18. Elio

18

ELIO

I gaze at Piper's sleeping form beside me, her face still etched with worry even in slumber. Seeing her like this, so helpless and afraid, ignites a fierce protectiveness within me. I vow that I will save her and Elysse from Gabriel's clutches, no matter the cost. Of course, that's the thinking she's fighting me against. She wants to have a sense of control in her life.

My mind wanders to the vibrant, strong-willed girl Piper used to be when we first fell in love. The acts by our parents and then years of abuse and fear have dimmed her light. I'm determined to help her reclaim her strength. She deserves to live freely and without fear, to make her own choices and chase her dreams. And our daughter deserves a childhood filled with love and safety, not violence and instability.

As I pull Piper closer, she stirs slightly, nestling into my embrace. In this moment, holding the woman I love and the mother of my child, I feel a sense of completeness I haven't known in years. This is my family. For a time, I'd been sure any family I created would be arranged, an alliance to boost business. Now I have a real family, and I'll fight for them with every fiber of my being.

Exhaustion finally takes hold and my eyes grow heavy. I press a tender kiss to Piper's forehead before allowing sleep to claim me.

A shrill ring pierces the quiet, jolting me from a deep slumber. I groan, reaching for my phone on the nightstand. It's not there. Then I remember I'm at Piper's. I slip from bed and find my phone still in my coat pocket.

The caller ID reads Matteo . This can't be good.

"What is it?" I grumble, my voice thick with sleep.

"We've got a situation, Elio. Several of our guys were arrested last night."

I'm suddenly wide awake. "What happened?" I glance at my watch, noting that it's nearly six in the morning.

"Not sure yet. But our usual contacts at the precinct aren't playing ball. We're on our own here."

I curse under my breath, glancing over at Piper's sleeping form. She looks so peaceful. I want to keep it that way.

"Call Tony and meet me at home. I'll be there in twenty."

There's a pause, and I'm sure he's wondering where I am in the middle of the night.

"On it, Boss." The line goes dead.

I quickly dress and then take a moment to take Piper in. My heart clenches at the thought of leaving Piper and Elysse unprotected. But I have no choice. If I don't handle this now, it could come back to bite us all later.

I sit on the edge of the bed, my hand sliding down Piper's delectable form. "I'm sorry, baby. Something's come up with work and I have to go."

"Is everything okay?" Her voice is heavy with sleep.

"It will be. Just some business I need to take care of." I hesitate, not wanting to leave her alone. "When is your husband expected back?"

Piper's face falls slightly. "Later tonight."

I nod, my jaw clenching at the thought of that bastard laying a hand on her again. My first instinct is to tell her to pack a bag now, to come home with me where I can keep her and Elysse safe. But I stop myself, remembering her words from last night. She needs to make her own choices, to regain the agency that was stolen from her all those years ago.

I sit on the edge of the bed, taking her hand in mine. "I'm not sure how long business will take, but then I want to come back and help you and Elysse pack. Is that alright?"

Her smile is sweet, like I've given her a gift. "Yes."

I have the realization that Elysse doesn't know the truth yet. What will she think when she finds out? Will she be happy?

Piper and I need to talk to her, but now isn't the time. First, I need to get them safe.

"Put my number in your phone, okay?" I pick up her phone and hand it to her. "Call me if anything comes up."

She keys in her code and hands me the phone. I put in my number and hand it back to her. Then I lean in, capturing her lips in a tender kiss. It takes every ounce of willpower I possess to pull away, to leave the warmth of her embrace.

"Take care of my girls." I rise from the bed to leave. I stop at the door, taking one last lingering look before heading out.

Twenty minutes later, I enter the foyer of my home, the one I inherited from my parents. It's twenty-five thousand square feet of opulence and luxury one would expect from an aristocrat or a Mafia Don. It's more than I need, except now I'm imagining filling it with more children. And if Piper wants to change up the décor, she can.

"Where the hell have you been?" Lana demands, her eyes flashing with annoyance. "We've been trying to reach you for hours."

Huh? I look at my phone and only then notice the missed texts and calls. "I had personal matters to attend to." I make my way to my office where Matteo is waiting. "What's the situation?"

Matteo steps forward, his brow furrowed. "Our men got a call about a disturbance, and when they went to check it out, they were taken in."

I arch a brow. "How convenient."

He nods. "Sounds like a setup, but our contacts at the precinct aren't being helpful."

I curse under my breath, the gravity of the situation sinking in. "Have they been charged or just detained?"

"I'm not aware of charges. Tony is on his way."

I nod. Tony is a good lawyer. I have faith that he'll sort this out. And yet, something feels off. I pay an obscene amount of money to cops to avoid situations like this. "I should go down there."

Lana scoffs, crossing her arms over her chest. "Oh, now you're going to do your job? Where was this dedication earlier when we needed you?"

I bristle at her accusatory tone. "Watch it, Lana. I'm still the head of this family."

She steps closer, her eyes narrowing. "Then start acting like it. You've been distracted lately, letting things slip through the cracks. We can't afford any weaknesses, not with Vincenzo breathing down our necks."

My temper flares, the stress of the past few days boiling over. "You think I don't know that? I'm doing everything I can to protect what's ours."

Lana laughs humorlessly. "Really? Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're too busy chasing after some ghost from your past to focus on the present."

I clench my fists, my voice dropping to a dangerous growl. "Careful. You're treading on thin ice."

She meets my gaze unflinchingly, her eyes filled with a defiant fire I know all too well. "I'm not trying to undermine you, Elio. But we need to face facts. Piper's return has thrown you off balance, and we can't afford any distractions right now."

I open my mouth to argue, but Matteo interjects, his tone placating. "Lana's right, Elio. We need to focus on the task at hand. We still haven't done anything to placate Vincenzo. I wouldn't put it past him to have organized the issue we have now. We know he's trying to worm his way closer to Caruso, and you and I know he'll use that to undermine you."

