Page 26 of Reign Of Triumph
“You need to keep up your strength.”
“His hate consumed him. Getting rid of you was his undoing. Why did he hate you so much?” I blurt out.
Eros steps out onto the terrace and sits beside me on the bench, sliding an arm around my shoulders. “I wish I could give you an answer.” He sighs. “You know my feelings about your brother. I won’t pretend to care for him now. I’m not a hypocrite. My sister came home bloody, beaten, and raped. I saw her that night, and I would have killed him then if it weren’t for my father. He wanted justice through La Famiglia, and when that didn’t happen, I left. I left because I could not stand to watch Giusto carry on getting whatever he wanted when my sister lay buried in a box at the cemetery. I know Giusto was livid when Marco made me underboss, but his hatred came before that.”
“It did. He used to come home and rant to Dad about you. Even as a teenager, he’d go on about you, Nero, and Luciano. I think he was jealous of the friendship you have with them. I remember Giusto having a party at the house and inviting Nero and Luciano, but not you. They didn’t come, and Giusto blamed you for that. Dad told him he was being childish, but Giusto blew a gasket and stormed out of the house,” I tell Eros. “Did he say anything before he…died?” I ask, hoping for some sort of remorse for his past wrongdoings.
His face hardens. “He did. But it’s not what you’re looking for, Fi.”
“What did he say, Eros? I need to know.”
“It won’t bring you solace.”
“Please.”
He raised his eyes to the heavens. “Giusto says that even when he’s dead, this won’t be over.”
“What does that mean?”
“Damned if I know. But Nero, Luciano, and I aren’t taking this lightly. We have extra guards and a new security system being installed at my parents’ place, and none of you are to go without a bodyguard. The girls too. They will go to school accompanied by one of my men. This could just be Giusto’s way to upset me, but I’m not taking any chances.”
“I hate him.” The words come out with such venom, I hardly recognize my own voice.
“No, baby, you loved him. You couldn’t feel this much sadness and hurt if the disappointment wasn’t so great. You were hoping the brother you knew as a child would return, but he’s gone, and that man was gone long before his death,” Eros replies, pulling me closer and kissing my temple.
“Where do we go from here?” I ask.
“We continue to live our lives. One day at a time, babe.”
“I should go in and check on Mom,” I say reluctantly. I don’t want to leave the warmth of his embrace. It all seems so much easier when Eros is with me.
“A few more minutes to ourselves,” he replies, holding me tighter. I close my eyes and relish the calm.
Fourteen
Whatever You Want
Eros
A week later…
Giusto’s burial was hard on Serafina and her family. Giusto being a traitor, it should have been easy. Normally, we would have tossed him into the ocean or dumped him in a forest where the animals could feast on his corpse. But in this case, for Vera and his children’s sake, there was a funeral. Serafina and Bianca convinced Vera that a quiet send-off would be best for Anita and Alia, and their grandmother agreed.
The soldiers who were once under Giusto’s command seem none the worse for wear at the loss of their former boss. Well, almost all the men, that is. I see the same half dozen soldiers who hang around together whenever possible. The first line of offense is divide and conquer. That is why I made changes to the roster and put them on different projects.
I’ve forged a trust with several of the soldiers who I consider my senior leaders of the team, and I have them report back to me twice daily. Giusto left the books a mess. The deeper I dig, the more chaos I find. Just when I think I have the finances figured out, another issue surfaces. Luciano and I have worked well into the evening every night since I took over, and we’re still sorting out the multiple deposits, withdrawals, and transfers into accounts outside the country.
This means that for the last week, I came home late every night. The first night, I called and told Serafina not to wait up, but she did anyway. She had a plate put aside and sat with me until I finished my dinner, then we went upstairs together. The second night, she did exactly the same thing. I continued to call her out of courtesy, but I thought by day four, she’d leave the plate on the stove and go to bed, but she still hasn’t.
Serafina is up early every morning to make me breakfast and to wait for me to head off before she goes down to the guesthouse. There, she helps Bianca get the girls off to school, gets her mother ready for the day, and has been organizing the sale of Bianca’s home and moving them into the guesthouse. My mother comes by often, and she and Vera go off on day trips or just sit and have coffee.
My wife hasn’t left our home all week, and I’ve been too busy to spend the time with her that a new bride deserves. Although, I can’t seem to keep my hands off her delectable body when we reach our bedroom. My plan was to hold her until we fell asleep, but as soon as I spooned her and her ass hit my crotch, I couldn’t contain my need to be inside her sweet pussy.
She makes the intoxicating sounds when she’s close to an orgasm. Her mewls and moans are an aphrodisiac. The way she breathlessly pants my name makes me thrust harder and faster until she shudders with desire and falls apart in my arms.
Every night, I make love to my wife. It’s slow, soft, and sweet. But my desire to toss her over my shoulder and fuck her hard, fast, and dirty is becoming an urge I can’t resist.
Tonight, I’m leaving work at a decent time. Luciano and I dropped off our latest information regarding the overseas accounts to Marco, along with the financials for the last month. Since I took over from Giusto, our profits have increased by fifteen percent. Marco is pleased, to say the least.
