I felt sorry for Anna. She always loved celebrating her birthday but today her special day had been ruined by the consequences of my choices. I promised myself that this would never happen again.
We all went to bed early but sleep didn’t come. Not for me, nor for Val. She clung to me in the dark, her body tight with anxiety. “I’m so scared that this is a trap. Going to Vegas is madness, you know it. Remo could plan to kill you all.”
“He could, but I doubt it. He’ll kill us later, after we’ve suffered for a while.”
“Suffered?”
“Under the weight of our guilt.”
“Do you feel guilty?”
“Yes. And seeing Serafina, we’ll all be reminded of how we failed her. Pietro, Samuel, Danilo and especially me.”
Val breathed out. “I can’t live without you, Dante. Don’t let rage consume you tomorrow. Don’t risk anything.”
My wrath for Remo was close to untamable. I wanted to see him on his knees, begging for mercy. Tomorrow wouldn’t be that day. But eventually…
I kissed Val and slipped my fingers between her smooth thighs, wanting to feel her warmth, wanting to feel alive. I didn’t want to talk, not about all the ways this could go wrong.
Our kiss was slow and my fingers were too. I wasn’t overcome with lust. I didn’t even want to come myself. I only needed to make Val feel good, needed to lose myself in her heat and moans.
She parted her legs for me and I stroked her lightly, occasionally dipping my fingers into her. It took a long time for her to loosen up, to allow pleasure. When she finally came, I closed my eyes, my lips against her pulse-point. I gently pumped my fingers into her. “I love you, Val. I’ll protect you and our family until I die.”
“Not tomorrow,” she got out.
“Not tomorrow,” I promised.
* * *
Santino heaved Rocco into the helicopter. We’d travel most of the distance to Las Vegas like that, only the last part from an airport near Vegas to our meeting point with a rental car.
We barely spoke during our journey. We’d gone over everything in the morning. Every additional word would only increase our tension.
Danilo and I lifted Rocco out of the trunk of the car when we arrived at the designated meeting spot thirty minutes before the agreed time. I scanned our surroundings but couldn’t spot any snipers on the surrounding rooftops. Rocco’s desperate eyes caught mine and he struggled against his bindings, trying to speak despite the tape over his mouth. We dropped him on the ground then waited. Dry heat greeted us and sweat trickled down my back under the thick layers of my suit.
Danilo regarded Rocco with disgust but Rocco’s eyes were on me, still hoping I’d change my mind.
Pietro stopped beside me, a fine sheen of sweat on his forehead. It was much warmer in Vegas than it had been back in Minneapolis. “Fuck. I’m fucking scared to see Fina…”
Danilo’s mouth tightened and he glanced down at the ground.
“She’ll be safe soon,” I said firmly.
“I hate to be exposed like this, without pulled guns no less,” Danilo said after a few minutes of silence.
I, too, had trouble making myself this vulnerable in enemy territory, but I didn’t think Remo would shoot at us. That wasn’t his endgame, not today.
A car approached then stopped about one hundred yards away. Movement up on one of the surrounding buildings caught my attention. A sniper pointed a gun at us.
Danilo’s hand darted toward his holster.
“No,” I clipped.
Danilo reluctantly pulled his hand back and lowered his gaze from the roof, then his eyes went wide.
I followed his gaze toward the car and my muscles tensed when Remo Falcone got out with Serafina. She was dressed in her ripped and bloody wedding dress. A moment later, Fabiano got out as well, a gun aimed at us.
Rocco made desperate sounds against his tape but I ignored him.
“Good god,” Pietro croaked.
“You were very ill-advised attacking our territory, Dante,” Remo drawled, pulling Serafina against his body.
Pietro rocked forward but I grasped his arm.
“Fuck. I’m going to skin the bastard. I’m going to fucking kill him for touching her,” Danilo growled.
“Don’t move,” I ordered. Remo probably waited for a show. That would give him additional satisfaction.
Serafina didn’t look our way. She stared at the ground, her shoulders hunched. She looked broken, and worse ashamed, when she had absolutely no reason to be. We were at fault, not her. When she finally raised her eyes and looked at Pietro, he sucked in a sharp breath. The anguish on his face and the look of hopelessness on hers, it broke through the cracks in my armor, but I battled my emotions.
Remo grinned. “Next time you consider fucking with us, look at your niece, Dante, and remember how you failed her.”
I had. I had failed them all. I’d done what I thought was best and I still couldn’t see what else I could have done after Remo had kidnapped Serafina. Before then, long before then I should have removed Rocco from his position.
Remo got intimately close to Serafina and even from afar I could see her shudder. I gritted my teeth, my grip on Pietro tightening so he didn’t storm forward. Danilo, too, was obviously fighting with himself.
When Remo finally moved back from Serafina, he nodded toward Rocco who lay behind us on the ground. “Hand over Scuderi.”
I turned and grabbed the rope wrapped around Rocco then dragged him toward Remo and Fabiano. The latter, I fixed with a hard look, wondering how he could have become the man he was today. He’d known Serafina when she was a little girl. They’d played together. He’d always been a good boy. I shoved Rocco toward them. He was responsible for what Fabiano had become, and for Serafina’s fate as well. I hoped they’d torture him the way they were famous for. “Release my niece, now.”
Remo held my eyes for a moment, challenge in them. He was Benedetto’s son through and through. The same eyes and insanity. His father had fallen deeply, and Remo, too, would fall and his kingdom would fall with him.
Remo pulled Serafina close once more and she cringed. I gritted my teeth so tightly, the sound vibrated in my head. Finally, Remo pushed Serafina away and she stumbled toward me, her eyes disoriented.
She was in shock. I quickly wrapped my arm around her and Pietro appeared on her other side, supporting her as well as we led her away. Danilo came toward us, reaching for Serafina and she cringed away from him.
Danilo stepped back, and I sent him a warning look because I could tell he wanted to storm toward Remo and pummel him to death. Our time would come. But now today, not with Serafina close by. Her safety was our top priority today.
Serafina trembled violently in our hold. I scanned her as we headed toward the car. She didn’t have any obvious injuries, except for the bite marks at her neck. Fury and guilt battled a relentless battle in my chest seeing the marks of my niece’s suffering. I’d have to ask for a female doc to check on possible rape injuries.
We got into the car. Pietro in the back with Serafina, and Danilo with me in the front. I hit the gas and pulled away, wanting to get out of Camorra territory as quickly as possible.
“You are safe now, Fina. Nothing will ever happen to you again. I’m sorry, dove. I’m so sorry,” Pietro rasped and then the sound of his rough crying could be heard.