He pauses, studying my face.
"Help me help you, son. Come with me. Let me explain what happened, let me tell you who did this to her, and if you want—I'll teach you how to avenge her."
"Why?"
Vito looks confused, like he's not used to being questioned. "Why?"
"Why do you want to help me?" It seems like a reasonable enough question given the circumstances.
Vito kneels in front of me for the second time today. "Your mother told me a lot about you. She and I—we sort of had anagreement, you see. When you're older, you're going to work for me, and in exchange, I protect you. I want to help you use your anger for good—use it against the people who took her from us."
I stare at him for a long moment, this man who holds my entire future in his hands. The man whose orders got my mother killed, but who's also the only person offering me a way forward.
"What if I say no?"
Something flickers across his face—surprise, maybe, or respect. "Then you say no. But Dante, you're thirteen years old with no family, no money, and no prospects. The streets of New York aren't kind to boys like you. I'm offering you a home, an education, and when you're ready—a purpose."
"A purpose?"
"Justice for your mother. Training to make sure what happened to her never happens to anyone else under my protection." His voice hardens. "The men who killed her are still out there. I can't bring her back, but I can give you the tools to make sure they pay for what they did."
I look back toward the morgue, toward where my mother's body lies cold and still, and feel something settle in my chest. Something hard and determined and angry.
"When do we start?"
Vito's smile is grim but satisfied. "Right now, son. Right now."
I shake off the memory as I drive Sofia back to the Greenhouse. That day changed everything for me—the day I learned that loyalty comes with a price, but it also comes with protection. Theday I learned that sometimes the person who destroys your old life is the same person who gives you a new one.
Vito kept his promise. He gave me a home, an education, and eventually, justice for my mother. He became the father I never had, the mentor who shaped me into who I am today.
And now I'm supposed to choose between him and the girl sitting next to me, staring out the window like she's planning her next escape.
The girl who's making me question everything I thought I knew about loyalty and duty and what it means to protect someone.
The girl who's making me wonder if there's a difference between justice and revenge.
Some days I wish I was still that thirteen-year-old kid who thought the world was simple, who thought there were clear lines between right and wrong, between loyalty and betrayal.
But then I look at Sofia, and I realize that maybe some things are worth questioning everything for.
Even if I'm not sure I'm brave enough to do it.
CHAPTER 16
Dante
Livid,Vito paces in his study while Marco, Rafa, and I wait for him to speak. His ears surpassed their normal angry red about five minutes ago and are now a deep maroon. Long gone is the calm and collected Don; the Vito before us now is a Vito nobody outside of this room has seen—maybe not even Rina. Vito always keeps his feelings to himself, but his pacing is a sign of one thing and one thing only: he feels he's losing control.
The silence stretches until Marco clears his throat and steps forward with a folder in his hands.
"Boss, I've got the preliminary report on the breach," he says, setting the file on Vito's desk. "Three entry points—they had inside knowledge of our security rotations and camera blind spots."
Vito stops pacing long enough to flip through the pages, his expression growing darker with each detail. "How many dead?"
"Two of ours, four of theirs. But they weren't trying to hold territory—this was reconnaissance. They wanted to see how close they could get to the family quarters."
"They were testing us," I add, the pieces falling into place. "Seeing if they could actually reach Sofia if they needed to."
