Chapter 5: Don’t Mess With the Family

Leo POV

Sh*t. It’s 8:30. I rarely sleep that long. But tardiness is the least of my worries. Marco’s voice is as serious as the graveyard.

I roll away from Vittorio and leap up. With lightning quick efficiency, I throw Vittorio some clothes, and I get dressed in seconds. Running my fingers through my unruly hair, I call out, “Marco, come in, we’re decent.”

Marco marches in, waving his phone. “I’ve been trying to wake you all morning.”

“Never mind that,” Vittorio snaps. “What’s this about my sister? Is Daniella okay?”

I review what I know about Daniella Angeli, or Daniella Toscanini. Of course I had Vittorio checked out. I knew he had a teenage sister. High school student. Musician. Popular, but not a party girl. Good kid. Vittorio has told me a little about her. Obviously, I didn't know who her daddy was. That’s on me. I should have done a deeper dive.

“The school tour bus got in early.” Marco rattles off the facts. “Someone sent by the Pescatores showed up to pick up Daniella. She posed as Renata. They found some woman that resembled her. Luckily, we were watching the kid, and our guys were quicker.”

Vittorio lets out a deep breath. “Where is she now? And who are these Pescatores?”

“You really are a babe in the woods.” My mind is churning out scenarios and plans, the majority of them involving delivering a heaping pile of pain on the Pescatores. But some of them involve my future plans for Vittorio, and the insane idea I just had.

“You’re such a jerk.” But there’s no heat in his voice. “I don’t know anything about this world beyond what I read in the papers, and things from my childhood that I blocked out. Can I see Daniella now? And is my mom safe?”

Marco offers a rare smile. “We have guards around your mom’s hospital room. Benny outside will take you to the kitchen. The cook is feeding your sister. That girl’s got a healthy appetite and a lot of sass.”

“Go,” I tell Vittorio, who’s halfway out the door. “I’ll come for you shortly.”

When he leaves, I stare at Marco, my mind going a million miles an hour. “They know about us.”

“Of course they know.” Marco’s eyes are full of quiet intensity. “And this was a warning.”

“That’s one way to send a message,” I muse.

“The Pescatores are known for that. They want to break up you two. With Vittorio out of the way, you’ll do what they want, and what your parents want.”

Marco understands my business and my life even better than I do. He’s worth pure gold to me.

I make a disgusted sound. “Do my duty to the family.” Which means marrying a Pescatore. Son or daughter. It doesn’t matter much.

Marco observes neutrally, “Lisbeth Pescatore just wants to get married. She doesn’t care if you’re faithful. After all, her old man has a new girlfriend every week. And Sonny Pescatore takes after his dad, only playing for the other team. He wouldn’t mind marrying you. And your parents…I can’t keep putting them off.”

I know what he means. My parents will use anything or anyone to get to me.

“You work for me. Your loyalty is to me.”

I hate how I sound. Marco would eat a bullet for me, both as a boss and a friend.

Fortunately, he can put up with me. “I know that. So, what’s the plan? How are we going to keep your man and his family safe?”

“I’ve got a crazy idea, but we have to act fast. You call the Church of St. John Bosco and book it for as soon as possible. And get my tailor in here ASAP. Any objections?”

“None. You chose a guy who’ll put up with you to save his sick mom and provide for his sister.” Marco’s face is one big grin. “AND he spent the night. I’ll book the church right now.”

* * * * *

Vittorio POV

Despite the feast laid out for her, Daniella jumps up from the cheerful, homey kitchen table. Her hair is messy, but deliberately messy the way she’s been wearing it lately.Her band sweatshirt is rumpled from sleeping on the bus. “Gianni! What happened? Why are we in Mafiaville? Didn’t we say goodbye to that when Dad walked out?”

Her big eyes, set off by subtle eyeliner, demand an answer.

I hold her hands. “Let me explain. You know I’ve been seeing someone.”

