26. Elio

26

ELIO

P iper shakes her head. "You can't. If anything happens to him, you'll be the prime suspect."

I curse under my breath, frustration building that she doesn't see what needs to happen. Why is she giving him so much power? Why is she protecting a man who nearly killed her?

Straightening to my full height, I square my shoulders, my eyes hardening with lethal intent. "I'll handle Gabriel my way." My tone should tell her that there won't be any argument. "He was given his chance and he fucked it up. Now he pays."

Piper's eyes widen with alarm. "Elio, no. You can't. If you hurt him, it will only make things worse."

I cup her face in my hands, my thumbs brushing over her cheekbones. "You have to trust me. I know what I'm doing." God, I don't want to spell it out for her. The underbelly of my work is dark, seedy, and violent. I hide it well. It makes society see me as a legit businessman, doubting the rumors of my less than legal actions. Sometimes, it makes people underestimate me, think I'm a pussy, which I use to my advantage. Right now, I'm hiding the ugly side of me because I don't want Piper to fear me or judge me. Yes, she knows about my ties to organized crime, but like the rest of society, she can ignore it because she hasn't seen the reality of it.

"You're not the only one who doesn't want to lose you again."

Her words help soften the raw edges of my soul. "Piper… he can't hurt me except through you and Elysse. Any accusations, I can likely get out of. And if I go to prison, it will be worth it if you're safe."

"We'll find another way to handle this. Together. We can sit down with your lawyer and develop a solid legal strategy, find a way to protect ourselves and Elysse without resorting to violence."

I grimace at the thought of involving lawyers and the fucking legal system. In my world, disputes are usually settled with fists or bullets, not courtrooms and paperwork.

"And what happens when he makes an attempt to get you or Elysse? The man I heard on the phone will follow through, Piper. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday. He'll be breathing down our backs until he's dead." I don't know how else to put it. "Are you willing to risk that? To risk Elysse's life?"

Her eyes flash with annoyance. "Don't try to guilt me. I know what's at stake. But I can't be a part of murder. And what will Elysse think?"

My own irritation flares. "Am I the only one here who is willing to risk it all—your love and respect, Elysse's love and respect, jail time, my own death—to keep you and Elysse safe?"

She looks at me in confusion. "I…"

I lean close to her, having difficulty reining in my anger at her stance. "Tell me, Piper, would you kill him if he had Elysse in his clutches right now? Or would you be negotiating?"

"I would do anything to protect her."

I shake my head. "No, you wouldn't. You aren't. That man just threatened your child, and you still think you can reason?—"

"I'm trying to protect you."

"I don't need your protection, Piper!" I bark the words out.

She flinches.

"Fuck." I run my fingers through my hair, walking away to take a breath. I turn back, and the way she's looking at me makes my heart crack open wide. I wouldn't say it's fear. It's more like she doesn't know me. Or perhaps she's wondering what she doesn't know about me.

My phone rings. I want to ignore it, but I can't. "Yeah."

"Are you on your way to the Rinella meeting?" Matteo asks.

Fuck again. I nearly forgot. For a moment, I consider canceling, blowing Vincenzo off to deal with this family emergency. After all, the Rinellas haven't exactly been playing nice lately, with Vincenzo's petty attempts to mess with my business.

But as much as I'd rather focus solely on protecting my family, I know I can't let things with the Rinellas spiral further out of control. The last thing I need is a full-blown Mafia war on top of everything else.

No, I have to play this smart and meet with Vincenzo and try to smooth things over before they escalate beyond repair. If I can get the Rinellas off my back, I'll have more resources and manpower to devote to handling Gabriel.

"Just about. I'm at home," I tell Matteo.

"I'm near there. I'll swing by and get you."

"Good."

I take a breath trying to hide my frustration, my pain. "I can see you're wondering whether I'm a monster too. I suppose I am. Would you protect me as vehemently as you protect the man who had his hands around your neck?"

"Elio—"

"Perhaps we can table this discussion until later. I really can't miss this meeting."

She nods stiffly. "Of course. I need to pick up Elysse from school, anyway."

I don't want to leave with this tension between us. I want to cup her face and kiss her. But her guard is up, as is mine.

"I won't be long. Danny will drive you," I tell her, my tone brooking no argument. Unable to help myself, I wrap my hand around the back of her neck and pull her toward me, kissing her forehead. Then I reluctantly pull away and head for the door.

Matteo is just pulling up, and I climb into the SUV. My mind is still reeling from Gabriel's threats. My instincts scream to hunt the bastard down right now and make him pay for even thinking of coming after my family. I push the violent urges aside to focus on the task at hand. I need to smooth things over with Vincenzo, to ensure the Rinellas don't become yet another enemy I have to fend off while I'm trying to keep my family safe.

"Everything alright?" Matteo asks with a glance at me.

"Just a bunch of bullshit from Piper's ex."

Matteo shakes his head. "Why he's still breathing, I don't know."

"Yeah, well… he won't be for long."

