Twisted Emotions (The Camorra Chronicles 2)

It wouldn’t be as easy as that. Las Vegas and Reno were under our complete control, but we still had to share many of the other cities in the West with the Russians and the Cartel. To banish them from every city would take considerable effort and forces. Forces that we were currently utilizing for our revenge on the Outfit.

“We have guests who need to see this,” Luca said firmly. “But I think we will exclude the women from the spectacle. I don’t think most of them have the ability to stomach this.”

“Perhaps you should stop coddling them like fragile porcelain dolls,” Remo muttered.

Luca smiled coldly. “I do as I please in my territory and you can do as you please in yours.”

We headed back downstairs. In the living room, Luca’s Underbosses and Captains had gathered, as well as their wives and a few low-ranking Famiglia soldiers. They regarded us with open curiosity. Fabiano, Leona, Kiara, and Adamo came over to us.

“There’s a slight change of plans,” Luca said. “We’ll hold the presentation of the sheets in the master bedroom.”

A murmur went through the guests.

“I’d strongly advise people sensitive to large amounts of blood to stay here,” Luca said. Some people laughed hesitantly but fell silent when they realized he wasn’t making a joke.

Every man in the room followed. Of course, they would never admit to having a problem with blood, but a few women followed along as well. Among them were Kiara’s aunt Egidia and Giulia, despite her husband’s obvious aversion to the idea. Durant’s wife Criminella wasn’t there. She had returned home after Luca had told her what her husband had done. She knew what the penalty for that kind of thing was. Everyone knew.

As expected, the sight of Durant caused the desired shock effect. Egidia rushed away toward the bathroom and didn’t return, and Giulia staggered into her husband, burying her face in his chest. He regarded the scene with the same mild surprise as Luca and Matteo had before.

“Tell your soldiers, tell everyone that this is what happens to child fuckers in my territory,” Luca said. When the guests had filed out and returned downstairs for brunch, only Felix remained with Luca, Matteo, Remo, and myself.

“I didn’t know,” he said quietly, pointedly not looking at Durant.

“I find it difficult to imagine that you wouldn’t have noticed a change in Kiara’s behavior after the rape. She’s still horrified of male closeness. I reckon that couldn’t have been much better when she was thirteen,” I said sharply.

Luca cocked an eyebrow. “That’s true, Felix. You know that I would have expected to be informed of such a crime so I could dish out the suitable punishment.”

Felix paled. “I didn’t know. Kiara isn’t my daughter, and she has always been peculiar. If she ever acted in an odd fashion, I put it down to what happened to her father.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. Even someone with mediocre perception would have noticed something was off if they paid attention. But Kiara, being a traitor’s daughter, probably lived most of her life in the shadows. She was a Falcone now. She’d learn to hold her head high.

CHAPTER 9

KIARA

After saying goodbye to Giulia, I was shaken. It felt like more than just a temporary goodbye. We’d always lived in separate cities, but this was different. I was part of the Camorra now. If the truce didn’t hold, and from what I’d heard it wouldn’t last for very long, I’d never see her again.

But that wasn’t the only thing that turned my stomach into a pit of snakes. So far Nino had been kinder than expected. What if this was part of the plan? What if his pleasant mask slipped the moment we were in Las Vegas? That was their territory. That was where they could do as they pleased. It wasn’t like I could return to Baltimore if things didn’t work out—much less now that everyone knew what Durant had done to me.

The pitiful stares had been almost too much to bear, but the occasional assessing looks were even worse. It was as if people wondered if I had been the one who’d brought this down upon myself.

Leona and I walked ahead with the men behind us. She gave me a hesitant glance. We hadn’t talked much so far, but she seemed nice, and I couldn’t see any judgment in her eyes, even now that she knew about my past.

We stepped into the private jet, and I paused, unsure of where to sit. Leona smiled. “Why don’t you sit with me so we can get to know each other? I think the men have some things to discuss.”

Relieved about her offer, I followed her toward the back, and we sat across from each other. Nino, his brothers, and Fabiano settled on seats close to each other on the other end of the plane.