“DUH, Captain Obvious.” Sophia rolls her eyes. “I knew, and I didn’t bust you. I figured even you couldn’t be completely boring.”

“I appreciate your faith in me.”

“What are sisters for?” Then, her eyes narrow. “Wait a minute. NO. Don’t tell me.”

“Yep, I’m dating a Mafia King. But he’s nothing like Dad.”

Daniella presses her fingers to her temples. “This is a lot to unpack. So, is this Mafia King where you’ve been getting all the extra money? I was afraid you hacked a bank.”

“Like I’d do that. I do have standards.”

Daniella stares at me as if I’m a space alien. “Need I remind you of what you wrote in your diary in high school? ‘Mafia guys are mean and violent and brutal. I would never marry one.’”

“And I’m not married to him. I just moved in. Because he knows about Dad, who, no surprise, is his bitter enemy.”

Daniella sits back down and reaches for an almond crescent. “How’d he find out?”

“Dad’s ring. I wore it.”

Rolling her eyes, Daniella chows down on the almond crescent. “These are sooo good. I may not kick your ass after all.”

Leo’s voice fills the kitchen. “They are addictive. And now that you live here, too, you can have them every day.”

Startled, Daniella spits pastry crumbs all over, then wipes her mouth with a napkin. She gazes at Leo, her mouth agape. “Oh my God. You look like Brad Pitt in Ocean’s Eleven.”

“Thank you. And you must be Daniella.” Leo grins, leaning against one of the steel appliances. “Sorry about the confusion, but we had to be sure you were safe. Don’t worry, we cleared it with your school.”

“Safe?” Daniella’s green eyes fix on Leo, and she’s no longer crushing on him. “Safe from whom? Are we in danger? What about Mom?”

“She’s okay, and she’s getting her surgery,” Leo says in that oh so smooth voice. “The best medical care money can buy.”

That bit of news changes everything for Daniella. She sits there, stunned, then leaps up and hugs me. “I love you for this.”

My arms close around my baby sister, and I know in my heart that I made the right choice. Living with Leo will open doors none of us could have imagined.

Leo’s voice interrupts. “I hate to break this up, but I’m sure Daniella would like to freshen up before she sees her mother. Vittorio packed a couple of your favorite things, and they’re upstairs.” He nods at one of the staff. “Marla will take you to your room.”

Pulling back, Daniella gives Leo her death glare. “You hurt my brother, or my family, and you’ll live to regret it.”

Leo laughs out loud, a rich, deep sound. “I like your spunk, little virtuoso. Go on. You want your mama to see you looking your best.”

With another death squint, Daniella leaves with Marla.

Leo approaches me and takes my hand. “I want to show you something.”

Full of questions, I follow him throughout the huge mansion, admiring everything. It’s beautiful, but it looks like it needs life and people to make it a home.

Finally, Leo ushers me out onto a rooftop garden full of ferns and flowers and even tomato plants. I gasp, seeing this oasis of green surrounded by steel and glass and concrete. “Leo, this is amazing.”

He shrugs. “My own private little sanctuary. I had to pick every plant here and make sure it could stand the sunlight and the temperatures. Those Roma tomato plants were imported from Calabria, where my family is originally from.”

“It’s not easy to grow tomatoes in the city,” I remark.

“I don’t do easy, in case you haven’t noticed. And neither do you.”

He bustles around his tomato plants, then picks a ruby ripe gem, strides over, and hands it to me. The smell is beyond heaven.

“Thank you. Store-bought tomatoes are never like this.”

“Never. And nothing can compare to what I can offer you, my little Mafia prince.”

He stares into my eyes, and time stops. I can’t look away. Our hands clasp the tomato like a pledge of eternal love. Where did that come from?

“I’m not a prince,” I protest. “Just a guy trying to do the right thing.”

“If your sister is any indication, you’re at the head of your class,” he praises. “But you’ve all struggled for far too long. It takes a toll. Which is why I have a solution for your family’s troubles and my own dilemma.” His other hand comes to cover my face. “Marry me.”