Chapter 33

CHIARA

T he La fine di Dio canvas survived.

It was impossible to believe it; even after the shootout, the chaos, and the close calls, it had not gotten a scratch.

It remained on the wall, pristine, radiating its quiet appeal.

After taking photos of its charm on my walls, for posterity’s sake, I called for the assemblage team.

I led the wrapping and packing process so Lorenzo could return it to its owner.

When the truck pulled out of the entrance, I inhaled deep.

We’d done it.

I had come out on the other side, and the nightmare of Claudio’s schemes and Fabian’s threats was over.

After the dust settled, Rio handled everything. His connections within the carabinieri were extensive, and he knew who to call.

Within the hour, Fabian and Claudio were sitting in the back of a paddy wagon, hands and feet cuffed, their faces ashen, resigned to their doom.

Lorenzo stood back in the shadows with Mauri. The pair was so used to being out of the limelight that the gendarmerie’s lights unnerved them.

Rio stalked to the van, glaring at the men slumped inside the tiny bench seats.

I came alongside Rio, committed to seeing the individuals who tormented me be carted away to the very end.

My man leaned in, his nixed arm rippling as he braced against the van’s roof, his timbre tumbling with thunder and menace. ‘Don’t think about dropping my woman’s name—or mine—in this mess. It’s over for you, not us.’

He gave them both a subtle Omertà kiss, and Fabian blanched, flinching away from Lorenzo and Rio like they were the devil incarnate.

‘ Cazzo ! All this time?’

Rio nodded with a smirk and a wink.

Claudio, confused as to what was going on, wobbled his head. ‘What the hell was that about?’

Fabian leaned into him and murmured into his ear.

Now it was Claudio’s turn to lose his shit.

His eyes bugged out as he stared at Rio and then at me.

‘You set us up,’ he whispered.

‘Every step of the way, and you played right into it,’ Rio drawled. ‘Is your silence going to be a problem?’

They shook their heads in synchronicity, their bravado long gone.

I came close to pitying them. Almost, but not entirely.

Rio, banding an arm on my waist, stepped me back before soft closing the police van door.

VALERIO

We celebrated our win the Calibrese way.

We gathered around the wooden table on the villa’s terrace, enjoying food, famiglia, and shots of our favorite liquor.

The sea breeze carried the faint scent of salt and citrus.

The sun dipped, casting everything in a warm, golden light, like a blessing on the night ahead.

Chiara sat beside me, her hand on my knee, her smile bright, her face relaxed.

Her beauty, her allure, made my heart ache.

Fotto! Lei era il sole della mia vita.

She was the sun of my life.

Across from us, my brothers—Lorenzo and Alessio—laughed and talked over one another - the way they always did when the mood was upbeat.

Their women, Vitto, and one baby were back in Australia.

Also with us was Mauri, silent as always, his cat purring on his lap.

I was thankful famiglia had stuck around to help me with the sting.

I locked eyes with Lorenzo and lifted my chin.

In gratitude.

He got the memo and dipped his head.

As did Alessio and Mauri.

We’d gone through so much shit together that words were unnecessary.

Unless, of course, we needed to toast our success.

Lorenzo conducted the grappa ceremony with the seriousness he put into it every fuckin’ time.

The glass lineup, the equal measurements, the guesstimating of amounts, and additional pours.

‘Get it done, fratello ,’ Alessio groused.

Lorenzo gave him a finger and fussed some more until he was satisfied.

He handed all four of us a tulip-shaped goblet of the golden liquid.

‘To famiglia ,’ he growled.

‘ Famiglia .’

We slugged the drinks, slamming the glasses back down in victory.

We’d achieved our goals and exacted revenge.

The c arabinieri made sure Fabian got locked away.

Damian was in a hospital bed, recovering under guard. Once recovered, he was booked on a ticket straight to prison.

Claudio also went down with his eponymous clients.

With the door closed to the murderers of our parents and their conspirators, we Calibreses were able to breathe for the first time in years.

No threats hang over our heads, no lingering danger, no more schemes to unravel.

At least, that’s what we hoped.

Just us. Just family and the promise of something new.

On the table, the meal was a feast of celebration.

