“Raf’s up front with Uncle Corrado, but I decided to wait for you.” She squeezes me tightly. “The vibes are so fucking bad.”
I glance past her. There are more men lurking around the church’s front room. Most of them are Famiglia members, some direct relatives, but most of them are soldiers and low-ranking made men. They would’ve all known Tommy well. A few throw looks at Luca, but they seem more curious than outright hostile, which is probably a good thing. I wouldn’t put it past my husband to start a fight in a freaking church.
“What about Dad?” I frown at Elisa’s reaction. She shakes her head lightly and looks at the floor. “What’s wrong?”
“He was pretty bad this morning.” She laces her fingers through mine. “Come on, we should head inside.”
I want to ask a million questions, but Elisa’s pulling me toward the doors. We sneak in the back and get a spot in the last pew just as the funeral begins.
Dad’s really so bad that he can’t come to his own nephew’s funeral? I don’t know how the family’s going to react to that. As the Don, it’s his duty to come to every single function, especially the important ones like this. He’s barely holding on to legitimacy, and this isn’t going to help his case at all.
At least Raf’s up front. I can see my brother awkwardly shoved beside Corrado and a few of the aunts. Most of them are actively crying over poor Tommy’s closed casket as the priest performs the service. Raf’s shoulders are tense, and I can only imagine what he’s feeling. Corrado’s his direct enemy, and Raf’s partially responsible for Tommy’s death, even if it was Luca who pulled the trigger.
I know what Elisa means about the vibes now. It’s like the room is split in half. Cousins are clustered on one side closer to Corrado, while most of the older members of the Famiglia are on the other, nearest to Raf. It’s like everyone chose sides and naturally gravitated to their own allies, even here in a freaking church.
Even though I’ve been dreaming about escape from all this for a long time, I can’t help but get a little emotional. My cousin’s dead, even if he was a total prick, and my family’s ripping itself to pieces. A few months ago, I probably would’ve been excited to watch the Serrano Famiglia crumble into dust, but now everything’s different. I’m married and I have a baby on the way, and what’s it going to mean for my brother? For my father’s legacy? For the aunts and uncles and cousins? And most of all, what’s my sister going to do?
Tears roll down Elisa’s cheeks. Poor girl always was soft. I take her hand in mine and squeeze it, and watching her get upset makes me feel worse. There are consequences to everything we do now, and I feel like I’m making all the wrong decisions.
I shouldn’t have slept with Luca again. I shouldn’t have gotten pregnant, shouldn’t have gotten married, shouldn’t have done a lot of things. I want to get away from this world, from all these hateful people, from all the mistakes I’ve made. And all the mistakes I’ll keep on making.
But Tommy was family. And Elisa’s my sister. I find myself reaching for Luca’s hand as the priest gets toward the end of the service. His strong fingers wrap through mine, holding tightly. He moves slightly closer, his thigh touching mine, and it’s oddly comforting. I lean into him briefly, and his lips brush against the top of my head tenderly. This is all so fucked.
After the service is over, we filter back out through the pews. The crowd gathers in front of the church, and the funeral home employees help organize everyone who’s going to the grave. “We should go home,” I tell Luca, feeling like we’ve already overstayed our welcome.
But it’s too late. Even as he starts to agree, someone calls out my name. I look over and spot Uncle Corrado moving through a few men standing clustered beside us, his dark eyes rimmed with red, his hair graying and thinning, his neck soft and sagging. It’s hard to imagine this is the source of all our problems. He seems so old and slow.
But there’s still an edge to the way he shows his teeth at Luca, and the two men face off against each other.
I swear the whole crowd’s staring at us.
“Good of you to come,” Uncle Corrado says. He doesn’t lean in to kiss my cheek like most men in the family. “Must’ve taken some balls. But you always were a confident bitch.”
I stare in surprise. The venom in his tone is reckless. I figured he’d be cold and distant, but I never imagined he’d confront us like this.
“You shouldn’t talk to my wife that way,” Luca answers quietly, stepping forward to put himself in front of me. “I know today’s a hard day for you. Losing your son isn’t easy.”
“No, it’s not fucking easy.” Corrado’s jaw works as he stares at Luca with pure loathing on his face. “It’s not easy to have another son in the hospital. You know he won’t ever use his hands right again? That’s what the doctor said just a few hours ago.”
“Sorry to hear it.” But Luca doesn’t seem sorry at all, and I have no idea what they’re talking about. Has Luca been out causing trouble again? “You should go mourn your son.”
“And you should eat a fucking bullet.” Corrado sneers at him. “You will soon, you arrogant fuck. This wasn’t your fight, but now I’ll make sure I bury both of you. Just like I’m burying my son.”
“That’s enough.” I surge forward, unable to help myself. Corrado doesn’t step back when I get in his face, aware of people watching, but not able to help myself. My temper flares, and I’m so angry I can barely control myself. “This is your fault. You know that, you bastard.” I hiss in his face, trying to keep my voice down since people are clearly listening. “You should know your place, but you’ve been trying to kill me for weeks now instead. What happened to family before everything?”
“Mouthy fucking bitch. My brother was right about you. Always too fucking stubborn and wild to be trusted.” His lips pull backin disgust. “You were never worth much, you know that? They should’ve left you in that fucking closet with your sister.”
I jerk back, eyes going wide. My heart starts racing wildly. “What did you say?”
Corrado’s about to answer, but I’m abruptly pulled back. Luca’s arm wraps protectively around me, and then Raf’s there, inserting himself in front of Corrado. They have a sharp, heated exchange, but Raf eventually gets Corrado to walk away, and Luca stands there hugging me against him, quietly watching my uncle carefully while I seethe with rage. There’s a cold, terrifying anger in Luca’s expression, totally at odds with my own burning inferno. It’s the look of a man who knows how to get revenge. The stare of a real killer. It scares me, but it also excites me.
It’s what I need right now.
A man who knows how to take what he wants—and won’t hesitate to burn the world around him.
“What the fuck was that?” Raf says, turning on me and Luca. “Are you seriously starting shit at afuneral?”
“If he weren’t putting his son in the ground today, I would’ve broken his neck.” Luca’s arm tightens around me. “Nobody speaks about my wife like that.”
