Twisted Bonds by Cora Reilly

CHAPTER 8

NINO

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Remo had finally decided to send Serafina back after two months. If he’d acted according to our original plan, he’d long given her back, but with my brother plans always got ignored. Yet, this time, with Serafina, he should have listened to my advice for once. Things between them were progressing in a dangerous direction. He knew that as well as I did.

Sitting on the sofa, I took out my phone and dialed Luca’s number. Kiara was playing a new song, an erratic, moody melody. I wondered if it reflected her feelings about Remo’s decision to send Serafina back, but she should be relieved. After all, she’d been strongly averse to the kidnapping from the beginning.

“Nino, what do you want?”

Luca never bothered with pleasantries. He was lucky I’d convinced Remo that war with the Famiglia was the last thing we needed at the current time. “We have a present for you.”

Silence. “A present?” Suspicion rang in Luca’s voice.

“We’ll have Scuderi soon. Dante agreed to exchange him for his niece tomorrow.”

“Fuck. I can’t believe your insane plan actually worked. You and your brother are as cunning as you are crazy.”

My lips tightened. “I didn’t call to have my personality analyzed by you. I want to invite you and your brother, and for all I care even the Scuderi sisters, to join Fabiano in the dismemberment of Rocco Scuderi.”

“That’s a generous offer,” Luca said carefully. “What do you expect in return?”

I smiled, leaning back. “Nothing. At least, not at this point. But if we ever approach you and ask for a favor, we’d appreciate it if you remembered that we did this.”

“Right. I bet your kind of favors won’t be for the faint-hearted.”

“You aren’t faint-hearted.”

Luca huffed out a deep laugh. “I’ll have to talk to my brother. I’ll call you back in a couple of minutes.”

“Don’t take too long. You’ll need to fly over.”

“Don’t worry.” Luca hung up.

I put my phone down on my lap and watched Kiara as she played the same sequence for the third time, unhappy with her creation. The low haunted hums of the piano reverberated in my chest and when her fingers moved faster and the notes rang higher, sounding almost angry, my pulse spiked.

Every song Kiara created overflowed with emotions. Her eyes were closed, those dark lashes fluttering against her smooth skin. Like her music, Kiara was a piece of art, and always tore emotions from the darkest recesses of my soul.

Less than five minutes later, Luca called again, but I waited for the last note of Kiara’s song to fade before I bothered picking up. “Matteo and Romero are preparing everything for their flight. They’ll take part in Scuderi’s last hurrah.”

Surprise washed over me. “You won’t?”

“I hate the man and would certainly enjoy cutting off a few pieces of him, but my brother and Romero have a stronger incentive.”

“What about the Scuderi sisters?”

“Aria and Lily are too kind-hearted for that kind of thing, and Gianna can’t stand the sight of blood.”

“Tell Matteo and Romero to meet us in the Sugar Trap, and they better hurry. Fabiano is eager to deal with his father.”

Luca laughed darkly. “I bet he is. I can only imagine how pissed you and Remo are that you never got the chance to rip your own goddamn father to shreds.”

My hold on the phone tightened. “Rumor has it your father didn’t get the end he deserved either. I’m sure if it had been up to you and Matteo, his demise would have been less abrupt and more creative.”

“That’s the past,” Luca said in a clipped voice.

“True and now you have a beautiful wife and children to take care of, which makes our cooperation even more important.”

“My family stays out of this. And if that was a veiled threat, Falcone, you better choose your words more wisely next time. I’m not the only one with people to protect.”

“It wasn’t a threat, just a reminder, Luca. We have no intention of attacking your family, and I’m sure you won’t attack our family either. After all, my wife is your cousin and Fabiano is your brother-in-law.”

“That might be true, but I’d gladly wade through their blood and that of every fucker in Vegas to protect my family, and you’d better remember it.”

“Duly noted,” I said. “But the same can be said for Remo and me. We protect our family. Now enough of the unnecessary threats. Today is a day of celebration.”

I ended the call then and kept listening to Kiara’s playing. When she was done, she twisted around to face me. “You’re going to torture Fabiano’s father to death?”

Her voice was carefully controlled, devoid of emotion, which was unusual for Kiara and showed me how difficult a topic it was for her. “Not me, no. Fabiano will, and Matteo and Romero will join him.”

Kiara kneaded her hands in her lap. “But you’ll be present?”

I stood from the sofa and headed over to her. “Get up.”

Kiara did so without hesitation, looking at me curiously. I sank down on the bench and pulled her down on my lap, pressing a kiss to the nape of her neck before I touched my fingers to the piano keys. “I need to make sure Scuderi doesn’t die too quickly. My expertise is required.”

Kiara shuddered and I scanned her beautiful face, those expressive dark eyes, always so kind and gentle. I buried my nose in her soft curls. “I’m a monster, Kiara. Emotions or not, I’ll always be that way. I like hurting. I like breaking others, slow or fast. If you hope for that to change, it’ll only hurt you.”

Kiara rested her fingers on the piano keys next to mine and began to play the song she’d written for me. After a moment, I joined in.

When the last chord floated away, she turned her head to me and kissed my cheek then the corner of my mouth. “I love you exactly as you are. And maybe you are a monster, but you are my monster.”

