Samuel shook his head. “We can’t just wait for him to give her back. He’ll have broken her by then.”
“I’ll reach out to him and try to come to an understanding. And while I do, I’ll see if we have any options to get our hands on someone we can exchange for Fina.”
“Remo doesn’t care about anyone like we care about Fina. I doubt he even cares about his goddamn brothers. They are close because they know they’re stronger together. Like a pack. Those psychos aren’t capable of human emotion.”
I worried Samuel might be right, but Remo had his own demons. Remo had one thing he wanted more than anything else. “There’s still the option of exchanging Fina for Luca’s new Enforcer. Rumor has it Remo wants nothing more than to kill him.”
“Luca won’t hand him over to us.”
“No, he won’t. But if all fails, we can risk an attack on Luca’s territory and try to get our hands on the man.”
Samuel considered that and seemed mollified by this option. It was a last resort. I preferred a solution with Remo that didn’t force me to heave war with the Famiglia to another level.
* * *
Remo had lain low for a while now and it made me suspicious.
It made all of us suspicious.
“He’s up to something,” Danilo said. He hadn’t returned to Indianapolis yet. A sense of urgency had taken hold of all of us.
Samuel nodded but he’d been quiet and subdued these last few days. He was struggling. I knew how it felt to carry the weight of past decisions.
“Giovanni’s trying to renew Rocco’s contacts to the MCs in Luca’s territory but it’s difficult.” If we wanted any chance of getting our hand on Growl, it had to be with the help of those erratic bikers.
“It’s not really my father’s scene,” Val said. “He feels more comfortable talking to politicians than to bikers.”
She and Ines were playing a board game with the children at the dining table while we men had settled on the sofas to discuss possible solutions. It was futile trying to keep everything from the children. After weeks of living in a state of emergency they had gotten used to it.
The bell rang.
Pietro frowned, glancing at his watch.
“I ordered clothes,” Ines said. Pietro had told her not to go shopping for the time being. I too had asked Val to stay home as much as possible. Once we returned to Chicago and I’d established new safety measures, she could return to her usual routine.
Samuel rolled his eyes but pushed to his feet. The guards wouldn’t have let anyone close to the door who hadn’t passed their initial screening anyway.
“I want to ride on a bike!” Leonas exclaimed.
“It’s too dangerous,” Val said.
“I’m going to be a Capo. That’s more dangerous!”
A smile tugged at my mouth despite the situation and Pietro even laughed. Danilo, as usual, looked stern. He was lost in his thoughts most of these days, probably imagining scenarios of Serafina’s current situation. Splitting his attention between Indianapolis and Minneapolis was getting more difficult by the day. I avoided thoughts of what Serafina was going through at all costs. They didn’t lead to anything but despair and rage. Neither was useful.
Samuel came into the living room, looking ashen. He held a parcel in his hands. “This was just delivered. A package from Remo Falcone.” His voice shook and when he looked up from the parcel, terror shone in his eyes.
Ines let out a whimper, covering her mouth with her palm.
Danilo shoved to his feet and I, too, stood, only Pietro seemed frozen in his seat.
“Do you think he sent us a piece of Serafina?” Leonas asked. I stalked toward the table, grabbed his arm and jerked him to his feet. He winced. “Upstairs,” I growled.
Leonas’ eyes flashed with shock. I released him and he stormed upstairs.
“You too,” Valentina said to Anna and Sofia who didn’t hesitate.
“Open it,” Ines whispered, pushing to her feet, throwing over her glass. She stormed toward Samuel as if she wanted to rip the parcel from him to see what was inside. I couldn’t allow that. Not before I knew what was inside. Ines was a strong woman, but some things were simply beyond what she could endure.
I slung my arm around her waist, stopping her. She struggled fiercely. “Let me go, Dante! Let me go!”
I didn’t.
“Ines, calm down,” I urged.
She glared. “Would you calm down if Anna was in Serafina’s stead? If there could be her finger or ear inside? Don’t you dare tell me to calm down ever again, you hear?”
Ines had always been a poised, calm woman. She’d never screamed at me. Pietro finally stumbled to his feet and came around the table, hugging Ines to his body. “Ines, let us—”
“No!” Ines hissed and ripped away from Pietro. She staggered toward Samuel, who didn’t try to fight her as she ripped the parcel out of his hands and tore it open. A white bedsheet fell out of the box. It spilled onto the ground in soft waves, revealing a bloodstain.
Ines made a choked sound. For a moment, we were all frozen. There was no mistaken what the blood meant.
Samuel bent down, picking up a piece of paper attached to the sheets and began to read in a low, trembling voice:
Dear Dante, Danilo, Pietro, and Samuel,
I’m sure you’ve all gathered in this challenging time to congregate. This allows me to present my gift to all of you. Sharing is caring, right?
I always thought the Famiglia’s bloody sheets tradition was a ridiculous relict from the past, but I have to say I consider myself reformed. It has something very satisfying to present proof of your victory to your adversaries. You’ll be happy to hear that I let Luca know how I borrowed his Famiglia’s tradition to send you a very graphic message. He sends his regards.
In case your worry-riddled brains have trouble deciphering the sheets, let me spell it out to you. These beautiful virgin-snow-white sheets bore witness to Serafina’s deflowering.
I have to say, Pietro, you raised a firecracker. She fought me tooth and nail to defend her honor. It made my claiming of your beautiful daughter all the more entertaining.
Samuel’s voice died into a rasp. Ines sank to her knees, crying. Tears streamed down Val’s face, her fingers trembling against her mouth, her horror-struck eyes on me.
Danilo stared at the sheets, his face frozen, his arms hanging slack beside him.
Pietro had his back turned to us, his shoulder shaking. My muscles had seized up in a state of shock and an anger so profound it threatened to tear down walls I’d built over decades.
Samuel continued reading, his voice broken and agonized.
I wonder what you feel now, Danilo, knowing that I took what was promised to you?
And you, Samuel, knowing that I defiled your twin? That she suffered cruelly because you dared to set foot in my territory. Lesson learned, I hope?
And what about you, Dante? What do you feel now that you’ve failed to protect one of your own because you were too prideful to admit defeat? I hope your pride is worth seeing the proof of how Serafina suffered at my hands, or should I say cock?
Maybe your pride isn’t your downfall, but it sure as fuck is your family’s downfall, Cold Fish.