20. Lazaro
20
LAZARO
I lie under Diana’s car, working to ensure that it’s safe for her to drive while hoping she doesn’t use it to drive away from me.
Over the last month, the inner chaos that filled me since returning home has settled. The tension that came with the unknown has dissipated, replaced by a sense of belonging. My relationship with Lana has improved significantly. We still have our moments of friction, but there's an understanding between us now. She's learning to accept me as I am, and I'm trying to be more patient with her concerns.
Elio and I have grown closer as he’s been teaching me the ropes of the family business, and I'm surprised by how quickly I'm picking things up. It's like muscle memory, even if the actual memories are still frustratingly out of reach.
And my work with Matteo has been productive. We spend a lot of time together, handling various tasks for the family. I don’t worry as much about losing control and being the mad dog anymore. When things get tense, I can usually scowl, letting my past reputation do all the work in making whoever is causing problems to back off.
That’s not to say I’m not apprehensive about the work. There are times when something feels off. Sometimes, I swear someone is watching or following us. Matteo says I’m being paranoid. He even suggests it could be a memory trying to break through. I suppose he could be right. At this point, I don’t have memories, but I do have feelings. I know my siblings not through remembering them but in the deep connection I feel about them.
Right now, I’m on my own time, finding serenity in the garage. I methodically work through a series of tune-ups on Diana’s car. It's therapeutic.
“Do you plan to come up for air?”
I roll out from under the car to find Diana standing there, a warm smile on her face and a tray of food in her hands. The sight of her immediately lifts my spirits.
"You missed lunch and I thought you might be hungry.” She sets the tray down on a nearby workbench.
I straighten up, wiping my hands on a rag. "Thanks. I lost track of time."
Diana's presence feels like a balm. I know she’s also a part of my settling into this new life. She’s a source of comfort and stability amid the chaos of rediscovering myself.
"How's it going?" she asks, gesturing toward her car.
“Lola is nearly in tiptop shape.” I take a bite of the sandwich she brought.
As I eat, Diana sits with me, chatting away. She tells me about a funny incident in the kitchen earlier, her animated gestures making me chuckle. I’ve never been much of a talker, and she doesn’t seem to mind when I don’t add much to the conversation.
I finish the last bite of the delicious meal, and Diana reaches for my empty plate. I realize she’s going to leave, and I’m not ready for that. Playfully, I hold onto the plate, not allowing her to take it.
She arches a brow.
“You need to give me a kiss first.”
She laughs, the sound light and melodic. She moves closer, but I catch her glancing out the doors of the garage as if making sure no one is watching. It forces me to hold back what I really want to do, which is fuck her on the hood of her car. It’s one thing when we’re in my room, but outside that, especially during work hours, Diana is reserved. I can’t blame her. She’s in a difficult situation since she works for my family.
I settle for a quick kiss, releasing the plate into her waiting hands. "Thanks for lunch.”
Diana's smile is grateful as she takes the plate. "Anytime.”
I really want to pull her in my arms and kiss the breath out of her, but I resist. I can wait a few hours until she’s done with work. “Be ready at six. I’m taking you out to a fancy dinner.”
Her eyes light up. "Really?”
“Yep.” I feel bad I haven’t done it sooner.
“I’m not off until?—”
“I’ll clear it with Anna.”
She nods. “Okay.”
I watch her saunter away to the house and grin. Yes, life is good.
I finish up under Lola and head back to the house to clean up. I want everything to be perfect for Diana. She deserves it after everything she's done for me.
I shower and shave. Standing in front of my closet, I deliberate over my outfit choices. Since waking up in the hospital three years ago, I’ve worn jeans and T-shirts. Even now when going out with Matteo on jobs, I’m usually in jeans. But my closet is filled with suits and I decide to make use of one. I finally settle on a crisp white shirt and a dark suit that fits me like a glove. As I adjust my tie in the mirror, I admit I look pretty good. I hope Diana will be impressed.
I realize I need to let Anna know that Diana needs to be released from her duties early. I head downstairs, running into Matteo in the foyer, and nod a greeting.
He gives me a once-over and whistles. "Looking sharp tonight. Hot date?"
Before I can respond, a loud knock echoes through the house, startling us both.
Matteo opens the door, and an older gentleman forces his way in, his face twisted with rage, his eyes blazing as they lock on to me. My stomach tightens and tension grows. My body is ready to fight a perceived threat.
“So it’s true. The lost prince has returned.”
Matteo steps forward, his posture relaxed despite the tension crackling in the air. "Good evening to you too. To what do we owe the pleasure?"
The man’s glare shifts to Matteo, but he doesn't flinch. I admire his composure, wishing I could muster the same calm in the face of such fury.
