Page 7 of One Savage Union

“She’ll do?” Enzo repeats, his voice amused. Turning the monitor back on, he says, “That’s one way to put it. But let’s keep our eyes on the future, Mr. Romano. Now that your cousinknows she’s been promised to you and not him, it puts her in more danger.”

He looks at her hands fly over the piano like air moves over water with a smirk. “Could it be that you’re a bit smitten with your intended because, like your Mother, she’s a wonder on the piano?”

If I didn’t need him, I’d kill him for knowing me so well.

Enzo Bianchi is the best hacker and security expert on this side of the Mississippi. He should be. Uncle Sam and his band of Naval Intelligence Officers trained him. He’s an indispensable pain in my ass and my best friend. Second only to his brother, our resident enforcer, and my capo- Mario.

He’s also the father to my goddaughter Aria, so I let him live even when he’s being a pain in my ass.

Ignoring his observation, I rise from my chair and glance toward the grand piano in the corner of the room. Its polished surface gleams under the low light, an ever-present reminder of another life—one I left behind long ago. Without thinking, I cross the room and sit on the bench. My fingers hover above the keys before pressing down, coaxing a melody buried deep in my memory. Soft and melancholic notes echo through the room, starkly contrasting the cold calculations consuming my mind.

My mother was a saint. God broke the mold when he made Anna Romano Fieri because all other women were a curse. I’ve seen what they can do—what they did to my father. His weakness destroyed everything. It’s why I stopped playing this piano after they died. Music couldn’t protect us. It didn’t stop the bloodshed. It’s only a reminder of what I lost.

“Still playing that old tune, Roc?” Enzo asks, his tone quieter now. He doesn’t need to elaborate; he knows exactly why I’m playing it.

“Chopin's Nocturnes helps me think,” I reply, though it’s a half-truth. Music is more than a tool; it’s a tether to a part of me and my past that I’d rather forget.

The door to my office flies open, and Leo stalks in, entitled as ever. His eyes go straight to the surveillance screens on the wall behind me.

Lucia.

She’s still playing through her grief, her fingers now thundering against the keys, her expression determined and glistening from silent tears.

Leo leers. His head tilts slightly as he watches the feed, his mouth twisting into something that makes my blood curdle.

“What’s the matter, cousin?” I say coolly, not looking at him. “Never seen a woman cry without being the reason for it?”

His gaze snaps to me.

“You’re wasting time.” His tone is clipped, venomous. “While you sit here playing Beethoven, the Riccis are moving into our territory.”

I rise slowly from the piano bench, adjusting my cuffs, deliberate in every motion.

“Do you even know who Beethoven is, Leo? Or are you just spitting words you heard in a movie once?”

From the corner, Enzo lets out a sharp laugh and sips his whiskey.

“My money’s on Fast & Furious, part six.”

Leo’s face darkens. His fists curl at his sides.

“Don’t patronize me, Roc. I brought our family intel—valuable intel. Ricci’s secret daughter is the key to everything. If we’re going to use her, we need to act now. I don’t know why my father handed this to you. I’m his heir. I should be marrying her. Not you.”

Because you’re a snake. Venom in your mouth, betrayal in your spine.

I step in, letting the space between us disappear. Close enough to smell the insecurity on his breath.

“Should be,” I echo, voice low. “But you’re not. Because we both know what happens when you get too close to women, they end up broken… or buried.”

He lunges forward, chest puffed, teeth clenched.

“You think you’re better than me?”

“No,” I say as I casually step back. “I don’t think. I know.”

His breathing spikes, eyes wide and dark.

“I’ve been loyal to this family since day one.”

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