Bound by the Past (Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles 7)

Danilo glanced down at the ring once more, lost in thought.

“Danilo?”

“I have one condition.”

“What condition?”

Danilo motioned at Samuel. “He marries my sister Emma.”

Samuel’s eyes widened in shock. “She’s in a—”

He stopped himself with a grimace.

Danilo looked murderous. “In a wheelchair, yes. Which is why nobody of worth wants her. My sister deserves only the best, and you are the heir to Minneapolis. If you all want this bond, Samuel is going to marry my sister, and then I’ll marry Sofia.”

“Fuck,” Samuel muttered. “What kind of twisted deal is that?”

“Why?” Danilo growled. “Your father has been testing the waters for possible brides, and my sister is a Mancini. She’s a good match.”

Samuel exchanged a look with Pietro then he looked my way. The Mancini girl wouldn’t find a good husband if not for Danilo’s bargain.

Samuel took a deep breath then he nodded. “I’ll marry your sister.”

Danilo smiled darkly. We all knew this was a deal made in hell.

“Then it’s settled?” Pietro asked. “You’ll marry Sofia and accept the engagement cancellation with Fina?”

“It’s not what I want but it’ll have to do.”

“It’ll have to do?” Samuel growled, stepping forward with narrowed eyes. “That is my baby sister you’re talking about. She’s not some fucking thing you accept as a consolation prize.”

Danilo laughed again. “You might want to remember that as well when you meet my sister.”

“Enough,” I growled. They were riling each other up on purpose when their anger was directed at Remo not each other.

“The wedding will have to wait until Sofia is of age,” Pietro said, looking tired.

“Of course,” Danilo said. “My sister won’t marry before her eighteenth birthday either.”

Pietro nodded.

“Then it’s decided,” I said.

“I have to return home now. We can settle the details at a later point.” Danilo glanced at me for confirmation and I gave a terse nod. “Just one more thing. I don’t want word about Samuel’s bond to my sister to get out yet. She doesn’t need to know this was a deal in exchange for Sofia.”

I nodded again. It really didn’t matter when we’d announce it. People would talk anyway.

He turned and stalked out but Samuel rushed after him.

I hoped they wouldn’t get into a fight but I didn’t bother getting involved. Instead, I walked up to Pietro who held onto the edge of the desk. “Ines will be furious.”

“Danilo is a good catch for Sofia.”

Pietro jerked his head up, angry. “He’d be a good catch for Anna too.”

I couldn’t deny it. An Underboss was the best possible match for my daughter at the moment.

“But you couldn’t let her go, could you?” Reproach carried in his voice, and it wasn’t unfounded.

“It makes sense to give Danilo your other daughter when Serafina cancels the engagement.”

“You can turn it whatever way you want. You didn’t want to give up your daughter. That’s all. Instead you force me to give up mine.”

“You agreed to a bond with Danilo years ago, Pietro. That wasn’t my doing. You wanted a bond between him and Serafina.”

Pietro sighed and straightened. “You are right.” He shook his head. “This feels as if I’m betraying Sofia anyway. Danilo isn’t the boy whom I gave Serafina. This ordeal changed him.”

“He’s not a man who’d abuse a woman, no matter how changed he is by what happened.”

“You’re right. But Samuel marrying the Mancini girl? I don’t know. I feel pity for the poor girl but Samuel needs to produce heirs. Can that girl even bear children?”

I didn’t know, but Carla had been infertile as well and I hadn’t loved her less because of it. “There are other options if it’s the case.”

“I hope now that this is settled we can all return to our normal lives. Ines has been suffering so much. She needs a break.”

“Serafina will heal, and with it our family.”

I wished my words had proven right.

A few months later, Serafina told us she was pregnant with Remo’s child and any hope to forget what had happened was crushed forever.We’d all secretly prayed that Serafina’s twins wouldn’t show any resemblance to their father. It was our only hope at this point, our only chance to give these kids a future in the Outfit.

Ines called me shortly after Serafina gave birth to a son and daughter, Nevio and Greta.

Her breathing was labored, her voice low and desperate. “They look like him.”

I held my breath. “His hair?” I’d seen photos of Remo Falcone, the dark hair and even darker eyes.

“The hair, the eyes, everything. Especially the boy. It’s as if Remo modeled him after himself to torture us.”

“Ines,” I said softly. “These kids don’t ever need to know who their father is.”

She made a choked sound. “They are his spitting image, Val. People will talk. It’s impossible not to know whose kids they are. Heaven have mercy, what are we supposed to do?”

“We can’t do anything but help Fina deal with the situation. How did she take it?” Some rape victims couldn’t bear it if their children resembled their abuser but so far Serafina had recovered surprisingly well. She’d insisted she wasn’t raped. Dante and the others didn’t believe her, blaming it on Stockholm Syndrome. I wasn’t entirely sure, but I had no right to pry unless Fina confided in me.