Page 91 of Veil of Vengeance

“Have you managed to contact Guerrero?” I ask Romiro as I watch the landing strip.

“Yes, he’s agreed to a call, but only under specific instructions,” Romiro says.

My face twists, and I snarl, “The sheer stupidity of that boy is astounding. Like fuck I’m going to let him have his way.” I turn to look at Romiro when he doesn’t say anything.

Romiro shrugs before he says, “Well, you are if you want to be able to talk to him; otherwise, he refuses to even entertain the thought of talking to you.”

My teeth grind together at the thought of even agreeing to play nice with the asshole who gets to live the rest of his days with the object of all my desires, and the fucker decides to fuck it up before it even starts. I run my hand through my hair as I mutter, “What the fuck does he want?”

“He said that he wants no mention of this to anyone, but those who already know. He also said that no one can know what you discuss. The phone call must be from a burner phone that is completely wiped out and disposed of afterwards. Only then will he agree to the phone call.” Romiro lists off the Scorpion’s demands, and I don’t think that anything is unreasonable until Romiro finishes off by saying, “He also said that if this call is about Valentina, he’ll shoot you in the face himself.”

Thatfucking ticks me off, and I turn to look outside.

“Get Mariano to call our contact in Guerrero's territory,” I order. Romiro doesn’t say anything, and we wait for a couple more minutes before the plane from New Hampshire lands on the strip. Mara, my brothers, and Ma all slide inside.

“Hey, Ma,” I say, going in for a kiss on her cheek, but she swerves out the way, which has Lucio and Romiro both laughing.

“Don’t even think about it. You haven’t even bothered tocallfor the past three months, and you have the audacity to say, ‘hi, Ma’ and try to give me a kiss.” Her eyes narrow into slits.

Sending both a glare before clearing my throat and turning back to Ma, I say, “Ma, I’m sorry. I’ve been busy trying to make sure everything is going smoothly enough for all of us to return to New York City.”

She scoffs and turns to look outside, and I decide to give her some space, so I lean back into the Italian leather seat. The drive to the family townhouse in Greenwich isn’t long, and the car comes to a halt right outside the gates. Everyone piles out the other side of the car, leaving me and Ma. She goes for the car handle, and when I lock the doors, she whips her head to me.

“Emiliano Folonari, if you do not open this-” she seethes, her fists are clenched at her sides.

“I’m sorry, Ma, I really am,” I cut her off. Her eyes soften, and the harsh lines bleed into the smile that takes over her face.

Ma searches my face before asking, “Do you love her?” My jaw clenches, and my eyes filter to the street outside.

I let the silence talk for me, because the noose around my neck has become unbearably tight, and the ache in my chest feels like a thousand gunshots.

“It’s okay if you do. Emiliano, love isn’t a weakness, nor is it a flaw. Love is strength, kindness. Love is also knowing your own shortcomings and making up for them with your actions, words. If you love her, fight for her,” she says, her warm hand resting on top of mine.

“Ma, I don’t think you realize what you’re saying.”

She shakes her head. “No, I know more than you think. If you love her truly, don’t go thinking that by letting her go you’re showing her that you love her. Unless she told you that herself, but she didn’t, and instead of giving her a choice, you took it away from her.”

“She doesn’t love me. She tried to escape. More than once, she looked for a way out,” I reason.

“She wanted to get out because she didn’t want to be a trading mare. You can’t honestly expect her to willingly sit around and wait for her good-for-nothing Dad to do something.”

I’m about to say something, but she cuts me off, “She loves you; I saw how she looked the day you took her to give her back to her Dad. And the days before then, all she ever did was randomly burst out crying and try to avoid everyone.”

I swallow, trying to rid myself of the ball that’s forming in my throat. The locks click, signaling the end of the conversation. But before Ma gets out, I whisper, “A wedding is sacred. If I take her again, it will be an all-out war. No more dilly-dallying around the threats.”

Ma pushes the limo door open, but before she completely steps out, she says, “All’s fair in love and war.”

* * *

A couple of days later

I lean back in my chair at the Diamond, staring at the damn burner phone, waiting for it to ring. The seconds tick away, and when the phone rings at five on the dot, I let it ring twice before picking it up.

“Folonari. I’m not surprised you’ve wanted to set up a call, but I’m certainly surprised that it’s taken you this long to do so.” Nicholas rolls therin my surname, and it grates on my nerves, but I ignore it.

“Nicholas, I’d say it’s nice to meet you, but I’d be lying. So, I’ll just get to the point of this call. I want you to distract the Morettis for long enough for me to get Valentina out.”

“Why should I help you take my fucking fiancée?” he asks.

---