Page 2 of Reign Of Triumph
“He’s going to hand Giusto over to you, just like that?” Dad snaps his fingers.
“I’m going to find Wan Kwok and kill him. My payment will be to become underboss in Guisto’s place,” I tell him, then add, “As an added bonus, I’ll be making his sister, Serafina, my wife.”
Dad’s lips tighten. “Have you lost your mind?” he shouts. His fist thumps his desk, rattling the objects on it. In Dad’s place, I’d be upset too. After Miranda died, my father sought vengeance and was denied because it was Miranda’s word against Giusto’s. Giusto maintained that the sex was consensual between him and my sister, and she committed suicide because he decided to marry Bianca instead. When in reality my sister’s spirit was broken, and her death was a result of the rape. Miranda was young and impressionable and was fooled by an older man paying attention to her.
One day after school, he picked Miranda up and took her to a secluded hotel outside town. He raped her that night, and not just once. Miranda was so shaken and hysterical that Guisto left her there and told her no one would believe her. Although Miranda was despondent, she called me.
I’ll never forget my baby sister falling apart in my arms. Miranda explained that she refused to enter the hotel, but Guisto convinced her that they were only going to have a romantic dinner he arranged in a private suite. I only saw the bruises on her arms, but I know she had many more.
After I drove my sister home, my father nearly lost his mind. My mother saw to Miranda. My sister refused to see the doctor and didn’t want to talk about what happened. While we were taking care of her, Guisto went to his father, knowing that my father wouldn’t let this go. Guisto and his father, Egidio, did damage control. They approached Marco first, and because of the close relationship Marco had with Egidio, he made a promise to a dying man.
My father was never an underboss, but he was a high-ranking soldier and well respected. Egidio, being an underboss, also played a role in Marco’s decision. To Marco’s credit, he tried to smooth things over once he saw the severity of the situation. However, Marco made a promise, and breaking that promise meant he would be admitting to having made a mistake.
Instead, Marco took my father and put him in a prestigious role within La Famiglia, and Egidio gave him a large financial payout. My father knows that there is no leaving the family. Refusing would only make matters worse. I, on the other hand, refused to give in and turned my back on the family. Normally, this would result in certain death, but when Miranda committed suicide, Marco’s guilt kept me alive.
Miranda’s funeral was the last time I saw Marco Moretti, until today.
“What’s going on in here?” Mom comes in through the door, concern written all over her face.
“Your son intends to marry Serafina Candida. That’s what’s going on around here!” Dad says, his voice continuing to rise.
Mom whips around to look at me. “Eros, is this true?”
“Listen, both of you. I want Guisto to feel the same pain I felt when he destroyed my sister. What better way of doing that than taking his job as an underboss and marrying his sister?”
“He’s a snake,” Dad says.
“That’s what I’m hoping for. If he makes his move, I can take him out, and it would be self-defense.”
“Eros, I would like to see that man pay for what he did to my baby girl, but Serafina is a good girl. She is an innocent young woman and nothing like her brother. She was a child when all this happened. Serafina is not close to her brother, but she adores her nieces. Rumors circulate, and it has been said that Serafina and her brother argue often about the way he treats his wife and children. One day, the argument became so heated that he struck his sister with such force, she fell to the ground. Now she only goes over when Giusto is out. Taking your anger out on her will make you a monster, just like Guisto,” Mom says, taking my hand. “Caro figlio mio, do not involve this girl. Two wrongs do not make a right.”
The thought of Giusto striking Serafina makes my blood boil. By Mafia code, the eldest male rules the family, and as such, Serafina is under his rule. This also means that he decides her fate when it comes to choosing a husband for her. In the photo, Serafina holds her two young nieces in her arms. They looked up at their aunt with such love and joy, I can see they adore her.
This does not alter my plan. Serafina will have a choice. She can marry me, behave badly, and live a life of hell, or she can be an obedient wife and live well. “I have no intention of beating the woman. I’m going to marry her, and then her future depends on her choices. She can be a devoted wife and receive all respect and protection, or she can be a shrew, and I will end her. It’s Giusto who I intend to make miserable. First, I’ll take his job, so he’ll work for me, then I’ll take his life. Miranda may have ended her own life, but everybody knows it was Giusto who drove her to her end,” I tell my parents. “I can understand if you do not want Serafina in your home?—”
“Stop!” My mother holds up her hand. “If you are taking a wife, then she will be our family.” Mom turns to my father. “Armando.” She urges my father to speak up. Dad looks up at the ceiling, then back at my mother. “She’s a good girl, my love. Serafina should not pay for her brother’s sins,” Mom insists.
