Rowan was already asleep. After eating the pasta Natalia heated up for us, we grabbed a quick shower together. I thought Sierra would be too tired to talk or to fuck, but she pounced on me in the shower, and I screwed her against the wall, needing to feel our connection after the day from hell.
Then I sat her down and told her everything I know about her family and their connections to The Outfit.
She stops pacing, sinking to her knees on the floor. “I’m shocked, but there’s another part of me that isn’t,” she admits. “I’ve always known my father was an evil piece of shit, so finding out he’s laundering money for the mafia and that his hands are dirty, most likely bloody too, isn’t that big of a surprise.”
I sit cross-legged in front of her, taking her hands in mine. “Did you have any inkling?”
She shakes her head, sending waves of damp hair tumbling over her shoulders. “I grew up knowing my father was a very wealthy businessman. Bodyguards and drivers were the norm. I didn’t stop to question it even if I thought some of the men he introduced me to at parties and balls were shady motherfuckers. Father never discussed business in front of me, and neither of my sisters ever said anything.” Pain slashes across her face, and her eyes well up. “Why wouldn’t my mom or Serena tell me any of this? That’s the part that has shocked me the most.”
“I can only surmise your father dictated they keep it a secret.”
Tears roll down her face, and my heart hurts for her. I gather her onto my lap, snaking my arms around her. “Don’t cry, Firefly. They don’t deserve your tears.”
“It hurts, Ben,” she croaks, rubbing a hand across her chest. “Everything I thought I knew was a lie. I thought I could trust Mom and Serena, but they have lied to me for years. How could they do that to me? Why would they do that? Is my value so little to my family that they would keep this from me?”
“I don’t know, baby.” I press a hard kiss to her temple. “I wanted to get to the full truth so I could explain it all to you, but I didn’t want to keep this a secret any longer. You deserve answers.”
“Thank you for telling me.” She swipes at her tears and stands. “And I do need answers. I feel like such a fool. Everyone in Glencoe must be laughing at me.”
I stand, reeling her into my arms. “It’s not common knowledge what your father does. To most, he is the legitimate businessman he appears to be.”
“But Serena and Saskia are married to powerful mafia men! Surely people know who Alfredo is?” She spits out his real name as her fury surges to the surface.
“Again, only those who mix in those circles would be aware of Gifoli’s position. It’s not like we go broadcasting it. And if others, outside our circles, suspect, they know better than to talk about it. Especially to Gifoli’s sister-in-law.”
“At least I know why Felix was targeted now. It didn’t make sense before, but it does now.”
“It’s not unusual to target important heirs, and he must’ve gotten sloppy to let them catch him in an unguarded moment in public.”
Her eyes pop wide. “So much makes sense now,” she murmurs, tapping her fingers off her bottom lip. “Neither of my sisters are in love with their husbands, and it’s no wonder when they were both clearly in arranged marriages.” Air expels from her mouth. “At least, I dodged that bullet.”
“I think you getting pregnant with Rowan saved you from that fate.”
She shrugs. “My father hates me. I doubt he would have married me off anyway.”
I tuck her damp hair behind her ears. “Baby, that wouldn’t have come into it. Your father is a cold disloyal prick. If he had found a way to forge a connection through you, he would have taken it. I’m sure of it.”
“Then I guess I have something else to thank you for.” She stands on her tiptoes to press a fleeting kiss to my mouth. “But I’m done second-guessing things. I need to hear the truth. I’m calling Serena,” she says, shucking out of my arms. “I’d prefer to have the conversation face to face, but wild horses couldn’t drag me back to Chicago after today. If I never step foot in the place again, I’d die happy.”
I know she doesn’t really mean that. She loves her little house and has made tons of happy memories there with Rowan, but I understand where she is coming from.
I retreat to my study to call Phillip while Sierra calls her sister. “I need you to prioritize the Lawson case,” I tell him when he picks up on the third ring. “And I need you to do something else for me.” I explain about Terry, his supposed affiliation with The Outfit, the suspicion over his death, and the fact he apparently bequeathed his house and some mystery box to me. “Both things are urgent. I need intel ASAP.”
“I will work around the clock, Mr. Mazzone, I promise.”
I make a mental note to double Phillip’s annual bonus. The guy never tells me no. He mustn’t have much of a life because he willingly drops everything when I need him. Or he’s just that good of an employee he makes the sacrifice without question. “Thank you, Phillip. Good night.”
I hang up, walking to our private living room to pour us some drinks while I wait for Sierra to finish talking to her sister and her mom.
“I’ve changed my mind about the wedding,” she says, a few minutes later, storming into the room. My heart falters in my chest, and I’m not sure what expression she sees on my face, but it’s enough to have her rushing to reassure me. “I still want to marry you,” she blurts, coming around the couch. “But I don’t want my family there. I just want it to be us, Rowan, Angelo and Natalia, Leo and Alesso, and Esme and Pen.” Snatching her glass of wine, she drains half of it in one go.
I swirl the dregs of my bourbon in my glass, watching her quietly seethe. She flops down beside me, bristling with rage. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“I’ve made up my mind,” she says, turning her head to face me. “I don’t want them at our wedding. I mean it. I’m not going to change my mind.”
That wasn’t what I meant, but I go with the flow. “Whatever you want, Firefly.” I brush my fingers along her cheek, over the faint mark left behind by the stitches. The doc says it should fully heal in time, and I hope it does. I don’t want her to have any permanent reminders of that day.
“I’m so mad I could spit.”
I circle my arm around her, pulling her close. “What did they say?”
“That they were protecting me!” she hisses before narrowing her eyes at me. “If I ever hear that excuse again, from anyone, I’m liable to commit murder.”
“Noted.” I finish my drink and set the empty glass on the end table.
She heaves out a sigh. “You were right. Father didn’t want me to know anything, but Serena said she has harbored huge guilt over all the lies she has had to tell. She said she came close to fessing up so many times, but she put herself in my shoes, and she wouldn’t want to know.” Her hands clench into balls, and I curl my hand around one of hers, gently unfurling her tense fingers. “She said she hated she had no choice. But she failed to realize in keeping it a secret she was doing the same to me! She could’ve mentioned a little and asked me if I wanted to know more. At least I wouldn’t have been completely ignorant of the truth then.”