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Gabe, standing next to him, mutters a curse under his breath. "I guess this means we need to talk, then. Because you aren't leaving here with her until we know every goddamn thing you know."
I nod, acknowledging their need for answers, but my attention never wavers from Aurelia. Her trembling body pressed against mine is a reminder of all I stand to lose if I can't convince them that every action I've taken was taken with her best interests—and theirs—in mind.
By the time we move to the dining room, Coda and Diego have arrived. Luca quickly fills them in on the situation while Amalia retrieves ice for my jaw. Once she drops it off for me, she retreats.
Aurelia stays glued to my side.
The room hums with tension as we settle down to talk, my arm around Aurelia, who burrows into me as if she intends to permanently embed herself in my skin.
Rafe's obsidian eyes burn into mine, a mixture of rage and betrayal swirling within their depths. My stomach twists at the sight of his fury. I'm not sure if he'll ever forgive me for this.
I'm not sure I'll blame him if he doesn't.
The two of us have never had secrets. No matter how fucked up things got with his brothers. No matter how many times we've been betrayed. No matter how close we've been to losing it all, we've always been able to rely on one another and the trust between us.
"Where do you want me to start?" I ask.
"Aurelia's already told us everything about who she is, Brio, and her mother," Luca says when Rafe refuses to respond.
I glance down at Aurelia, my heart swelling with pride at her bravery. "I'm so fucking proud of you," I whisper into her ear, pressing a kiss to her temple before turning back to face her brothers.
"I'd like to know how you knew about her," Nico says. "And for how long."
"Enzo Abate came to me about her the day I rescued her," I murmur. "He thought Rafe would pay for what he knew." I meet Rafe's gaze. "I disabused him of that notion. He won't be sniffing around again."
Rafe jerks his chin in a nod.
"He told you that Brio had her?"
I shake my head, hesitating.
"I found that out," Coda volunteers before I can find a way to tell this story without dragging him into it.
I sigh, bowing my head. Fuck. He shouldn't have done that.
All four brothers whip around to face him.
"You fucking knew?" Rafe snarls.
"I helped him rescue her," Coda says quietly, meeting my gaze. "We weren't entirely sure if she was the right girl or not, but he didn't want to leave her there and take any chances. He did everything he could to protect her."
"Jesus fucking Christ, Coda." Rafe shoves a hand through his hair, staring at Coda. "Do you realize what you're saying right now?"
Coda jerks his chin in a nod. "I know, Capo. But he made the right call. Had we come to you as soon as Enzo talked, you would have torn the city apart looking for her. If Aurelia wasn't the right girl, every enemy you have would have known that you have a sister. They would have waged war to get their hands on her. He knew that."
"You should have fucking told me as soon as you found her," Rafe grits out.
"When we found her, there were very few guards on the house, and no one came looking for her. We didn't know if she was there because she wanted to be, or if she was there by force. He needed time to gain her trust and figure out what the fuck was going on. You would have reacted," Coda says quietly. "With all due respect, as soon as you did, her mother would have died. She's alive right now because Mattia didn't go in guns blazing. He made the right call."
Rafe mutters a low oath, his eyes narrowed on Coda. "Watch what the fuck you say to me, Passero," he warns.
"He's right, Rafe," Gabe says. "We put them in charge so we could step back. We don't get to bitch now because they're making decisions and speaking up. We asked them to do it."
"We didn't ask them to hide the fact that we have a fucking sister."
"You're right," Gabe agrees, holding up his hands. "We didn't. We asked them to protect and lead this family. They did. We don't have to like the decision they made. I don't like it. But don't go for Coda's throat because you don't like what he has to say. You gave him the power to speak freely at this table. If you want to take it back, take it back. But you don't get to play Capo when it suits you and leave them to call the shots when it doesn't. That's not how it works."
"He's right," Luca agrees, siding with Gabe. "We put them in charge of handling our shit. And we can argue about the decision they made all we want, but it's made now. We can't change it. We have more important shit to deal with."
