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They had seen through him. His schemes had been uncovered. He did not let it show if he suspected I had betrayed him.
Taddeo Santoro had been checkmated and had no option but to give up. He gave a thin smile, and beads of sweat formed on his brow. "Congratulations on the wedding."
With these words, he turned and left the party with his tail between his legs.
I would have loved to burst into cries of triumph if only because the demonstration of their power had given me goosebumps.
I turned to hide the grin I couldn't suppress.
The three men also turned their backs on the other guests, flanked by their wives, the two cousins, and Carlotta.
It was now also clear to me where this frightening aura came from, which every family member possessed. Whenever one of them had attended a social event, this aura had been present. Untouchable. Powerful.
Since I knew them privately, it was easy for me to ignore it, but now I knew the origin of this phenomenon. The power was not a farce. They really possessed it. Emilio only had to nod his chin in a man's direction, and he would meet his end sooner than he had suspected.
Enzo must have had effect at some point years ago and still carried the remnants of it. They were not superhuman or even immortal and were more than aware of the dangers in their lives. Yet there was a certain arrogance in their actions that conveyed just that.
No one could stand in their way without incurring the family's wrath. People who thought they could threaten them were proven wrong. Anyone who tried to deceive or cheat was cut down without a qualm.
I, of all people, was now supposed to be a part of this family? That sounded a little ridiculous even to my ears, although you could see from Flavia and Gia how well outsiders could fit into the family. Even if they hadn't grown up within the mafia.
Gia was the best example of this. I even dared to say that she had blossomed through Dario and was now living the life destined for her. Flavia had also found her place. I had known Emilio and Dario for years, had worked with them on countless occasions, and relied on their protection.
Even with my father, they had proven they were looking out for me.
I jabbed my fingers against Enzo's in a silent gesture that called for some restraint. While I was reluctant to admit it, what had happened was taking a toll the more I thought about it.
My life had been turned upside down, only to turn completely one hundred and eighty degrees again in a few weeks. I never expected to be standing next to Vincenzo tonight or even to hear him say heneededme in his cranky way.
His hand closed around mine, and I was almost relieved when he leaned closer. Some part of me had still clung to this being one big game, and he was about to open up about how successfully he had led me around by the nose over the last few hours.
"I meant what I said, by the way," he whispered in my ear. "Just because he got what he deserved doesn't mean I'm going to take the next best opportunity to deport you. In fact, I'd really like it if you stayed in Tramonti. Assuming you can put up with a grouchy, scowling guy for a while longer."
With that, he elicited a laugh, which removed the tension from my body. "I'll think about it," I replied.
17
Vincenzo
Do you think he will back off and let his business go down the drain?" Dario asked, leaning over the table to look at Fiero's files in front of us.
Over the last few weeks, we had painstakingly accumulated a lot of material, to lead to exactly this moment when we could kick him out the door. Figuratively speaking. I would have much preferred to put a bullet in him, of course, but we had unanimously concluded that would not be a wise decision.
For a change, we had gathered not in Emilio's office but in Fiero's dining room. Emilio, Dario, I, Fiero, and Natale leaned bored against the wall. That seemed to be his basic mood for the evening. He listened and made comments at the appropriate moments, but otherwise, he seemed quite unconcerned.
I couldn't blame him. Events like this were just annoying.
"I think he realizes the gravity of the situation and will think twice before messing with us," Emilio replied, looking at Dario seriously.
"Besides, there are witnesses. They may not recognize details, but when it comes to threats to the family, no one here can take a joke." At least if you assumed proper families, not the total losses like Flavia's parents or even Taddeo himself.
"I'm still impressed with the way you held yourself together. If he had said something like that about Gia…"
I had no choice but to shrug my shoulders. I had honed this form of indifference over the years, and outside Tramonti, I wore it like protective armor. As soon as I went home and slipped into another role, I discarded it. Together with restraint, because men like Taddeo did not deserve me holding back.
Too bad he would never become a candidate for my manhunt. I would have had fun with that.
"The day will come when we will face each other again, and it will no longer be a problem to tell him what I think with my fists. Just because I don't respond immediately doesn't mean I forget." This was probably difficult to understand for someone like Dario, who acted rather impulsively.