"Don't play games with me, boy," the man snaps. "Your family has crossed a line, and I want answers."
Matteo shrugs like the man is an irritating gnat. “This is Vincenzo Rinella,” he says to me.
The man scowls. “He knows who I am?—”
“He doesn’t,” Matteo interrupts. “And I remind you that you’re in Elio D’Amato’s home. You’d be wise to temper your annoyance. There’s no need for all this drama."
I watch, amazed, as Matteo's light tone seems to take some of the edge off the man’s anger. The old man's shoulders relax slightly, though his scowl remains firmly in place.
“Where is Elio?”
“Is there a problem?” Elio says as he strides into the room looking confident and ready to toss Vincenzo out if needed. I have no memories of my older brother, but I have a sense that I’ve always looked up to him. And now is no different. He has a calm that Lana doesn’t, and yet, he can be fierce when needed.
“Yes. I’m tired of your disrespect. Each time you say you’ll make things right, and then you disrespect me again.”
Elio’s eyes narrow. “I have not disrespected you again.”
Rinella’s finger points toward me, and I have an urge to break it off. “You didn’t tell me Lazaro is back.”
Elio sighs. “Lazaro’s return is family business.”
“We are in alliance and it’s an insult?—”
“Why don’t we take this to the other room? We’ll have a drink and discuss this perceived slight you’re feeling.” Elio’s voice is smooth, but his eyes are intense. He’s showing this guy respect but won’t hesitate to toss him out if needed.
“Fine.” Rinella pushes past him heading to the living room, telling me he’s familiar with the house. This is a man I should know, but I have no memory of him.
But I don’t have time to get reacquainted. I have a date. As the men head to the living room, I make a beeline for the kitchen.
Matteo takes my arm to stop me. “You need to stay for this," he murmurs, his tone leaving no room for argument.
I clench my jaw, frustration bubbling up inside me. “I have a date?—”
“This is family, Lazaro.”
I’m torn between wanting to be with Diana and loyalty to my family. I've been trying so hard to balance my growing feelings for her with my duties to the family, but moments like these make it painfully clear how difficult that balance is to maintain.
In the end, I have to choose my family. I reluctantly follow Matteo to the living room, glancing back toward the kitchen. Maybe this won’t take long, and I’ll be heading out to dinner with Diana shortly.
I stand by Matteo, watching as Rinella and Elio talk calmly and yet, the undercurrent of hostility is palpable. Every so often, Rinella's gaze flicks to me, his eyes narrowing with what looks like accusation. It's as if I'm the source of all this animosity, though I have no idea why.
"I assure you, Vincenzo, I have every intention of continuing to build our two families’ alliance."
Rinella scoffs, his face twisting into a sneer. "And yet, here we are. Your family's actions speak louder than your words, Elio."
I shift uncomfortably, feeling like I should contribute something to the conversation. But what can I say when I don't even know what alliance they're talking about?
Matteo places a hand on my shoulder, a silent warning to stay quiet. I clench my fists, hating how helpless I feel. The conversation continues to swirl around me, filled with references to past events and unspoken understandings that I should know but don't.
“What is the source of your anger?” Elio asks.
“Your brother has been home for weeks, and no one bothered to let me know.”
Elio sips his drink. “I don’t know why it’s your business.”
“I don’t trust you. Your father wouldn’t have withheld important information.”
“With all due respect, my brother’s return isn’t important information to anyone but my family.”
“I don’t know why I bother? You’re not half the man your father was?—”
“Hey!” I start to step forward, but Matteo steps into my path, preventing me from knocking Rinella on his ass.
Elio holds his hand up to me. “It’s okay, Lazaro.” He turns to Rinella. “You’re in my home, Vincenzo. MY HOME! I will not let you disrespect me?—”
“What are you going to do? Kill me? You and I both know Caruso won’t put up with that.”
“Who’s Caruso?” I whisper to Matteo.
“He’s head of The Outfit. Head of all Families.”
“How would it look if I allowed you to come into my home and disrespect me and didn’t do anything?” Elio’s eyes narrow, looking murderous. I swallow, wondering if he’s going to kill this man.
“Mr. Rinella.” Lana sweeps in with a smile. “What a pleasant surprise. I trust you're well?" She glances at Elio with a hard glare.
“Ms. D’Amato.” Vincenzo nods at her.
“Is there a problem?” she asks innocently, although I suspect she knows exactly what’s going on.
“He’s got his boxers in a bunch over our not informing him of Lazaro’s return,” Matteo says.
“Oh, is that all,” Lana says with a wave of her hand. “You know, dinner is going to be ready shortly. Why don’t you join us? I’m sure we can come to an understanding in a more comfortable setting."
Elio’s jaw clenches, but he nods. “You’re welcome to join us.”
