Page 20 of Queen of Misfortune (Shadows of Redemption)
He smiles and shakes his head. “Come on, Donovan. You know you’re more like an underboss. We never made it official, but you are. You’re my second in command and the best one to take over Fiori’s business.”
“What about Liam?”
He snorts. “Liam has a tough enough time straddling being an advisor and sometimes soldier with his work at the FBI. Besides, despite what he does for me, he doesn’t want to be in this world. He’d have to go to Bratva anyway, if he did.”
I nod, knowing Liam’s history growing up in Bratva. “I’m honored again.”
“The point is, when all is said and done, the Abate and Fiori families will be history. I need you, someone I trust, to take over Giovanni’s business.”
“Maybe I should take over the Abate business since Elena is a Fiori. The Fiori family might be easier to deal with if she’s?—”
“They won’t care. Giovanni made sure women had no status, no respect.”
I think about Lucia and what she might have gone through at Giovanni’s hands. I knew she’d been sold off to Giuseppe Conti and that there were rumors it was because she'd dared to sleep with someone outside the Family. Giovanni killed this man, and for once, I couldn’t blame him for that. I’d want to kill him too for touching her.
“Under our banner," Niko continues, "You have the vision, Donovan. You can expand, innovate… lead."
It's everything I've been groomed for, fought for, bled for. The prospect of running Giovanni Fiori's empire sends an electric surge of power and possibility through me. And yet…
The rush of excitement fades as another thought creeps in. A vision of Lucy's face, her eyes flashing with that fierce disdain she reserves for men like me. For all things Mafia. It’s idiotic to even think about her. Lucy is unattainable, she’s made that clear. Even so, I can’t help but reach for her. Something about her draws me in.
But she’s clear. Her hatred for this life, it's a barrier thicker than the doors of Fort Knox. Could she ever see past the blood on my hands, the legacy of violence? Would she even want to?
If she did, I’d have to step away from this life. I’d have to become something else, someone else. But who? Who would Donovan Ricci be without Niko and the Leone Family?
“Is something wrong?” Niko asks.
“Not at all. Just… letting it soak in.” I’m being an idiot.I want to fuck her, not marry her, I tell myself. This pull I have toward her is lust, nothing more. What sort of moron lets his libido dictate his life? Not this one. Niko and the Family are the only world I've known, the only one I’ve mastered. So much so that Niko is offering to give me an empire.
This is who I am. If Lucy can’t accept that, then that’s the answer. Maybe I need to head down to the club in Jersey for the next virgin auction. Nothing like a tight pussy to make me forgetLucy. Yeah, that’s it. It has been awhile since I’ve had a woman. That’s probably why Lucy affects me. Fucking another woman will get her out of my system.
“I’m honored, Niko, really.”
He stands and comes around his desk. I rise to greet him.
“You’ve earned it.” He gives me a hug. He pulls back, but his eyes are intense as he says, “When the time comes, Donovan, you’ll end Giovanni, not just for retribution, but to cement your place. You'll have the respect and fear of the other Families. You’ll take your place?—”
“What? You’ve had a special bullet just for him. You’ve spent years planning to kill him to avenge your mother and brother.”
"Make no mistake, I want Giovanni dead. But it doesn't have to be my hand that stops his heart from beating. Like I said, my priorities have shifted, which doesn’t mean that I won’t seek justice for my mother and brother. It’s only that you’ll be my hand that takes care of it.”
I nod. “Consider it done.”
“Good. Giovanni's last breath will herald the rise of Donovan Ricci." He puts his hand on my shoulder. “But first, you keep Elena and Lucia safe, and heal. Your time isn’t here yet, but almost.”
When I leave Niko’s office, I’m a mixture of excitement and fear that I’ll fuck it all up. Mostly, I feel strong. Fierce. Invincible. I’m Donovan Fucking Ricci, and the world is mine. If Lucia Fiori doesn’t want a part of me, then too bad for her.
7
LUCIA
Elena sits on the window seat, one hand rubbing her belly, the other making notes on her upcoming nuptials. I sit at the table offering my input on her plans. Not that I know much about weddings. Mine was in a church, but it was only me and Giuseppe, with Luca in attendance. I was wearing the cream-colored dress my father forced me to wear on the flight over to Italy following Dylan’s murder.
“I wonder if Niko would like flowers.”
“What do you want?”
“I want flowers. I mean, I know we’re just having a small wedding, probably here, but still?—”