Chapter 37

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Vincenzo

All the pieces were falling where they should, and all that needed to be done was to find Aiden and give Fred his closure.

After we left the bakery, not only was the Brennan family on the lookout, but Fred sent word to Albert, who also informed Gia. There were very few locations Aiden could hide. Not to mention, I had my own resources.

Drones were up, and I had my exercitus on rotating shifts both on the property and out on the streets. I was confident that we'd find Aiden soon.

Fred was in the sitting room, scrolling through his phone. From over his shoulder, I could see him going through some pictures. One was a little grainy.

"Is that you as a kid?" I came over and handed him a cup of tea.

"Thanks. Yeah. I got a lot of these pictures downloaded digitally once my dad died and I went through his house. There were a lot of albums."

"Who's the girl?" I pointed to the person in question, hair in pigtails, smiling as she had her arm wrapped around Fred's shoulders.

"Aine. We went to an amusement park. It was so hot, and I remember Aine saying that we weren't getting out of the water park until we were so cold our feet fell off."

I chuckled and sipped my tea. "So she was always tough?"

"From the second she was born."

"You were close?"

"As kids we were, but then we began to drift. Once my father found out I was gay or even started to suspect, he rarely brought me near family and any time he did, there was a threat attached to it.

"Only after he died and I reconnected with my uncle Sean did Aine and I became close again."

I reached over and squeezed his knee. "I know this is hard."

He sighed and placed his phone on the table. "I was never na?ve enough to think the darkest parts of this job would never touch me. I knew the consequences; I understood that at any time I could be killed, and Sean knew it too. Aine was prepared because she believed she could make the Brennan family reach heights they only ever dreamed of."

"Na?ve is one word I would never call you, Fred."

"Thank you. I just…Aiden of all people. He knew I hated this position and never wanted it. He saw me struggle every time I had to sit at the head of the table, make a decision. I'd have handed it over to him. Hell, I wanted to so many times. When Sean and Aine died, I felt truly stuck, and I wanted him to take it all."

" Hmmm , but it doesn't work that way."

He nodded. "Yeah, I recently realized why no one liked anyone walking away with a plethora of knowledge that could put you away for good." Fred removed his glasses to rub his eyes. "Aiden never told me he was even interested in the job."

I pulled Fred closer until he rested his head against my chest. We were stretched out on the couch, and holding Fred in my arms was the best way to have him.

"I've seen something like this before." I ran my fingers through Fred's hair.

"Oh?"

" Mmhmm . A couple of years ago…the Giaquinto family. Ricardo Giaquinto was a proud husband and father of three children. Two boys and one girl. The daughter, Abigail, believed because she was always side by side with her father that naturally she should head the organization. But the eldest child, Ricardo Junior, was in fact the one everyone sided with. They believed it a rite of passage."

Fred snorted. "Did he even want it?"

"Nope but he took it to keep the peace."

"What happened?"

"One night while Ricardo Junior was at the theater with his family, a man came up behind him and stabbed him in the neck. He died at the hospital."

"Holy shit." Fred looked up at me.

"Indeed. Fingers were pointed, conspiracies tossed around. In the end it was found out that Abigail hired a hitter to take him out."

"So stupid. What happened to her?"

"She disappeared, so the middle son, David, contracted Lex Talionis. We investigated and not only had Abigail murdered her brother, but we discovered she had poisoned her father as well. So, we took it on."

"I see." Fred hummed. "So I take it David runs the family now?"

"He does. A job he didn't want either, but he does it since there is literally nobody else."

Fred shook his head. "It's all so senseless. She did it all for power?"

"Sometimes jealousy and power seep into people's veins and carry them along, doing their bidding like the puppets they are. Families get torn apart over things that they could have figured out over a glass of vino on a clear night."

"You've seen a lot." Fred turned completely so that he was facing me.

"I have." I sighed, the weight of the years was heavy on my chest.

"Can I ask you a question?"

I cupped his check and tenderly leaned in for a kiss. "You can ask me anything."

"What would you do if you were me?"

I thought not about what I'd do but how to explain to Fred what had to be done. "In this instance, it's about separating the feelings from the responsibility. Aiden killed Sean and Aine Brennan. One of them was a high-ranking member of your family. Not to mention, he tried to have you killed. Not many would let that slide, at least nobody I know."

He nodded, his gaze roaming. "I have to kill him."

"Unless you want to be like me and lock them away."

Fred blew out a raspberry. "I don't own a dungeon, and honestly I'm not sure I'd want to see his face every day."

" Hmm , that is the difference. My sister, Mary, never killed any of my family. Everyone she killed was deserving. Her punishment is because she went after those she shouldn't have in the name of Lex Talionis."

"So, not the same thing then."

"I suppose it's not."

He sighed and snuggled into my chest. "I know what I have to do, but I'm trying to find a way not to do it."

"I can do it for you."

He wrapped his arms around my torso and squeezed. "I know you would. Thank you."

I wasn't sure Fred knew what he'd do until he was face-to-face with Aiden. But regardless of what he chose, I'd be with him and if it came to it, I'd strike the man down.