Page 33 of Reign of Fate

“What are you doing here?” Elisa asks, linking her arm in his.

“I was invited.” He looks over his shoulder to where Raffaele is standing in the doorway. “By our capo.”

Elisa’s smile turns into a frown, and she says, “Dad’s going to be pissed.”

“As far as Dad knows, the capo has asked me over to discuss business,” Leno replies, giving a shrug and looking back over his shoulder. “Right, sir?”

Raffaele lets out a deep, low laugh. “We do have work to discuss. Perhaps we should do that before we enjoy our meal,” he replies before he goes back inside. That’s our cue to follow. I carry Adriana, with Elisa by my side.

As soon as we reach the house, Adriana shimmies in my arms to let her down, then takes Elisa’s hand and drags her off to find Evangeline, while Leno joins me in Raffaele’s office. Francesco and Massimo are already waiting for us.

“Now that we’re all here. I want to go over what we know and, more importantly, what we don’t know,” Raffaele starts. “Ruggero has been traveling back and forth from here to Piemonte and Sicilia for the last three years consistently. Bruto has been making the same trips, but only for the last six months. Bruto has been meeting with contacts approved by me for product that’s shipped to us and meant for distribution to our contact in Philadelphia. Ivo and I are meeting with Bruto tomorrow morning at his place to see what he has to say for himself. There’s nothing pointing to Bruto doing anything other than what I have instructed him to do. I’ve followed up with my contacts, and he’s made every meeting on time and hasn’t deviated from my instructions.”

“The same cannot be said about Ruggero,” I begin. “Ruggero’s trips were not planned, and although he’s hitting the same cities, he’s not making the regular visits that would be expected. Occasionally, he’s met with our partners out that way, but rarely are the meetings planned, and based on what we’ve been told, they’re more of a social visit. Raffaele and I believe his drop-ins are a smoke screen for why he was actually in the city.”

“I want him watched. I need someone glued to him until I get answers from Bruto. I want to hear him out. He’s served our family well in the past and is an underboss who earned his position the hard way, up from nothing.” Raffaele respects those who prove themselves over those who fall into their role because tradition dictates it. Normally, the firstborn son of an underboss takes over the territory, but only if the capo agrees. Raffaele has rarely interfered with this, yet from time to time, he’ll put the intended underboss through a series of trainings to see if they’re worthy of the title.

“You’re not getting soft, are you?” Francesco jokes.

Raffaele releases a snort of derision. “I’ll hang the asshole by his toes and gut him myself if I find out he has any role in betrayingUltimo Morte.” He turns to Leno. “I’m trusting you to find Ruggero and stick close to him. I have a man on him for now, keeping tabs on him from outside his home. Once we’re done here, you’re to relieve him until I’ve had my meeting with Bruto. I want an account of where he goes, who comes in and out of his house, and anything else that you see. Got it?”

“Yes, of course. Whatever you need, Capo,” Leno responds with a curt nod.

Raffaele lets out a heavy sigh. “Right. Evangeline’s gone to great lengths to make this meal about family.” He looks at each of us. “She says this is our family. You’re all invited to lunch.”

Massimo and Francesco look stunned. In all the time they’ve been with Raffaele, not once have they been asked to stay for a special occasion. Evangeline made Raffaele’s house a home. She’s brought warmth into his cold heart. No doubt, Raffaele is still an evil bastard, but around Evangeline, his human side comes out.

Massimo looks at me, and his expression is priceless. He’s wondering if he’s hearing things. I can’t help but laugh out loud.

“Come on, guys, we don’t want to keep the ladies waiting,” I say. We’re leaving the room when Raffaele calls me back. “What’s up?”

“Adriana had a lot of questions last night. One being whether she can call Elisa her mom,” Raffaele says.

“What did you tell her?”

“It wasn’t my place to give her an answer that should come from you and Elisa. Personally, I think it would be good for her. But it’s your call.”

I’m torn. I want Elisa and Adriana to bond, but I also don’t want my daughter to forget her mother. I’ve got to let this play out and see how it goes. Sometimes, the best thing to do is nothing.

“Thanks. I’ll keep my ears open.”

He clasps a hand on my shoulder and says, “Let’s go eat.” He gives me a smirk and continues, “Do me a favor, tell Evangeline that the manicotti is the best you ever tasted. She’s been working in the kitchen all morning.”

“You got it, brother,” I reply. That’s Evangeline. She goes all out for the people she loves. Her cooking is awesome, and I’m sure her manicotti is to die for. But I’ll make a special effort to tell her so.

Everyone else has already taken their places at the table, leaving the head of the table for Raffaele, and I’m seated to his right. I see Adriana is between Elisa and me, and the two have their heads together, talking away as if no one else is around. I love the fact that Elisa has fit so well into our lives.

The meal is delicious, but before I can say a word about Evangeline’s pasta, Elisa speaks up. “This manicotti is delicious. You’re going to have to give me the recipe. I’ve made them a few times, but your filling is way better than mine.”

I glance over at Raffaele, who has his head down, staring into his plate and choking back a chuckle. “Guess you didn’t have to worry,” I mumble under my breath for only him to hear.

The afternoon is filled with family and good friends. I can see that Elisa and her brother have a lot of love for one another. This makes me even more curious as to why Elisa was always alone in that house after Guido’s death.

I bide my time and wait for a moment when Leno and I are alone outside on the patio, then make my move.

“It’s good that you came today. Elisa misses her brother. Not so much her mother and father, though,” I comment.

Leno scans around to see if anyone is near us, then takes a step closer. “I don’t want to talk badly about our parents. They’re still our mother and father, and for that, I must respect them. However, they’ve never been as attentive as they should be. Elisa didn’t have an easy time of it. Mom wanted the perfect daughter and put a lot of pressure on her. The best thing that happened to Elisa was Guido’s proposal. That’s why Elisa insisted that Guido not break the engagement after he was injured. Dad was fucking pissed at Elisa,” he tells me, shaking his head. “I was scared for her that night. I ended up sleeping on the floor in her room because Dad was enraged by her decision, and I didn’t know what he’d do. From that moment on, he basically ignored her unless it was convenient for him.”

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