"Good."

I arch a brow at him. "Why are you so keen to see him dead?"

Matteo's fingers flex and then regrip the wheel. "It's not a good look that he can go around fucking with you, that's all."

"You think it makes me look weak?"

He shrugs. "I know you, Elio. You can be one deadly motherfucker when you need to be. But to the outside… he nearly killed your woman. He should have been dead the minute you pulled him off Piper."

My jaw clenches because I know he's right.

"And all this with Rinella. Yeah, I know it's a bunch of pussy-ass shit, but he's getting away with it. It's not going unnoticed by the other families. Probably not Caruso, either."

"You sound like Lana." Before he can respond, I run my hand over my face. "I'll take care of it. You don't have to worry that you're working for a pussy."

Matteo rolls his eyes. "I know you're not a pussy. And I know you'll make anyone pay who thinks otherwise."

Matteo parks near the neutral meeting spot Vincenzo and I agreed upon, the back room of a bar located outside both our territories. I stride to the room, working to put on an air of indifference. I don't want Vincenzo getting a whiff of my frustration about this situation.

The minute I lay eyes on Vincenzo, I can tell this isn't going to be a pleasant conversation. His face is pinched with anger, his dark eyes glittering with barely concealed hostility.

"Elio," he greets me tersely, not even bothering to stand up from his seat.

I take a deep breath, forcing myself to remain calm and composed. "Taking time away from your juvenile games, Vinny?" I sit across from him.

His jaw clenches. "Word is you've gone soft."

"And you'd like to test that, would you?"

"What I want is for you to honor our fucking deal, D'Amato. The one where you agreed to marry my daughter, Ava."

I barely resist the urge to roll my eyes. Here we go again, the same fucking broken record Vincenzo's been playing for weeks now.

"You mean the one you made with my father when your daughter was what? Ten years old?" I shudder. "Fucking pedo. Who arranges a marriage for their ten-year-old daughter?" I think of Elysse, only seven now. There's no fucking way I'd make a deal to have her marry someone, let alone when she's ten.

"You didn't seem to have a problem with it. You saw her, Elio. She's eighteen and has all the qualities of a perfect Mafia wife." He leans forward. "Tell me the truth. You rubbed one off thinking about her, didn't you?"

It's all I can do to keep from gaping. I glance at Matteo, who looks like he's ready to throttle Vincenzo.

"I'm going to pretend I just didn't hear you talk about your eighteen-year-old daughter in a sexual way and tell you what I've been telling you for weeks. The deal is off."

Vincenzo's face flushes an alarming shade of red. How convenient it would be if he dropped dead of a stroke or heart attack. "The hell it is! Your father gave me his word, and I expect you to honor it!"

I feel my own temper rising to match his. "I'm not marrying Ava. I'm marrying someone else."

That seems to take Vincenzo by surprise, his eyes widening slightly before narrowing into angry slits. "What the hell are you talking about? Who could possibly be more important than cementing our alliance?"

I meet his gaze head-on, unflinching. "That's none of your fucking business."

"It is my business. We had a deal."

I sigh, ready to be done with this. "Look, I want an alliance with you, but not through a marriage. I'm sure we can?—"

"No. A deal is a deal. Who is so important to you that you'd fuck this all up?"

"She's a woman I love. We have a child." I wince, wondering if I should reveal so much.

Vincenzo stares at me in stunned silence. Then he sits back and laughs. "Fucking hell, Elio. Is it that girl from high school?"

I blink, wondering how he knows.

"Your father, he was so fucking pissed that you knocked her up. Jesus, he paid a fortune to make her go away. And now she's back?" He laughs like my heartache is the funniest thing in the world. "Look, keep the high school sweetheart and the kid. She's shown she'll fuck you without marriage. Have them on the side. No big deal. But marry Ava."

Matteo shifts, causing me to look at him. He does a subtle nod, letting me know I need to keep my cool.

"Don't abandon this deal for some whore you knocked up."

I'm on my feet before I even realize I've moved, my hand fisting in the front of Vincenzo's shirt as I yank him halfway across the table. "Watch your fucking mouth."

Matteo pulls me off just as Vincenzo's man pulls out his gun. I release Vincenzo, pushing him into his seat.

He smooths out his shirt as he looks up at me with murder in his eyes. "You can't just walk away from this, Elio. There will be consequences."

"Let me guess, more of your juvenile pranks?" I shake my head. "I'll deal with your consequences. But I'm not abandoning my family. Not for you, not for anyone." I rise from my chair. "You're on the verge of underestimating me, Vincenzo. Perhaps you should consider that we can negotiate a new deal before this escalates into something you don't want."

"You threatening me?" He stands too, as if he can intimidate me.

"Not at all. Think of it as a warning." With that, I turn and stalk out of the room. I know I've just made a powerful enemy, but I can't bring myself to care.

Piper and Elysse are my priority now, and I'll burn the whole fucking city down before I let anyone tear my family apart again.