I wrapped my arms around her.

“I still can’t believehe’s sending her back. I didn’t think he’d go through with it,” Kiara said the next morning as we were getting ready in our bathroom. She brushed her hair and regarded me in the mirror as I trimmed my beard.

“It was bound to happen. We have Dante where we wanted him. We get Scuderi and he gets Serafina.”

“Nino, you can’t really believe it’ll be as easy as that.”

Remo’s connection to Serafina was definitely unsettling and intense. “Remo’s determined to set her free.”

Kiara set the brush down, turned around and leaned against the marble counter. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

I shook my head. Remo’s mind worked very differently from mine.

Kiara sighed, looking concerned. “Promise to be careful. Don’t get hurt. I don’t like the idea of you meeting with the Outfit, especially not when Remo isn’t himself, and Fabiano will be unfocused because he gets to see his father.”

Setting down my electric razor, I touched Kiara’s face. “We’ve got it under control, trust me. We’ll be back soon and then things will return to how they were before the kidnapping.”

Kiara smiled strangely and kissed me. “Okay.”

“Savio and Adamo will make sure you are safe.”

I kissed her again then we headed downstairs to where Remo, Fabiano and Serafina were getting into the car. Kiara stiffened upon seeing them all. I wasn’t sure what had her react that way. Serafina was dressed in her torn wedding dress and looked pale, maybe it was that. I squeezed Kiara’s hand but she didn’t react, only watched as Serafina got into the back of our SUV. Serafina gave Kiara a small smile, who lifted her hand in farewell. I didn’t understand what went on between them. They didn’t know each other well enough to be sad about parting ways.

Remo scowled and closed the door. “Nino, will you take the seat beside Serafina?”

I nodded.

Kiara wrapped her arms around her chest. I touched her arm. “Everything will be fine. Soon this will be over.”

Kiara looked behind me at Remo before she met my gaze. “I really hope you’re right.”

I pressed another kiss to her mouth as Savio and Adamo walked out into the driveway.

“How come I’m always left out of the fun?” Savio asked. “I’d have loved to kick some Outfit ass.”

“We’re not kicking Outfit ass. We’re exchanging Serafina for Scuderi that’s all,” I said.

Adamo and Savio exchanged a look I couldn’t read, then Savio said, “Still more fun than being stuck playing babysitter.”

“I don’t need babysitting,” Kiara said softly.

“You’re guarding our mansion in case Cavallaro has anything planned.”

“How about you stop the gossiping and get in the car?” Remo called from the driver’s seat.

“Come home safe,” Kiara whispered, standing on her tiptoes and kissing my mouth.

We were all supposedto meet at the Sugar Trap after the exchange. I was the first to arrive and nodded at Jerry who was cleaning the bar. “Hey Nino.”

I moved to our private rooms in the back where I left my rifle, then called Matteo. “Hey Falcone, do you have the bastard?” Matteo said as a sort of greeting.

“We do. How long until you’ll be here?”

“Not long. We landed thirty minutes ago. Maybe fifteen minutes. We can’t wait. After the masterwork that you and Remo created with that fucker Durant, I’m eager to show you fuckers, how we do it in New York.”

“Maybe I’ll learn something new.”

“I doubt it, knowing you twisted Falcone fuckers.”

I doubted it as well. “See you later.” I hung up and walked out of the back room then continued toward the front but Fabiano crossed my path. “Remo’s at the bar and in a fucking bad mood.” He was dragging his father by the handcuffs and gave me a terse nod as he took the man down into our sound proof basement.

Since my emotions had started returning, I’d been torn between appreciation and frustration. Emotions cost a lot of energy—understanding them, dealing with them, not only just bearing them.

Knowing how much more emotional Remo was, I reckoned we’d have a difficult time ahead of us as he dealt with Serafina’s leave.

I called Kiara while Remo went ahead into the basement to help Fabiano with his father. I’d only sent her a short text so she’d know everything had gone to plan.

“Nino? Are you all right?”

“Of course. I’m in the Sugar Trap with Remo and Fabiano. We’re waiting for Matteo and Romero so we can begin.”

“How’s Remo?” Kiara asked hesitantly.

I considered how much to tell her. Kiara worried easily and I didn’t want her to be unsettled by Remo’s outburst. “He’s tense.”

“When will you be home?”

“Not before midnight. This will take time.” Even if the police in Vegas and pretty much all of Nevada was on our payroll, we didn’t talk details of our business on the phone. There was always the possibility that the FBI got involved.

“Okay,” Kiara said. “I’ll try to wait up for you.”

“You don’t have to.”

“But I want to.”

The familiar warmth only Kiara could summon spread in my chest. “All right,” I said quietly. “Ask Savio and Adamo to take you out, if you want.”

I hung up. Talking on the phone always unnerved me because I had trouble gauging another person’s mood just hearing their voice, and with Kiara I needed to know her emotions more than anyone else. It would be too easy hurting her by accident.

With other people my emotions were still safely bottled up. I wasn’t sure if I wanted it to change. Coming to terms with my emotions when dealing with Kiara and my brothers was challenging enough.