“My baby girl is gone. Accepting the sister of the man responsible in my house is not something I can do lightly. However, I will get to know Serafina before making my decision,” my father decides. Dad has always had sound judgment, and I can appreciate that he will reserve his thoughts until after he’s spent time with Serafina.
“All this works only if I find Wan Kwok and end him,” I say. My mother raises her brow, obviously worried for me. Dad emits a loud sigh, but he’s resigned to the idea that I’m doing this. “I’ll be gone for a few weeks. I leave tomorrow.”
It’s taken ten fucking long days to find Wan Kwok. He covered his tracks well, but not well enough. The only thing standing between me and getting what I want from Marco is Wan. It’s more than revenge that drives me to end the man. As stupid as it seems, I have loyalty to La Famiglia. It’s been my life since birth. The Mafia family is rooted in me. I grew up knowing that I would be serving the family, and I was on the path until the day Miranda was raped.
I swore to turn my back on La Famiglia, but it wasn’t so much that I turned my back than it was that I decided not to participate. Nero tried to talk me into coming back many times, but I always refused, reiterating my stipulation time and time again. Nero offered me a prime position working with Luciano and him, but I was set on what I wanted. I didn’t need their money or power. I was making more than enough money selling my own private services and had acquired a reputation for getting the job done.
As the years passed, Nero and I stayed in touch. I knew Nero kept his father abreast of my whereabouts, but I didn’t care. My father continued to work for Marco, and the two men seem to have made peace with the past. Marco is good to my parents. He’s also been a good leader; his only real hiccup was Egidio and his agreeing to let Egidio’s son get away with raping an innocent girl. I’m not sure if I’m right or not, but I think Marco regrets his decision, but as capo, he cannot go back on his word. That would make him seem weak, and a capo can never be weak in the eyes of his men.
Marco promised me Giusto and was ready to send Nero to fetch him, but he was smart enough to show me the file first. It’s like he knew that once I set eyes on Serafina, I would have second thoughts. Her eyes are filled with sadness, and yet, there’s a hint of defiance in her soul. I feel it. I keep asking myself, why marry the woman when Giusto was offered up without a fight? The answer is both simple and complicated. I want Serafina. Her beauty is beyond that of any other woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.
This doesn’t mean I won’t end her brother. There has never been justice for Miranda’s death, and I intend to see this through. The idea of having Giusto work under me and taking his title as underboss of the West Side is exceptionally satisfying, and it will also be the beginning of his end. Slowly, I will make his life miserable, and then he’ll make his move. I know that he will because he’s a pompous ass. His title of underboss was handed down by his father. He didn’t earn it, but he’ll have to earn his keep under my watch.
I’m close to getting what I want. Wan Kwok escaped underground and is making his way back to his home country. To get out of the US, he needs safe passage, and that means a fake passport. My connection has paid off, and I was called with the time and place Wan was coming to pick it up. Time is running out. I must make my move tonight.
After following at a distance, I end up at a hotel by the airport. I’m careful to stay out of his line of sight but remain cool as I approach the reception desk standing before me across the massive lobby. As the young female attendant prepares my key card, I hear the man at the other end say as he hands a card to Wan, “As requested, eighth floor.” Before the front desk man can continue, Wan swipes the key card from his hand and, with a heavy accent, replies, “I’ll find it,” then quickly turns to see who is nearby. I pretend to flirt with the woman serving me, paying no mind to Wan, who turns and heads toward the elevators. Wan enters the elevator with two other men by his side. Easy pickings for me to take out, but I want to keep this as quiet as possible. This means finding a way into his suite while his men are outside guarding his door.
Time is running out. Now he has a passport in hand and with his choice of hotel by the airport, at best, I have the night to do what needs to be done. I could call Nero, and he’d send reinforcements immediately. Still, there’s no guarantee that they would get here in time.
I climb the stairs up to the eighth floor, then open the stairwell door slightly. I see that one of Wan’s henchmen is pacing outside his door, giving evil stares to anyone coming off the elevator. He’s a big man, but slow. I also see that Wan asked for a room without another room next to him. Luckily for me, there’s a janitor’s closet.
