Page 85 of Damiano De Luca (The Five Syndicates)
My hands fisted, hidden at my sides and blocked by the car door. “Yup.”
“Good thing I have my army.”
How could someone so devious smile so pretty?
“Yup.” I nodded, my movements halfhearted. “Good thing.”
It struck me again how calculated Maman was. She’d gathered a veritable army in the strongest mafia territory in the world. In helping Damian ascend to the De Luca throne, she’d garnered the favor of a strengthening syndicate. For good measure, she tried to intertwine our families by pushing me and Damian together.
Maman had Vince’s heart and support, which meant she had the Romano family’s backing. This explained why the Romano allowed her to live in their territory all these years. Plus, the Romano family had to play along with this tactical gathering because doing otherwise meant admitting they had unknowingly let a sleeper into their territory.
The Andretti family was finally at peace with the Romano family, something I suspected Maman and Vince had played a hand in. Going against the Romano family would restart a war that had only just ended.
The Rossi family connected with the Romano family in heritage. Bastian Romano’s mother was a Rossi, who shared an arranged marriage with Bastian’s dad. So, if the Romano family was okay with Maman gathering here, the Rossi family would be, too.
And finally, the Camerino family couldn’t go against four families, and they were already too spent on their territorial war with the Rossi family to take on Maman. So many little pieces created this puzzle, a feat no other man or woman had achieved. If I weren’t so disgusted, I would have been impressed.
Maman had taken over the Vitali, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
“I’ll let you and your boyfriend talk before you leave.” She arched a brow and stared me down. “Unless you’ve decided to appreciate all that I’ve done to procure this empire for you and would like to be an adult and talk with me.”
I shook my head. “No, thanks.”
“Hmm.” Her lips flattened. “You may not realize it now, but this is a good thing, little warrior. Look around. This is unity. For the first time in history, the five syndicates are unified. We’re stronger together.” She reached out to touch me, thought better of it, turned, and walked away.
My eyes met Damian’s again.
Maman spoke of unity, but I’d never felt so divided.
Patience is the weapon that forces deception to reveal itself. It is insurance against being deceived or making wrong decisions.
Michelle McKinney Hammond
In a weird, messed up way, Maman’s words spoke of peace. Cooperation. Solidarity. The irony made me snort.
“Laughing to yourself?” Damian rested a forearm on the top of my SUV door and leaned forward, peeking in my window at me. It was so casual, I would have thought we were okay, had it not been for my conflicting emotions and the tense lines on his face.
I’d wasted my window of opportunity to leave on wallowing at the state of my life. I’d had two major relationships in my life—the mother-daughter bond I shared with Maman and what Damian and I shared. Now, I had nothing.
I stared up at Damian, wondering how this conversation would go. So much had been left unsaid between us, and my anger hadn’t abated. Neither had my heartache. Damian looked just as tired as me, which satisfied the part of me that needed to know he still cared.
He heaved a sigh. “How have you been holding up, Princess?”
So, we were going the civil route. I could live with that.
There were so many ways to answer his question. Instead, I swallowed the urge to yell at him and settled for my go to phrase. “I’m not the princess.” The familiarity only heightened my nostalgia, which rose to my throat and formed knots until I couldn’t breathe.
“Knight.”
“I’m not the knight either. I’m the pawn, Damian.” Bitter laughter bubbled in my throat like a bath bomb churning in hot water. “A fucking pawn.”
“You’re a pawn like I’m a fairy princess.”
“My mom used me as a pawn, and then you accused me of being complicit in that. I lost my mother and the love of my life in the same day. There’s no trust between us. I shouldn’t be surprised. The first thing I did when I met you was lie about snooping in your room, and then I stole your phone. What a way to start a relationship.”
He heaved a sigh. “Your mom told me what she did. I suspect not everything, but enough to explain that you weren’t involved in”—he waved his finger in a circular gesture—“all this. I was wrong, and I’m sorry. There’s no excuse for how I reacted, but I’d like to explain.”
“Okay.”
