Page 17 of Wicked Union

"What do you mean, you're in?" I need to make sure he understands what we’re doing here. What I need him to do. If Tito finds out I'm working in concert with his brother to bring him down and make Carlos the leader, not only will it void our agreement, giving Tito full control of my father's organization, but I'm certain he'll kill me. Men like him don't mess around.

"I want my father to see that I'm the rightful leader of this family, not my brother, and I want it now." He stalks toward me and squares his broad shoulders. His barrel chest intimidates me. This man could crush me himself if he doesn’t like what I say.

"And you trust that I can deliver this for you?" I ask, playing the part. He's eating out of my hand now. It's exactly how I want it to be. I could care less whether Carlos is the leader. I just want Tito out of my life and for my father to be happy and whole. I know I'm playing with fire. Maybe I want to be burned. Maybe I have a death wish.

"It's been two weeks since I did what you said with my businesses, and things are turning around. You had no reason to give me that advice or help, but you did. I think you're smarter than my brother gives you credit for. I think you will be able to help me show my father how foolish Tito is and make me the leader of this family the way it's supposed to be."

I don't know the next step right now, but Carlos is on board and that's all I need. Together, we will make him look like the god of this family and their dying father will have no choice but to give the blessing to him and not his brother. Sure, Tito is already in charge of a lot of things, but so is Carlos. And there is nothing that says Donatello can't change his will at any moment.

"Good. Well, we have a lot of work to do then, but getting your businesses with your cousins secured is a good first step. I'll need you to give me anything you can on Tito. Dig up dirt, his weaknesses, the mistakes he's made in the past that would point to his being less than productive or loyal." I tap my finger against my lip and look up at him. "And let me get a plan together. We're going to do this."

Carlos sets the thermos down on the island and leans on it, his hip resting against the marble. "I want to make it clear to you that I won't harm him. Humiliating him is one thing, taking leadership another, but I'm his blood. I won't see him get hurt." The tone of his voice shakes me to my core. I don't intend toharm Tito, but if it happens, it happens. Still, with this threat, I'm sobered.

"Of course," I tell him as I turn to walk back out to the patio. "No harm, just humiliation. And when it's done, my father keeps his businesses and Tito is your gopher. Everyone wins." I try to keep the edge to my tone, but my voice cracks. I hope he doesn't hear it, but if he does, he says nothing.

When I step out the back door, Mom is in tears, her phone pressed to her ear. Melody is collecting their things. The half-empty plates of food still sit on the table, and I don't know what's happening. Mom looks devastated and distraught. She's sobbing so hard, she's having a difficult time breathing. I rush to her, but Melody pulls me back.

"What's going on? What happened?" My heart is racing and my hands shake with adrenaline. Whatever it is it can't be good, and whatever it is, I get the feeling that Melody doesn't know either.

"I don't know. Mom got a call from Uncle Matt." Melody clutches Mom's purse as they start to move toward the back door. I move ahead of them, getting the door as Mom lowers the phone.

"What is it, Mom?" I ask, and Melody mutters the same question. Both of us are on high alert, needing to understand her pain. If it's affecting her this way, it will affect us too.

"It's Jasper…" she blubs. "My God, he's dead. Someone…" She heaves out a sob, and through very broken stutter-breathed words, I learn my brother has been murdered in cold blood, a car bomb under the driver's seat of his car this morning before work.

My heart stops dead and I know what's happened. Tito found out it was Jasper. He's retaliated for his drug deal gone wrong, and this is my fault. It's all my fault.

Melody and I explode into tears, going with Mom out the front of the house and into her awaiting car. I have to be with my family at a time like this, though nothing will lift the weight of guilt now pressing down on my chest. What have I done? And what has Tito done? He deserves so much more than just humiliation.

14

TITO

When I ordered Tony to take care of our little rat infestation, I had no idea it came from the heir to Hector's throne. Though I can't say I'm surprised at all. After our meeting about merging things, I know how he feels. Hector forced his family into this situation by marrying Aria off to me. His children clearly don't agree with his business tactics, and now he has no heir to his throne, so all the hard work he's doing to ensure his organization thrives beyond his lifespan is for nothing.

Dad coughs hard, covering his mouth with a handkerchief and doubling over. His days are running out, like sand in an hourglass. If I pay too much attention, I can count the grains of sand as they drop. Watching him waste away as the cancer devours his strength is painful. If it were me, I'd want someone to put a bullet in my head to stop the suffering, but he is determined to fight until the end.

"Sit down, old man," I chide him gently. I take him by the elbow and guide him to his sofa, where he plops down a little harder than normal. He sleeps more than usual, and his meetings arenow in his bed chambers, not his living room or home office. He's slowly retreating into a deeper place within his home, leaving the rest of the house largely untouched on a daily basis.

"Stop coddling me. I am doing fine." He swats at my hand and with a shaking finger points to the stack of papers on his desk. "Get them and bring them here." He wheezes as he talks now too, another effect of the disease ravaging his body.

I collect the papers he requested and return to sit next to him. I can see by the contract on the top of the stack of papers that this is legal documentation indicating to his business partners that I'm taking things over. It's merely a formality now. He can't run anything. Carlos and I have been in charge for weeks. As I hand him the papers, I think of how letting go will be painful, putting his body into the ground, knowing he won't be here.

Over the past few days, I've seen Aria grow listless and depressed. When she isn't at her parents' house mourning with them and helping plan the funeral, she lies in bed and cries. It's painful to watch considering I am the one who gave the order to pull the trigger, so to speak. It's just business until it hurts someone you care about, and I've found that over the past month of our marriage, I've grown to care about her in certain ways. I guess this is one of them.

If she knew it was me, she'd hate me. Our arrangement would be terminated and I'd own the Peralta organization legally, but I can't bring myself to confess to her. I don't want her to leave. I want that fortune, the power, and the territory, but not at the expense of losing her.

"What's all this?" I ask him, and he coughs a few times before pulling a pen out of his breast pocket and scrawling his signature across the forms.

"This is a bit of busy work I've been meaning to get to but I've been so tired." So tired, in fact, that he doesn’t even offer a smile when he looks up at me. "You're the rightful owner of these businesses as soon as these contracts are filed with the board. I've seen the way you're handling the Peralta family, and I am proud of you. When you told me you were going to take them over, I never expected you to get Hector to beg you to do it."

Dad pats my arm and then flips a few pages to sign his name on more signature boxes. I wait for him knowing when he's done with this, he'll have to lie down. His in-home nurse will be here to give him his medications soon, and I will head home to see my wife lying in bed, only a silhouette of the powerful woman I know she is.

"You know that was Aria's idea. I can't take the credit. She's a brilliant woman." I take the papers from him and await his order.

"I can see that from her. She is feisty." He chuckles, which brings on more coughing, and he heaves as he points at his desk. I look there to see a glass of water, and I rise to put the papers back and get his drink. As soon as he takes a sip, his coughing calms and he catches his breath.

"I need to rest now." Dad hands me the glass, and as I place it on his desk, he lies down. No matter how tough or strong a man is, he needs his father. I'm at the point of losing mine, and it makes me sympathize with Aria on her brother's death. I need to go be with her.

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