Page 2 of Heartless Union

Gabriella rolls her eyes. “At least you live on your own. I’m still stuck in the house with Dad. Without Mom, it’s been hard. He ignores me. I’m invisible to him like a fly on the wall. Except a fly gets more attention than I do because at least he tries to kill flies.”

“Don’t say that,” Emilio snaps at her.

“I’m not afraid Dad will kill me like he did Mom. If he killed her, that is.” She stuffs her hands in her pocket to ward off the chill. It’s an early morning in New York, and there’s a bite in the air. “I just want something. Some acknowledgment I’m alive to him, you know?”

“Trust me,” I say. “It’s better Father ignores you. The pressure he’s put on me has been immense. I’m expected to take over after he dies, but he still doesn’t think I’m good enough. I’ll never be good enough for him.”

“None of us will.” Massimo chuckles. “Man, if I had a penny for every time I’ve pissed off Dad, then … Well, I wouldn’t be rich, but I’d have a shit ton of pennies.”

“That’s because you’re always getting into trouble,” Emilio says.

Massimo eyes him over. “At least I know how to have fun. I’m not a brooding grump everywhere I go.”

“Enough,” I say, adding a depth of seriousness to my tone. “We can’t fight between ourselves if we have any hope of taking him down. It won’t be easy, and we’ll need allies. It will take time. But once he does, I’ll take my rightful place as leader. I’ll make us more profitable than ever before. I’ll make sure the police never touch us. I’ll make sure we’re goddamn kings in this city.”

Massimo whoops, throwing his fist into the air.

Gabriella shakes her head, her brown hair falling into her face. She pushes it back. “You’re such a dork,” she tells him.

“A sexy dork.”

She scrunches up her nose. “No. Definitely not that.”

Massimo laughs. “Maybe you can take Mom’s place, Gabi. Make me laugh.” He tickles her arm, and she squirms away but doesn’t look annoyed.

Thanks to their humor, the tension eases.

“What about me?” Gabriella asks. “If you’re all going to become kings, will I become a queen?”

“Of course,” I tell her. “You’re our sister. One of us. I’ll always make sure you’re taken care of.”

Her eyes soften. “Thanks. It hasn’t been easy for me since Mom died. You know you guys can come over more often, right?”

Massimo hugs her to his side. “I promise. I’ll visit you more often. It just means I’ll have to deal with Dad. Ugh.”

“Not for long,” I say. “Father won’t be a problem much longer.”

My family is the De Luca family of New York. People are terrified of us. Parents warn their kids not to get into trouble with. We’re the stuff of nightmares.

We’re the goddamn Mafia.

And I’m ready to be the leader.

While I take Gabriella home, Massimo and Emilio make their way to their apartments.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you as much as I should have,” I say as I park in the private driveway. Father’s house—the house we all grew up in—is in the heart of New York City. It’s a grand Victorian style townhouse that boasts a whopping price tag of fifty million dollars.

Gabriella unbuckles her seatbelt. “Well, we never really saw much of each other growing up. You were already out of the house by the time I was ten. But it would be nice to work on our relationship. For Mom, at least. I need to know I’m not so alone in that grand house. There’s so much empty space. It’s like walking around a museum. At least when Mom was alive, there was laughter in the air. I could depend on the warm hugs she gave me. That’s all gone now.”

“I’ll make more of an effort. I promise. Let me walk you inside.”

She gives me a sly look. “Are you just trying to spy on Dad? Check him for weaknesses?”

“For someone who claims she doesn’t know me all that well, you have me figured out.”

“Score one for me.” She flashes a bright smile as she gets out of the car. My sister is effortlessly pretty. So far, no men have come calling to marry her. But that’s because of my dad. He keeps her in that house like a prisoner. But I know men look at her. I’ll need to keep my eye on Gabriella in the proceeding months, if not years, to make sure no one takes advantage of her.

I follow Gabriella inside through the courtyard, a grand and stunning place straight out of a movie, and into the house.

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