I take a deep breath, trying to calm the storm raging inside me. As much as I hate to admit it, they have a point. My personal life has been occupying too much headspace at a time when I need to be focused.

"What is it about her, anyway?" Lana demands. "She was just a high school?—"

"Don't." I whirl on Lana, shoving my index finger in her face. "Don't you dismiss her importance to me."

Her brows rise as she looks at my finger.

I take a breath. "While we're on the subject, there's something else you both need to know. Piper and her daughter, Elysse, will be moving in with us. As soon as I deal with this issue, I'll be going to pick them up."

Lana rolls her eyes. "Really, Elio? You've torched an alliance with Vincenzo to get your rocks off with your high school sweetheart? What are you thinking?"

I meet her gaze head-on, my resolve unwavering. "You tell me I need to be more of a leader, so here it is, Lana. You will speak to me with more respect. You'll treat Piper and Elysse with respect as well. This is not your home, and I'll have no qualms about forcing you out if you insist on being such a bitch."

Her eyes flare with heat, but then she sniffs. "For once, you've found your balls."

"Does her husband know she's moving in with you?" Matteo asks.

"Oh, my God, she's married?" Lana's momentary retreat reverses.

I scrape my hand over my face. "I don't have time to explain everything, but the short version is that yes, she's married to an asshole who beats her but has felt powerless to leave because of the child."

It occurs to me I haven't given all the important details. "The other thing you need to know is that the child, Elysse, is my daughter."

The silence that follows is deafening. Lana's eyes widen in shock, her mouth falling open. Matteo looks equally stunned.

"What?" Lana finally manages, her voice barely above a whisper. "How is that possible?"

I sink into the chair behind my desk, suddenly feeling drained. "Piper found out she was pregnant, and our parents paid her parents a shit-ton of money to leave town, to keep me from finding out. I only just learned the truth last night."

Lana shakes her head, a rare display of empathy crossing her features. "Elio… God. I knew Mom and Dad were assholes, but… wow. I'm so sorry."

"So this is more than just saving her from that fucker she married," Matteo says.

I'm reminded that I asked him to investigate her husband. "What have you learned?"

"Same stuff you found out… he's the son of a rich family from New York. Got advanced degrees in business and economics in England. He now works for an international finance firm that transferred him here a few weeks ago. He married four years ago."

"Anything I don't know?"

"He's a serial cheater. He was arrested five years ago for shoving his girlfriend, not Piper, down the stairs, but the charges were dropped. It appears the woman was paid a lot of money. She now lives in a villa in Italy. Right now, he's in Las Vegas. Bet you can't guess what he's up to."

I don't have to guess. What does anyone do in Vegas? Drink. Gamble. Fuck. What did Piper see in this man? Why didn't her parents help her escape him?

"The question is, will he be a problem for us?" Matteo gives me a pointed look, letting me know my plate is full of issues to deal with already. "Men like that don't give up control easily."

"What do you mean?" Lana asks.

"Will he come after them?"

"He can try," I growl. But he has a point. I can't assume Piper's husband will go away without a fight. "Let's increase security here at the house." Already, I'm dreading the discussion with Piper in which I have to tell her that she'll need to lie low until we can be sure her husband won't do anything to retaliate. She'll see it as my taking away her power, her independence.

"Look, I don't mean to be a bitch. I'll do my part to welcome them into our home, but right now, we need to deal with our guys sitting in a jail cell," Lana interrupts.

"What do you suggest?" Matteo's question is patronizing, but Lana ignores that aspect.

"We need to hit Vincenzo where it hurts."

"We're not even sure he's behind this," I point out. "I don't want to further aggravate him if I don't have to."

She purses her lips at me. "Who else could it be?"

"Well, considering our inside men aren't doing shit, perhaps they're part of it."

That shuts her up, which annoys me further. Her lack of faith in me, her belief that I'm a pussy, pisses me off.

"I'm not inept, Lana. Maybe I don't live up to your Michael Corleone idea of a Mafia leader, but I know what I'm doing."

Lana scoffs, shaking her head. "Sometimes, you have to get your hands dirty to protect what's yours."

I stand and fix her with a hard stare, my voice low and dangerous. "You don't think my hands are dirty?" I laugh, and it must be menacing because she flinches. "I guess you were too young to remember how I earned my access to Caruso. Access Dad didn't have. He'd be fucking jealous of me. Don't mistake my attempts to do business strategically as a sign of cowardice or weakness. I can be merciless when I need to be, and that includes with you, little sister."

For the first time, I see fear in her expression. A part of me is glad to wipe her smirk off her face, but at the same time, I don't want her thinking I'm going to kill her in her sleep.

"If you want to stay a part of this family, live in this house, have input on business, and live in the luxury you've grown accustomed to, you will talk to me with the respect I deserve… that I've earned."

"Fine." She bites off the word.

"So, what's next?" Matteo asks, likely trying to break up the tension between me and my sister.

"I shower and change, and then we go to the police station." As I pass Lana, I stop. "You can come if you want."

She sucks in an indignant breath. Like how dare I suggest that I have a say in whether she can go or not. But she's the one who is pushing me to be an aggressive leader. I wait a moment to see if she'll say anything. She presses her lips together, clearly fighting a retort. She knows I can and will make her stay home if she disrespects me again.

With a nod, I exit my office heading up to my room. In the shower, I wash away the tension. I learned a long time ago, calm and cool goes a lot further in getting what I want over asshole behavior, Lana notwithstanding. The idea that others might see me as weak doesn't bother me so much. It's easier to fuck up someone who underestimates me. And right now, someone has severely underestimated me. I'm going to find out who and deal with them.