Chapter 75

CESARE

Shortly after finishing a surprisingly edible lunch of vegetables, nuts, and fungus, we get a call from Christian, who's having trouble producing the sample batch.

I return Rosalind to the lab where she decides to stay the night to help the team produce the large quantity of mercury nitrovolucite we need to obliterate the Moirai.

Being around large quantities of drugs makes me antsy, even though I haven't had a craving in years. Not wanting to take any chances, I leave Rosalind behind, stopping at the Parisii Cemetery before returning home.

I slip the guard five hundred-dollar bills along with the number of the burner phone I gave Rosalind. This Xero character might be more willing to cooperate with another disgruntled assassin than with a member of the Montesano family.

The text I got earlier was a summons from Roman to attend another family event. Since I'm no longer trying to torture Rosalind, I didn't want to bring her along only for her to be insulted by Benito or to suffer Roman's withering glares.

My brothers only see her as the woman who stalked Leroi, tricked me into ingesting drugs, and then passed on vital information about our security to the Moirai. They don't see the beautiful, courageous woman who's fiercely protective of the people she loves.

After the two of us take down the Galliano brothers and destroy the Moirai, my brothers will have no choice but to show Rosalind some well-deserved respect.

When I get home, Sofia directs me to the movie room. It's one of the few spaces in the house that isn't some shade of cream and ivory, with charcoal walls adorned with black and white photos of our favorite actors.

I follow Sofia to the room's bottom tier, where she deposits a tray of milkshakes on one of the low tables in front of the twelve-seater sofa. One quick glance at the screen tells me they're watching The Godfather.

When Roman was on death row, I used to dream about moments like these. Now, all I feel is a sense of impending dread. I glance at Leroi, the only man here who's brought a date.

Little Seraphine curls into his side like a kitten, her bare feet tucked to the side. Leroi's hand rests on her shoulder, his fingers playing with a strand of her hair, which has now faded to a pale blonde. Even my cousin, who only lived with us for ten years, shares more blood with Benito and Roman than me.

More than ever, I feel like the odd one out. It's only a matter of time before those Galliano bastards reveal my secret.

Wincing, Leroi picks up a strawberry shake. I step forward, wanting to ask how his wounds are healing, but I don't want to intrude on the family gathering. Instead, I take a seat on the farthest end of the sofa, keeping my eyes on the screen.

My phone buzzes with a text alert that sends my teeth on edge. I pull it out and glance at the screen, only to find a message from Rosalind telling me they tested a small batch of mercury nitrovolucite and are ready to begin full scale production.

Exhaling a long breath of relief, I turn back to the movie. It's great that we'll soon have the explosives, but I can't help but worry that I haven't heard from Matty Galliano since returning from Helsing Island.

Did Sofia land a fatal blow? It's doubtful. Tommy would be baying for her blood, regardless of whether his deranged brother came at her with a knife. What if they're planning something big?

"Where's your little assassin?" Benito's voice interrupts my thoughts.

My head snaps to the side. "She's helping Dr. Cortese and her team."

Seraphine leans up to whisper something in Leroi's ear that makes him nod and grimace.

"How do you know she's not a Trojan horse?" Roman asks.

"Rosalind is trustworthy," I say from between clenched teeth.

"Because fucking one cousin for months before hooking up with another is the mark of her devotion?" Benito asks, his nostrils flaring. "You were supposed to pump her for intel, not lead her into the lab I clawed back from the Gallianos."

"Benito is right," Roman says. "You need to end her like you did with the shooter."

I shoot out of my seat. "Doesn't my judgment mean anything?"

Benito, Roman, and Leroi stare up at me like I'm Scarface, yelling at them to say hello to his little friend.

"You don't know the first thing about Rosalind." I point at Leroi. "How could you not tell she was a trained assassin?"

My cousin winces, and Seraphine places a comforting palm on his chest. I know I'm an asshole, trying to deflect blame. Sometimes, being surrounded by my cousin and big brothers makes me regress.

"Leroi was busy planning and executing the massacre of an entire family." Benito smooths down the lapels of his shirt as though congratulating himself on having won the argument.

"Stop it." Leroi pinches the bridge of his nose, clearly sick of our bullshit.

