Page 85 of Vicious Heir

I nod to him and get into the car.

Luca drives us back to the mansion, and my thoughts are on murder.

Chapter 31

Adriano

The purge is bloody and brutal.

It doesn’t take long to smoke out the others involved in Frank’s conspiracy. Lucky for me, though, none of them are top-ranked Capos.

“An ugly business,” Marco comments, frowning as he rubs his eyes and drinks from a big glass of wine. We’re sitting in my formal dining room. The rest of the Capos are there, except for Vittorio. He’s out hunting down Frank’s family, and from what I hear, he’s having a good time.

The mood is grim. A coup like that is extremely bad for morale. Everyone’s looking at everyone else and wondering who’s going to turn next. If Frank thought I was doing such a bad job that he had to kill me, what about the rest of them? What if Frank was right?

“Twelve soldiers are dead,” I say, looking at my men. “Three lieutenants. One Capo and his entire family. All in the middle of a war with Gray Wolf.” I fight to keep my fury in check. “Do youall have any idea how this makes us look to the rest of the city’s underworld?”

“Respectfully, Don Marino, but we’re aware.” Carlo Moretti speaks up from the back of the room. He’s one of the older men and was a friend of Frank’s. “Nobody here approves of what our former associate did. May God spit on his soul.”

“He weakened our position. Maybe he thought he was doing the right thing, but he only made us look like fools.” My jaw flexes. I don’t know how I’m going to run this meeting without losing my temper. Frank tried to kill me. Frank, my father’s friend, a man I looked up to when I was younger. A man I thought I could trust. He tried to murder me, his rightful Don.

Rage fills me, but worse, so does mourning.

“Anyone that helped him is dead,” Rico says. He’s next to Marco, one of the younger Capos in the Famiglia. “And if we sniff anyone else out, we’ll cut their throats too.”

“Ugly business,” Marco repeats, shaking his head distastefully.

I force myself to calm down. I take a few deep breaths before nodding at the assembled heart of the Famiglia. I need these men now, and I need to make sure that I don’t flinch when it comes time to make hard decisions.

“There’s a vacuum left by Frank’s death. He controlled territory and ran important businesses. Marco, I’m promoting you to his position.”

Marco eyes me for a moment, then nods. “It will be my pleasure, Don Marino. Thank you for this honor.”

I nod back at him, scowling at my Capos. “I’m promoting my cousin Luca Marino to the Capo job still left vacant. He’ll workdirectly with Marco and earn more responsibility as he proves himself. But in the meantime, congratulations, Luca.”

My former driver stares at me in total shock. I hadn’t prepared him for this. But there’s nobody in the Famiglia I trust more right now. I need to stack the ranks of the Capos with my own men. I should’ve been doing that already, long before my father passed away, but I wanted to respect his traditions. I kept the Capos at a set number, which was his preference, but now I can see how that was a mistake.

There’s a murmuring around the table, and I can tell they all approve of my decision. Luca’s well-respected in the Famiglia for his bravery and clear mind. He slowly sits down in the empty chair, looking stunned.

“I’m honored, Don Marino,” he says, bowing stiffly, one hand pressed over his heart. “I’ll serve you and the Famiglia until my dying breath. My life is yours.”

“I know you will.”

The meeting moves on. I name six more Capos to the council, swelling the total number to fifteen. I can tell that surprises most of the remaining old guard, but now they’re outnumbered. Seven men directly owe me their positions, while several more are my peers and close allies. Only the few older Capos are left from my father’s reign.

They’ll remain, as long as they obey.

After drinkingand celebrating the new Capos, I finally manage to retire back into my office. I slump down behind mydesk and lean back, staring up at the ceiling. My head’s fuzzy from drinking, and all I can think about is Frank looking at me like he wanted to rip out my throat himself.

That man was like a second father to me. I don’t understand why he didn’t come to me with his problems. We could have worked on a plan together. We could have figured out a way to make him happy while solving all our issues. Instead, he thought things were so dire that he had to put a bullet in my head.

It makes no sense. I slump forward, hands curled into fists. Why the hell did he do it? Why did Frank throw everything away to kill me?

There’s a light knock at my door. The only person in the world I want to see right now pokes her head inside. “Do you want some company?”

I gesture for her to come inside. “Close the door behind you.”

She obeys and quietly sits down in a chair across from me. I lean back and shake my head, beckoning her closer. “Please.”

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