Plates of fresh seafood—clams, prawns, and delicate white fish—lay alongside bowls of pasta tossed with olive oil, garlic, and chili.

Thick cuts of bistecca alla Fiorentina sizzled from the grill, cooked to perfection, with rosemary and sea salt crusting the outside.

The sight of it all—the spread, the abundance, and the aroma—made my stomach rumble in anticipation.

‘Pass the champagne,’ Alessio called out, grinning as he reached for the bottle. ‘The grappa was not enough to celebrate.’

His hand was still bandaged from the fight, but it didn’t stop him from twisting the cork out with a pop and pouring the sparkling liquid into everyone’s glasses.

The essence and bursts of fizzing bubbly filled the air as we lifted our flutes, ready to toast.

I raised my glass. ‘To Chiara,’ I said, my voice steady but thick with emotion. ‘For being braver than any of us and sticking with me through all this. I couldn’t have done it without her.’

Chiara blushed beside me, her fingers tightening on my leg.

I leaned in, brushing my lips against her temple as the others cheered.

She’d earned that salute and more.

There was a quiet shift among us as the champagne fizzed in our glasses, and the food disappeared from our plates. A collective sigh of relief, a recognition that we were free. Of the threats and the game that consumed us for too long.

‘So,’ Alessio reclined, wiping his mouth with a napkin. ‘Where to next? You staying here in Naples or -?’

‘No way,’ I said, cutting into the steak on my plate. ‘We’re done with this town.’ I glanced at Chiara, who nodded in agreement, a small, grateful smile tugging at her lips. ‘We’re coming with you mofos, to Australia. Far away from this mess.’

‘A fresh start?’ Lorenzo gave me a knowing look, raising his glass again. ‘Or are you fuckers just dying to be next to us?’

‘Fuck off,’ I cursed at him. ‘ Un saccente ! Such as smart ass.’

Lorenzo chuckled. ‘On a solemn note, it’ll be good to have you close by.’

‘ Si , mother hen,’ I shot back.

Lorenzo was morphing into full protective mode. Something about being a father brought his possessiveness even more, his wings flapping over all his hens and chicks in his purview.

Fotto , the number of times he’d pushed me to make a move down under had driven me crazy.

Now, finally, the time was right.

‘You’ll adore Australia, Chiara,’ Lorenzo drawled, pointing a fork at my woman. ‘To be honest, you deserve its peace. You both do.’

‘We all freakin’ deserve it,’ I rasped.

‘To freedom,’ Lorenzo declared, his glass lifted high. ‘To a new life filled with devotion, passion, and fuckin’ peace.’

‘To us,’ Alessio added with a grin, clinking his glass against mine. ‘And to Rio, who’s got the biggest balls of us all.’

I chuckled, shaking my head. ‘ Mortadella ! Your loser ass belongs to me.’

Chiara raised a brow. ‘I’m beginning to wonder about all the balls and ass chat. What gives?’

We spent the rest of the evening eating, laughing, and planning our escape from Naples and our next steps.

The night was lighthearted and carefree, and it became more so with each bite of food and every clink of glasses. We were leaving, and the burden of the past was lifting.

I planned to relocate Ciprioni Security to Sydney and set up the HQ down under, which wasn’t a hassle given our global clientele.

It meant relocating my key staff, but I’d made them aware of the possibility of a re-establishment for almost a year.

I’d already prepped provisions for those who had agreed to a transfer. A few chose to stay behind because of family obligations, and I found comparable jobs in partner organizations.

Everything was coming together, tied tidily in a bow, as I liked.

‘ Leone , eat.’

The gentle urging from my woman pulled me back to the present.

I leaned in close and gave her a sweet kiss, with the promise of more later that night, before turning to my plate.

The pasta, rich and perfectly al dente , coated my tongue with the sharp heat of chili and garlic while the sweetness of the seafood balanced it out.

The steak was tender, each bite melting in my mouth. It was a meal fit for victory, for the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another.

As the sun set and the stars began to appear above, I gazed at the people around me: my brothers and my woman.

We were all still here, still standing. For the first time, I and Chiara were moving toward a better life in more ways than one.

‘To famiglia ,’ I said, lifting my glass one last time. ‘To the future.’

We clinked our glasses again, and I took a deep drink.

Hell fucking yeah.