Chapter Nineteen

Violet

Two days later, Santa Monica Mountains, Bel Air, Los Angeles……

“What the actual fuck am I doing back here? AGAIN! A second time in ten days.” Violet’s words dripped with venom as she violently slammed the car door shut before stomping toward the Russo home. Each step expressed her irritation at being forced to return from a fifteen-year escape from this place. The meticulously maintained garden she passed was usually a balm to her nerves, but today, it only fueled her irritation—all because of a frantic call for help from her mother. It didn’t sit well with Violet.

“What the hell is Mom thinking? Me, a woman half the size of my brothers, intervening in a fight?” Her voice trembled as she struggled to suppress the rising anger from within. She couldn’t help but suspect she was being manipulated, forced to remain part of the family problem … and this time it was an issue that had no relevance to why she came back here.

All of a sudden, she was the key player, the actual fucking savior —according to her parents—whether she wanted to be or not.

The front door suffered the same treatment as her car as it slammed against the wall with a hollow bang. The sound barely registered against the cacophony of violence echoing from deeper within the house. Violet’s stomach churned at the concerto of destruction caused by splintering wood, shattering glass, and the meaty thuds of fists meeting flesh. The door’s reverberation was swallowed by the chaos, like a whisper in a thunderstorm.

Violet’s heels clicked against the marble floors as she made her way toward the study, each step was fueled by, first, resignation and, second, simmering rage. The peaceful landscapes art lining the halls stood in stark contrast to the reality of the Gragna family dynamics, mocking her with their serenity. The orchestra of violence grew louder as she approached the study. Glass shattered somewhere ahead, accompanied by the distinctive crack of more splintering wood. Through it all, male voices bellowed in primal rage.

“Will they never fucking grow up?” The words escaped through clenched teeth as she reached the study doorway. “Jesus Christ!” Her breath caught at the destruction before her. The room was a battlefield, with Tag and Theo locked in combat while Leo observed from his post by the window. He leaned negligently against the frame while watching Tag and Theo pummel each other. He didn’t even bother to hide the amusement and glee of witnessing their Gladiator-like brother beat their youngest sibling to a pulp.

“What are you fucking standing there for, Leo?” Violet snapped angrily as she carefully walked toward him to avoid being swiped by a rogue fist. “Why don’t you stop them?”

“And get pulled into the middle of it all?” Leo cast her a sidelong glance with mirth flickering across his features. “Forget it. I learned my lesson years ago. You never interfere in a fight between these two.” He gestured lazily at the brawling brothers. “Best option is to let them vent their anger, then pick up the pieces. With any luck, they’ll have expended enough energy to actually talk after this.”

Violet swept a hand across the destruction. “In the meantime, mother is hiding in her room with her head under a pillow? How is that the best option for her?”

“Wake up and smell the roses, Sis. Mom is used to this.” Leo pushed off from the window frame and sauntered closer, keeping a wary eye on Tag and Theo’s ongoing brawl.

“Then why the devil did she phone me, frantic to come and help since they’re killing each other?”

“You opened a door you should’ve kept shut when you came back here, Sis. She let you go all those years ago, but she never stopped praying that one day you’d return. Now that you have...she’s going to milk it every way she can.”

“Fuck me…” Frustration roiled Violet’s gut. “I should’ve known better,” she snickered, angry at herself for being played. Her mother’s manipulation twisted like a knife in her gut. Violet had known, deep down, that coming back would be a mistake. That first visit had been like blood in the water, and now her mother was reeling her back in, using guilt and family obligation as her hooks. The worst part was that even recognizing the craftiness didn’t make her immune to it.

“These two have been at each other’s throats since Theo turned sixteen and testosterone hit him. He believes he’s indestructible.” Leo said with a rare gravity edging his usual nonchalance. “Pity that lately he has become hungry for power. That’s the problem. He refuses to bow to Tag’s position and orders. He even opposes Dad at times.” He gestured at the fighting men.

“The reason for this fight was due to Tag conveying an order from the big man. Theo was all ‘fuck it, fuck you, fuck the entire Gragna Mafia.’ Well… you can imagine why Tag flipped when he said that.”

“Yeah… Tag is the most loyal to the family business than anyone. What is Theo’s case, Leo? Do you know? Apart from wanting more power than he’s capable of handling at his age, of course.”

“He’s got himself tangled with the wrong crowd. One of the cruelest and most violent drug syndicates, which has been making waves in L.A. over the past couple of years.”

“Which one?”

“The Panther Syndicate. They’re Chicago-based but expanded to L.A. and are pushing to take over the top dog position. They pose a big threat to our business.”

“Why? The Gragna Mafia is into white-collar crime. Or have you started pushing drugs and whoring without me knowing?” Watching Tag methodically dismantle Theo’s defenses, Violet couldn’t help but recognize the symbolism. The established order versus the upstart, tradition versus ambition. Theo’s bloodied face told the story of rebellion’s price in their world.

“We haven’t, but that’s the problem. Theo suddenly wants to build his own little empire. He’s demanding to open a series of strip clubs across the States using the financial backing of the Gragna Mafia. His aim is to make big money… selling whores and sex. You can imagine Dad’s and Tag’s reactions.”

“Hence the fight when he was told an emphatic no, I imagine.”

“Exactimento, big sis.” He sighed as the fight intensified instead of winding down. “From what we found out, Theo has become best buddies with the group leader, Rick Hampton. That bastard has an agenda, I tell you. Tag believes he’s using Theo to get inside information into our operation. It’s the only thing that makes sense in how we’re being set up with The World Bank fiasco. No one but the family knows how the two businesses are entwined, and the only one with reason to divulge said information is the one who’s not getting his way.”

