Six

THIS IS IT, Ezio thought.

He had walked out of the dining room with a respectable two feet separating him and Cattleya, and they had come back with his arm around her waist.

It was as good a confirmation as any, and as he walked his fidanzata back to her seat, it was at that moment Massimo's bride, Ysabel, flashed a mischievous smile as she asked, "Is everything okay? We heard Cat crying out."

This was enough to have Cattleya moan and cover her face in embarrassment, and laughter ensued even as the rest of his famiglia engulfed the two of them in a flurry of congratulatory hugs and well wishes.

This is it, Ezio thought again, but the unease that used to poison his heart every time he thought of his duty was nowhere to be found.

It was this part alone about being a Marchetti that he had secretly disliked, but something had changed.

Or rather, someone had changed it, and while he had no idea how his grandmother knew Cattleya was perfect for him—-

His gaze went straight to the older woman who occupied the seat at the head of the table.

Grazie, nonna.

He was glad that she had seen reason, and her choice of bride couldn't be any better.

Sarica insisted on trading seats with him afterward, and Ezio gladly acquiesced as this allowed him to better enjoy the sight of Cattleya's rose-tinted cheeks. It was his first time to see her blush, and as she turned to him in askance, the temptation to touch her was impossible to resist.

Her eyes widened as he cupped her cheek.

Soft, he thought.

The word was correct and accurate, but it didn't feel right.

"Ezio?"

It was his first time to hear her say his name.

And that was when it came to him.

The delicate texture of her skin.

The soothing note of her voice.

The restfulness of her whole being.

Ah.

The right word finally came to him.

Tender.

Because that was what she was.

Exquisitely, pricelessly tender.

His hand on her cheek slowly slipped down to curve around the nape of her neck.

So damn tender.

Not once in his life had Ezio kissed a woman in public.

It was simply not his thing.

But because she was changing him in more ways than one...

Ezio heard more than one female member of his famiglia gasp as he pulled Cattleya's head close.

Her panic-widened gaze was a delight to see, and the way she actually tried resisting even more so.

Che carina. How cute.

His mouth closed over hers, and the way she ceased to struggle almost made him smile.

Ah, piccolina.

Ezio's eyes closed as he savored the taste of his fidanzata's lips.

He had seen how Cesare had changed overnight ever since meeting Penelope, and he had not been able to understand it.

He had seen the same thing happen to Massimo, with how the other man had fallen for Ysabel despite hating her at the same time.

And I get it now, he thought.

Because it was also happening to him.

"Ahem."

Ezio pretended not to hear this. If Signora Marchetti wanted him to give up the pleasure of kissing his Cattleya, then she would have to be less subtle—-

" Per carità, bambino! Let the girl breathe!"

More laughter followed as Ezio pulled away with visible reluctance, but when he saw the way Cattleya was blushing yet again, it was just too damn much.

Ezio pulled a stunned Cattleya out of her chair and straight into his lap.

"Ezio!"

Even Giancarlo himself was hard-pressed not to smile at this point. His youngest brother had always kept to himself, and so it was refreshing, and a great relief as well, to see Ezio acting otherwise.

His gaze drifted to the rest of his famiglia.

His little sister Gazelle couldn't look any happier, and his beloved grandmother had a smile on her lips that could only be described in one word, and 'humble' was not it.

Cesare and Penelope, Massimo and Ysabel, they, too, were delighted for their newest engaged couple, but equally obvious was how each couple was in a world of their own.

And finally, Sarica.

His gaze turned to his own fidanzata, and just like always, he caught her staring at him. She quickly looked away, and his lips curved at the way she had also automatically raised her chin as if already preparing to deny the truth.

Un giorno...

One day...

Their turn would come.

But for now, there was a snake in their midst that he had to deal with.

Giancarlo waited until breakfast was over, and most of his famiglia was busy saying goodbye to the newlyweds, before catching his younger brother's eye.

Ezio came to stand by his side. "Che cos'è?" What is it?

"I looked into it."

His brother stiffened. "And?"

"Whoever it is, they know enough."

"How enough is enough?"

"Enough that we should all be watching our six."

"Fuck. "

"Some of Morrison's men have managed to piece additional clues, but it's not much."

"Not much is better than nothing," Ezio said grimly. "What else did they find out?"

"They've managed to trace one of the IPs she used. She's either in New York or has ties to it."

Ezio's gaze narrowed. "Penelope is from New York."

"You really think it's her?"

"Never."

"That's why I say it's not much."

"Anything else?"

"This is more of a gut feeling," Giancarlo said reluctantly.

"I'd trust that over anything."

"I think she's one of us."

Ezio was in disbelief. "A Marchetti relative?"

"Blood is not always thicker than water. Is that not a lesson we have to learn over and over again in our world?"

Ezio's lips tightened. "It will break her heart if she were to find out about this."

There was no need to ask who 'her' was since there was only one woman in their famiglia who had risked her life - and almost her soul - just to save all of them. But with how things now stood, it seemed her sacrifice didn't mean much to one of their kinsmen.

"It will break her heart," Giancarlo acknowledged flatly, "and that's why we are not going to tell her anything. She has done enough for us. We handle this ourselves. Senza sangue. " Because that was how they now operated. For better or for worse, their famiglia had sworn off violence, and they now enforced their rule without blood being shed.

Ezio slowly nodded. "I will always follow your lead. But I think, with how things are..."

"You are worried about your fidanzata ."

" Sì. "

Giancarlo considered his younger brother's shuttered expression. "It seems you already have a plan."

"If we have a public wedding, she will become a target. But if I do not marry her, and something happens to me or any of us...she also requires the protection of our name."

"So you plan to marry her in private?"

"But only after I come up with a reason that will not have La Strega suspect anything is amiss."

"That will not be easy."

Ezio's lips twisted in a humorless smile. "When has it ever been, for our famiglia ?"

" Tocatto ."

Another moment of silence passed, but Giancarlo knew his brother well enough to know that the other man was still weighing his thoughts.

"It is like the past is about to happen all over again."

And there it was, Giancarlo thought.

"Someone dares to betray us because they know we have changed, and they think it has made us weak."

"Let them do their worst," Giancarlo said silkily. "And we shall show them that we know more than one way to make a man bleed."