"Very well," Rinella says gruffly.
Lana leads the way out of the living room to the dining room, followed by Rinella and Elio.
“I’m heading out,” I say to Matteo.
“No. Sorry, dude. You need to be here for this. Family first, you know.” Matteo gives me an apologetic smile.
My heart sinks, knowing I need to tell Diana our date is off but not able to escape the situation to do so. Reluctantly, I follow the others. As we enter the dining room, I'm surprised to see Piper and Elysse already there. Piper offers a warm smile, while little Elysse waves shyly from her seat.
Their presence gives me a flicker of hope. Surely, calmer heads will prevail with a child present.
Elio catches my eye from across the table, giving me a subtle nod. He's silently telling me to stay focused and probably to keep my temper under control.
The staff begins serving the first course, and I force myself to pay attention to the conversation around me. Rinella seems calmer now, though there's still an edge to his voice as he speaks with Elio.
"The alliance already took a major hit when you chose to break your engagement to my daughter for… her.” Rinella gestures dismissively toward Piper.
Elio tenses, his hand moving protectively toward his wife. “Careful.”
Rinella continues, his voice dripping with disdain. "Then you both accuse me of harassment, of calling the police on you.”
“We made a mistake. One we will fix,” Lana says.
“Right. You’ve talked about making amends, but now?" His eyes lock onto mine, and I’m at a loss as to why my whereabouts is such a big deal to him. "Now the 'long lost prince' returns home, and you don't even have the decency to inform me. In fact, it feels like you've been trying to keep it a secret. Why is that, I wonder?"
“It’s no secret.” Lana looks at him like she’s perplexed.
“I wasn’t informed.”
“It isn’t your business,” Elio growls.
“I beg to differ?—”
“You have to understand, Vincenzo, Lazaro’s return is such a blessing. We needed time to celebrate his return and for him to settle in with us. He needed time to heal?—”
“Heal?” Rinella looks me up and down. “Heal from what? And why aren’t you saying anything? Did you lose your tongue?”
“He lost his memory, Rinella, not that it’s your fucking business.”
Elysse’s eyes widen as Piper puts her hand on Elio’s arm.
“Sorry,” he says to her. Then he turns his attention back to Rinella. “I don’t know why you feel entitled to be involved in my family’s business. I assure you, how I run my family, how I look after my brother, doesn’t involve you.”
Rinella looks at me. “Lost your memory?”
I nod. “I have no clue who you are, but I’m not impressed so far.”
Matteo snorts and hides his laugh behind his napkin. Lana smiles, but her eyes tell me to not upset the man.
“So you can see. We’re just looking after our family. There’s no disrespect,” Lana says.
Rinella sniffs in a breath, not looking convinced.
“Tell me, how is Ava?” Lana asks, impressing me with how she’s moving the conversation in a new direction. Especially when it works.
“She’s engaged.”
Matteo’s attention snaps to him. “To whom?”
He tosses Elio’s words back at him. “I’m not sure it’s your business.”
Elio acts like he doesn’t care one way or the other.
“I’m sure it’s a good match,” Lana says. “She’s a lovely woman.”
“It is. She’s going to New York. Don Gianni.”
“Carlo Gianni?” Elio asks.
“Yes. We’re forming an alliance.”
“He’s older than you,” Matteo says to Rinella with a tone of disgust. There's a flicker of emotion I can't quite place. Hurt? Anger? Whatever it is, it's clear this news has shaken him.
The atmosphere in the room shifts, becoming even more uncomfortable.
Rinella raises an eyebrow at Matteo's outburst. "I fail to see how that's any of your concern.”
Matteo's jaw clenches. Elio shoots him a warning look.
Rinella continues, his voice dripping with smug satisfaction. "As I was saying, Ava is to wed Don Gianni as part of an alliance with our family. The wedding is set for just a few months from now."
The implications of this announcement are lost on me. Why does this matter? I glance around the table, taking in the reactions of my family. Elio's face is a mask of calm and I genuinely feel that this news doesn’t bother him. Matteo, though, he looks like he's about to explode.
"Your father was a man of his word," Rinella sneers at Elio. "You, on the other hand, have proven to be less… reliable. It hasn’t gone unnoticed by Don Caruso."
The threat hangs in the air, heavy and ominous.
Tension radiates off Lana, but her expression and her tone belie that. “Surely, you don't intend to send your daughter so far away? To a man old enough to be her father, no less."
Rinella's attention shifts to my sister, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"After all," Lana continues, a hint of a smile playing on her lips, "why look to New York when there are perfectly good matches right here in Chicago?" Her eyes flick to me. "Ava could make an excellent match for Lazaro, don't you think?"
My heart stops. My sister has just handed me over to Rinella as a peace offering.