Page 34 of Reign Of Triumph
Julian and his crew wait for Nero to arrive before taking their leave. “Never a dull moment when you’re around,” Julian jokes. We make plans for all of us to meet up again soon. Milana and Serafina give each other a hug goodbye, exchanging phone numbers, and then they’re off.
There’s much to do, starting with taking Serafina home.
“The interrogation can wait until tomorrow,” Nero states before he pulls me off to one side, away from Serafina. “They’re not going anywhere. Take Serafina home. I’m sure shock hasn’t set in yet, but it might. Grazia had nightmares for months after the Russians went after her.”
I blow out a heavy breath, raking a hand through my hair. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“Go. I’ll take care of everything here,” Nero insists.
Danilo and Vincenzo follow me out. I guide Serafina into the car and slip in behind the wheel. We haven’t gone very far when I glance over and see my wife’s hands start to tremble. I quickly cover her hands with my own.
“Stay with me, Fi,” I tell her. She looks at me and nods hesitantly. I want to know who’s behind this, and when I do, they’re going to pay for every tear Serafina has shed.
Eighteen
Interrogation 101
Serafina
Last night’s dream turned into a nightmare. I wanted to be strong for Eros, but after we got home, I fell apart. The sounds of people screaming and guns going off are ingrained in my head. Eros took me upstairs and got me undressed and in my PJs. I didn’t even notice him having on his PJ bottoms until he settled me into bed and wrapped himself around me.
In my ear, he whispered over and over, “I’ve got you, Fi. You’re safe.” He held me, stroking my hair, and all I could do was cry. I must have cried myself to sleep.
I wake up this morning in Eros’s arms. He’s wide awake, focused solely on me, watching me intently as I open my eyes.
“Hey, baby, how are you feeling this morning?” His voice is a soft rumble.
“Better.” I sit up, turning to face my husband. “I’m sorry I was such a mess. I’ll try harder to be brave.”
He’s sitting too by this point, reaching out to move my messy hair away from my face. “Anyone would have reacted the same way. There’s no need to be sorry.”
“You didn’t. The guys didn’t lose their cool. Even Milana held herself together.” I lower my lids and shake my head slightly. “I don’t understand. One minute, we were dancing and laughing, then…” I snap my fingers. “Poof. The room exploded with bullets. I can still hear people shouting and crying.” I can’t stop the shiver that runs through me. Eros pulls me closer and settles me on his lap. His hands cup my face.
“You should never have had to experience what happened last night. I took great precautions to ensure the club was safe before we arrived. I never would have brought you there if even for a second I thought shit was going to go bad. I wouldn’t do that to you. Someone who is in my command is feeding information to our enemies, and I’m going to find out who it is and make them pay.” Eros pauses, clearly trying to decide how much he thinks I can handle.
“I’d rather know than not know,” I urge. “Please. A marriage is sharing the good and the bad. It doesn’t matter how bad, because I want to be a wife who supports you in every way.” I lick my lips and inhale deeply, then let a breath out slowly. “Sock it to me,” I say, and do my best to give him a brave smile.
“Your brother did a wonderful job of creating a divide within his own soldiers. Those who stroked his ego and kissed his ass were his pets. Before his death, I believe Giusto was planning his retaliation against me and La Famiglia. I’m not sure how, but I have a strong feeling that last night’s chaos came from Giusto’s men. We were attacked by low-end thugs. They had no finesse and didn’t have a prayer of making it out of that club alive. They didn’t know it, but they were set up,” Eros confides.
“That’s crazy! Giusto is gone. Marco made you their boss. That’s treason. They’ve got to know that if they’re caught, it will be their certain death.”
“Not if they thought they could make it look like the Russians, or any other one of our enemies, were responsible,” Eros says. “We have several in a cell, and very shortly, I must leave you and go interrogate the prisoners. I hope that this leads to the names of those responsible.”
“You think it’s one of our own.”
Eros nods.
“Then none of us are safe. Everyone in La Famiglia is at risk,” I say, telling him what he already knows.
“Marco is aware of the situation. Nero, Luciano, and I thought that after Giusto was removed, things would settle. But deep down inside, I felt the looming dark cloud. The threat isn’t over, but we’ll be a hell of a lot closer after I’m done with the men sitting in the cells,” he declares, his expression ominous.
He’s downright terrifying when he gets that look. I don’t mind it outside our home, but not here, and definitely not in our bed. I caress his cheek. “We need to get up, and I’m going to make you a hearty breakfast so you can go do your job and keep us safe.” Automatically, his features gentle, and he touches his lips to mine.
“I wish I could spend the day with you, gioia, but Nero is waiting for me,” he replies with a sigh. I shuffle off his lap and run into the bathroom to clean up, but not before I kiss him and receive a loving tap on my behind.
Making breakfast is a wasted effort because as soon as Eros makes it downstairs, his phone rings. He has just enough time for me to turn his bacon and eggs into a toasted western and wrap it up before he heads out the door.
Vincenzo and Danilo are my bodyguards for the day. Instead of letting all this food go to waste, I invite Bianca, the girls, and Mom to come over. The girls are in their glory when I make waffles, and Mom enjoys her coffee. At first, Danilo refuses to join us, but the constant begging of two little girls with big eyes and bigger pouty lips melts his heart, and he ends up sitting between the two of them. Vincenzo needs only to be asked once. His plate is piled high, and he chats with Bianca.
