Page 35 of Veil of Vengeance

“Fuck no. See you outside.” I end the call and slip my phone in my pocket.

I spot Mara sitting on one of the armchairs in the library on the second floor as I walk past it. I can tell she’s seen me, but she doesn’t turn her head to look at me.

“Mara, are you-”

She cuts me off before I can finish.

“I know, Eli. I know I messed up and there will be consequences when you get the time. I don’t need a reminder. I’m eighteen, but I can barely breathe without someone telling you.” Her face is set in a scowl, her voice full of frustration.

Taking a breath, I sit on the edge of the mahogany table a few feet from where she’s sat.

“Listen. Mara, I know that all the attention from Matteo, Lucio, Ma, and me is quite a lot, but we’re only doing it to make sure you stay safe. Our enemies will try anything to hurt us. They think the way to do that is you and Ma,” I tell her, and her shoulders sag a little. I reach my hand to rub her arm.

“Wasn’t Dad enough?” she asks. I close my eyes as my chest starts to ache.

“Carissima, when power and corruption go hand in hand, death is the only price that is enough, but Dad’s death didn’t eliminate the Camorra and they won’t stop until they do. I understand that Dad’s death hit you very hard, but that doesn’t mean I’ll stand by and watch you endanger yourself.”

“I want to go back to New York. I have schoolwork to finish, and I miss my friends. New York is our home. We’ve spent too much time in New Hampshire, and for what?”

I shake my head when she finally looks up at me.

“No, I can’t have you in New York. Not yet. And you know we’ve been in New Hampshire for the family's safety.”

“But it’s been three months. You can’t expect us to hide in fear for the rest of our lives,” she argues. The corners of my eyes tighten, and I tip her chin up with two fingers.

“Mara, I may be your brother, but I am still Capo, and what I do is for the family and for the Camorra.” I stand up, signaling the end of the conversation.

“You know, Eli, I remember when we were younger, and you used to say that you’d never want to be like Dad, but here you are, doing whatever you see as right without taking other people into consideration,” Mara mumbles to my back. I freeze, my muscles tense. But I roll my shoulders, not turning around.

“Dad wasn’t wrong in the things he did; it was all to protect the family,” I finally say.

“No. Dad did whatever he could to protect the Camorra. He chose the Camorra over Ma, over us. I just hope you don’t do the same.” Her rebuttal is harsh. The sound of a book page being turned fills the space. My cue to leave.

When my feet touch the gravel of the courtyard, I spot Romiro talking to Matteo near my car.

“The next fight needs to be soon, or else the bidders will pull out.” I catch the end of Matteo’s sentence when I’m close enough. My eyebrows pull together as I come to a halt between them.

“We have a fight tonight. Why would the bidders pull out?” I direct the question at Romiro, whose face is set in a frown.

“Both of our two big fighters have backed out and so did the other four,” he explains. I run my tongue across my teeth.

“Have they been dealt with?” I ask him, and Romiro nods.

“Find replacements for the five. I’ll fill in for one of them,” I tell Matteo. He keeps his lips tight and nods once before he heads back to the house.

Romiro, on the other hand, of course, has something to say. “Eli, come on. You can’t fight tonight.” I don’t reply to him until we’re both in the car and are driving toward the large gates at the end of the property.

“Rom, I don’t need you to tell me what I can and can’t do.” Everyone thinks they can tell me what the fuck I can do. Fuck, I have enough of it from my ma and now everyone else is on my ass like it’s a fucking trend. I pull out the cigarette packet from my suit pocket and flip the lid open.

“I thought you quit smoking,” Romiro comments. I wait until I pull a cigarette out of the packet with my lips before deciding to reply.

“I had a couple after Alberto’s death.” Pops isn’t Pops when I’m with Rom. He knows why. We both do. He failed to protect the family more than once, even if he tried his best. He put the Camorra first.

I keep one hand on the steering wheel as I light the cigarette and slip the lighter into the cup holder. Romiro takes the cigarette from my hand after I have a couple of puffs and takes a drag himself.

“I thought you didn’t smoke?” My voice is teasing as I snatch the cigarette back from him. A small smile tugs on his lips as he rests his head on the headrest behind him.

“Yeah. I didn’t for a couple of years. Remember when I told you about Nicolo walking in on me smoking, and he was so mad that he took the packet and just didn’t speak to me for two days. The dude just iced me out,” he recounts with his eyes closed. A laugh leaves his mouth as he sits back up.

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