“Which is why it’s so important to find a way to delve into the dark web and find the true culprit behind those transactions at the big banks.”

Leo glanced at her with a deep frown splitting across his face. “I thought we had a way… or is Dexter Flint suddenly off the table?”

Violet pressed her lips together, refusing to respond. Her silence on the subject spoke volumes to Leo, she knew, but this was a line she wasn’t willing to cross. The night flight at the club had changed her perspective. Although the disclosure she had made and immediately scoffed directly after, she wasn’t quite ready to articulate the reason to anyone. No matter how deep her family was sinking into the mire, she couldn’t convince herself to involve Dexter.

Her eyes moved back to the fight that took center stage in the room as she watched her brothers savage each other. Theo’s handsome features were now grotesquely distorted, with his left eye swollen completely shut and his bottom lip split and oozing blood. Dark bruises were already forming across his chiseled jawline. His expensive white dress shirt was torn and spattered with crimson. In stark contrast, Tag appeared virtually untouched, save for a thin trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth. Even his coal-black hair was barely disheveled.

The brutality escalated as Theo launched himself at Tag with a roar of frustration, only to have his wild punch caught effortlessly. Tag twisted, using Theo’s momentum against him, and slammed him face-first into the mahogany paneling.

“Stop it! For fuck’s sake, Tag, stop!” Violet shouted in a hoarse voice. Once again, she beseeched Leo, “Make them stop!”

Tag’s lip curled into a cold sneer. “This is pointless, little brother. My decision is final. The family’s decision is final.”

“To hell with your decision!” Theo spat blood onto the floor. “You can’t keep me from doing what I want.”

“Except we can, and believe me, little brother, we will. There are only two ways this is going to end. You know the protocol better than anyone. Either you conform, return to the position and power you currently hold, or mother will mourn at your graveside. I suggest you choose wisely since being a Russo isn’t going to matter should you disobey me.”

“Fuck you!” When Theo lunged again, Tag moved with frightening speed. In one fluid motion, he caught Theo in a vice-like choke hold, finally revealing the true gulf between their abilities.

“I’ve been going easy on you,” Tag said softly, tightening his grip as Theo struggled. “Don’t make me show you just how easy.”

“ENOUGH!”

The thunderous bellow froze everyone in place. George Lucky Russo, with Sophia by his side, filled the doorway. Violet watched her father’s massive frame vibrate with barely contained rage as his presence commanded immediate attention. Beside him, her mother’s delicate features were etched with worry as she clasped her hands tightly together.

Tag immediately released his hold and stepped back with fluid grace while maintaining his watchful stance. Theo collapsed to his knees, gasping and coughing as his face twisted with humiliation and fury. Glaring up at them with blood and spittle on his chin, he didn’t bother to hide the burning hatred from his gaze.

“You heard your brother, Theo.” George’s voice resonated through the room as he barked angrily, “I suggest you behave accordingly.”

Chest heaving and his movements jerky with rage, Theo struggled to his feet. “You’ll regret this,” he snarled. His eyes shot daggers at everyone around the room. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. “I’ll make you all pay. You can’t keep me from real power. I’ll show you. I’ll fucking show all of you!”

With his words chasing after him, he stormed out, roughly shouldering past their father. The slam of the front door echoed through the suddenly silent house like a gunshot.

“I’m impressed, Taggard,” George said as he scratched his beard thoughtfully. Pride was evident in his voice. “It seems I can finally retire. You just proved you’ve got what it takes to take over our empire.”

Violet watched as Sophia’s eyes flickered with momentary sadness, but the downward curl of her mouth remained fixed on her face. Shaking her head in disbelief at her mother, Violet’s voice trembled with emotion.

“Really? You’re just gonna accept what Tag threatened Theo with? Your own son?”

Sophia lifted her eyes, and Violet recoiled at the lack of emotion in their depths.

“Your brother knows the rules and the laws of the family organization, Violet. He chose the path he’s on,” Sophia said in a soft but firm voice.

Violet’s hands shook as she snapped in response, “As did I. You didn’t threaten to kill me.”

“Because you were an innocent, young woman, far removed from the intricate details of how our organization operates,” Tag interjected in a measured and controlled tone.

“Tag is right. It’s the only reason I conceded when your mother pleaded your case all those years ago.” George’s jaw clenched tightly. “Your little brother is an entirely different story. He has inside information no one in our organization has. In his hands, he holds the scepter that can destroy us.”

“You weren’t here, and you have no idea, so please don’t judge what you don’t know, my darling.”

Violet stared in shock at her mother as her words registered. Sophia’s fingers nervously twisted her wedding ring.

“How can you stand there and defend this is beyond me,” Violet murmured in a voice thickened with emotion. “Now, I’m even more convinced I did the right thing leaving this house fifteen years ago.” Walking toward her parents, she regarded them with disappointment radiating from her every movement. “I’m done. Do not call me again… I won’t set foot inside this house ever again.”

“Just because you chose to live a separate life from us doesn’t mean you have different blood running through your veins, young lady. You can’t run away from that.” Her father's eyes darkened perceptively. His words carried the leverage of years of family doctrine. “You can never be anyone other than who you are—a Russo—with an obligation to protect your mother.”

Violet cringed at the words as they settled like chains around her shoulders. It was how they were brought up. Their sole responsibility in life wasn’t to honor and protect their father or to find happiness and success in their own lives… no, it was to honor and protect their mother. The veiled threat didn’t go unnoticed.

Tag had asked nicely, Leo had warned her, and her mother had used manipulation. George Lucky Russo did none of those. He expected his daughter to make sure Dexter Flint was on board to save the family... thereby protecting Sophia Russo. His gaze bore into Violet, leaving no room for misinterpretation of his demands.