"Benito, sit down," Roman says.

Glaring at me like I interrupted his movie, Benito lowers himself into his seat. I should tell them that Rosalind is a victim of the Moirai, but that would require details. They all know Miranda exists, but I won't make an innocent girl even more of a target.

"Here's what's going to happen," Roman says over the sound of gunfire. "You will return to Isabella Cortese and put the assassin back into the basement where she belongs. After she's helped you destroy the Moirai, you will kill her."

I grit my teeth. "I'll kill Rosalind after you kill Emberly."

Roman's nostrils flare, but he doesn't answer.

"You've already taken back the casino her father stole from Dad, as well as a bunch of assets. Now it's time to take her back to the tower and throw her off that balcony."

If looks could kill, I'd be soaked in gasoline, trussed up on a bonfire, and torched to cinders by Roman's burning gaze. But I'm past giving a shit.

I point at Benito. "Are you still pining for Ginevra DiMarco, who broke your engagement to be with Samson Capello? The same woman whose father scammed Dad out of nearly a billion dollars' worth of assets?"

Benito flinches, but he recovers in an instant.

Fuck him and his unflappable facade.

"How does it feel to be dumped for a man without a cock?" I ask with a sneer.

Benito charges out of his seat, his hands curling into fists. Veins bulge from his forehead, and I revel in his loss of composure. Seeing him so unhinged is more satisfying than punching him in the face, more exhilarating than a hit of meth.

I raise my fists and ready myself for a fight, but Roman grabs his arm and pulls him back.

"Enough!" Leroi roars. "I didn't go through all this trouble for the three of you to tear at each other's throats."

Benito glowers at me for several seconds before resuming his icy fa?ade, then he returns to his seat and hangs his head. My chest tightens at the reminder of everything Leroi sacrificed to save Roman from death row. He didn't just eliminate the Capello family and Matty Galliano's sons.

The details are murky, but he also rescued Seraphine. The Capello twins kept her in their basement as a plaything. A shudder runs down my spine at the memory of what they did to my rabbit.

Leroi took Seraphine home, even though that made him the target of the Moirai, who blew up his downtown penthouse apartment. Both his mentor and the boy he adopted tried used her as a bargaining chip with Samson Capello, forcing Leroi to kill them to save the girl he swore to protect.

Shit, that's me.

I'm both the bastard who kept a woman in a basement as a pet, and the hero sacrificing it all to save an innocent girl.

Four pairs of eyes stare at me like I'm more riveting than The Godfather. I can't meet Seraphine's gaze anymore. I did to Rosalind what the Capello twins did to her. Those bastards are related to the Galliano brothers, which also makes them my distant cousins.

"Cesare," Leroi says. "Are you good?"

I clear my throat. "There's one more thing I need to say."

When nobody speaks, I continue. "What Rosalind did was strictly business, and before anyone asks, she didn't shoot Roman in the chest. That man is dead. I tortured him to the edge of his sanity. Then I made Dr. Brunelli revive him from the brink of death so I could torture him again."

Roman's jaw clenches, but he nods.

"Rosalind isn't the one who brought in six other assassins, that was you." I point at Benito and Roman.

"Us?" Benito growls.

"You two invited a bunch of strangers into our home, knowing that the Galliano brothers were trying to expand into our territory. Before you blame a woman whose information just got us six more hostages and a plan to destroy the Moirai, look at yourselves."

I fold my arms, waiting for one of them to bring up my failures. Instead, I am met with silence. Being the youngest in a family sometimes means being left out or having your opinions dismissed. But that doesn't mean I'm not watching from the outside.

Leroi glances from me to my brothers. "Anyone got anything else to add? No? Then how about we all shut the fuck up and enjoy the movie."

Seraphine turns to me with a warm smile and pats the seat beside hers. We bonded over the triage surgery I performed on Samson Capello to make him medically fit enough to endure another round of torture.

I'm sure she thinks I'm a doctor.

Returning her smile, I lower myself onto the seat. Benito rewinds the movie, even though we've seen it over a hundred times.

If I'm honest, I prefer Scarface, but I'm going to enjoy this family moment while it lasts.