Page 102 of Of Oaths and Secrets

Leo nods, his eyes brimming with guilt. “She introduced him to me. She said he was… she said he was my father.”

“She lied.” My voice is sharp, cutting through his confession. “Yuri isn’t your father. They used you, Leo. Played you. You should’ve asked me. Your father was Russian, yes, but he was no mafia kingpin. He was a waiter. Just a giant fuck-you from our mother to the capo. Bitter revenge.”

His face crumples, his hands trembling. “She made me believe… She said if I helped her, she’d leave you alone. She said she knew her husband’s death was our father’s fault, not yours. I thought—I thought I was protecting you, and I wanted to belong somewhere, Rafa. I had no idea you would give me the place you are giving me! I thought that I could have some kind of kinship with the Russians if the Italians were so adamant about shaming me.”

“You killed our father, and I stood by you. Erased all evidence of your crime. How much more loyalty do you need?”

Leo flinches as though I’d struck him, his voice breaking. “She helped me. Gave me the poison—told me it was undetectable. She promised me it would fix everything. But when I realized what she really wanted—when I saw her greed—I cut ties. That’s why she ran to Italy. I swear, Rafa, I haven’t helped her since.”

I sigh, shaking my head. “She wanted you to get caught, brother. If you did, you would have had to die, and if I saved you, I would have lost everything.”

He winces and looks away. “I never wanted to hurt you or Nora or my little niece.”

I step closer, my jaw tightening as I fight the wave of emotions threatening to surface. “She used you, Leo. And now, she’s back. But I swear to you, this ends tonight. You are not the boy she manipulated anymore.”

He meets my gaze, his voice trembling but resolute. “What do you need me to do?”

I grab him by the arm, my grip tight enough to convey the seriousness of the situation. “Tell me everything you know about Yuri. Where did you meet him? What does he want? How is he involved with Sofia?”

He hesitates, his jaw tightening, but my glare leaves him no room for lies. “I only met him three times,” he admits, his voice low. “The first was years ago, at that diner on 8th near Park Slope. She introduced us there, said he was… my father.” He pauses, swallowing hard. “The second was at a warehouse near Red Hook Terminal. That’s where he talked about his plans—smuggling weapons, building connections, and I gave him some info about your shipments.”

There will be a time and place when I’ll have to discuss this with him, but today is not the day. “And the third?” I press, my patience thinning.

He shifts uncomfortably, avoiding my gaze. “At a club in Brooklyn. It was brief. He said we could meet more often once he had grown his new organization. That he would recognize me as his son and make me his heir. He lets out a pitiful moan. “It was before you and I started to patch things up, before Nora came into your life. When you started to change, I told him that I didn’t want to do this anymore. I haven’t seen him since.”

I narrow my eyes, processing the information. “Give me the exact locations.”

Leo nods, scribbling the addresses on a piece of paper with trembling hands. “Rafa, please… don’t do anything rash.”

I shove the paper into my pocket. “Stay out of my way, Leo. This is far bigger than you now.”

I pace the dimly lit study, the adrenaline from two days of unrelenting violence coursing through my veins. I still can smell gunpowder and blood on me despite the shower I’ve taken. I went to the locations Leo gave me, and now, seventeen Russians lie dead in my wake. Their bodies are proof of my resolve. My hands are stained, my soul darker than ever, but I couldn’t care less.

Alexei is furious, sending message after message to Paolo about the mess I’ve made. The famiglia has sent the judge to confront me—a man who represents the collective authority of the syndicates, a mediator when things spiral out of control. But even as I hear the judge’s steps approaching, I feel nothing. Without Nora, there is no fear. There is no consequence that matters.

The judge steps into the room, his expression grim. His black suit is pristine, his presence demands respect. “Lucchese,” he begins, his voice even but laced with tension. “Your actions are bringing war to our doors.”

I sit in my chair, leaning back as I stare him down. “War came to my door when they took my wife.”

“You killed seventeen men,” he continues, ignoring my interruption. “We’re fortunate the Russians haven’t retaliatedyet, but it’s only a matter of time. If you don’t stop, you’ll bring the wrath of Alexei and every ally he has.”

I scoff, standing abruptly. “Do you think I care? Do you think I give a damn about Alexei or anyone else?” I slam my fists onto the table, the force reverberating through the room. “I will burn the fucking world to have Nora back. Let the famiglia help me, or I’ll take everyone down with me when I fall.”

The judge’s gaze sharpens, his calm demeanor faltering. “You’ve always been cruel, Lucchese. Unhinged, even. But this… this will lead to your death.”

I step closer, my voice dropping to a deadly whisper. “Without her, nothing else matters. Nothing. I would walk into hell itself to save her. If death is what it takes, so be it.”

The room falls silent, the weight of my words hanging heavily in the air. The judge exhales, his expression softening slightly as if realizing the depth of my desperation. But before he can speak, my phone vibrates on the table. The number is private. My first instinct is to ignore it—it’s likely another futile call from Alexei or some intermediary—but something makes me answer.

“Rafaele?”

“Nora?” My voice is shaky, hope clawing at my chest.

“Rafaele…” Her voice is faint, trembling with pain and fear. “I need you. Please come get me.”

My heart stops. “Where are you, amore? Are you safe?”

“I killed him,” she whispers, her voice breaking. “But I don’t know how long I can stay hidden. I’m in pain… something’s wrong. Please… save our baby.”

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