Page 12 of The Last Vendetta

He slammed his hand on the side table, causing the lamp on it to rattle. “Are you shirking from what’s expected of you? Already?”

I heaved out a deep breath. “No. I won’t. I’m not.”

“I expect you to find your brother’s killer.” He slammed his lips in a thin line.

“Of course.”

“And kill them,” he growled.

“I know.” I didn’t roll my eyes. I wasn’t that stupid, but the sooner he stopped treating me like a moron, the faster we could make progress in here.

I didn’t bother worrying about his reactions. I didn’t waste another second thinking about his mental health or how he was taking this. Giovanni Bernardi was a leader. He was the Boss of the Family, and of course, he would want to move straight into action. This was how he retaliated. With action. With swift decisions. Not with tears. If he had the ability to express any other emotions than anger or authority, I wouldn’t know. He never showed it in public, or in front of me.

“So far, all the soldiers closest to Luka are providing incomplete and sketchy reports.”

He waved his hand, dismissing me indifferently. “Of course. It’s only just happened,” he growled. Although he did raise his brows, almost surprised that I’d been paying attention all the while after Luka was announced dead. He probably assumed I never noticed anything, too busy partying and living my life, but I was always aware. Even if I was the spare, I was a Bernardi, and our enemies weren’t kind.

“But I can’t see how it wouldn’t be Rocco Acardi,” I added.

Thinking of that old drunk peeved me because the first thought of him pushed me into recalling his daughter. Giulia felt so sweet under my lips, her cunt wrapped around my fingers. I would’ve stayed just like that, pleasuring and teasing her until I’d prove her sassy mouth wrong. That I wasn’t some lackluster lover.

“Don’t be rash.” He sat up, sighing. “Reports will take time. You cannot rush to conclusions and kill anyone and everyone who comes to mind.”

Again, I withheld from groaning at his patronizing tone. I fucking know that.

“He was right there. He was up there near them at the head table when he was found dead,” I reminded him. I doubted he’d forgotten. He’d been in the room when it happened, and I’d rushed in there from the patio.

The Romano guards hurried close to secure the situation, and in doing so, they’d attacked Rocco. It didn’t look good, but I was coming in blind. I had to get more answers before acting on anything.

“If I had to point fingers,” he said, narrowing his eyes and staring at the fireplace, “I’d be looking at the Romanos.”

“Nickolas or Marcus?” I asked of the son and father.

“Either.” Gio scowled. “Both of them voiced concerns about Luka before the marriage. Nickolas disliked him ever since that one whore died.”

I knew exactly what he was speaking about. I couldn’t remember her name, but both Luka and Nickolas favored her. She’d died under suspicious circumstances, and Nickolas accused Luka of having a hand in her death since it happened at a Bernardi residence.

“Marcus may be wealthy,” he said, “but he’s an unscrupulous bastard I’ll never fully trust.”

But you trusted him enough to let your son marry his daughter?

For so long, I’d turned my eye and ignored all the layers of complicated Mafia laws and grudges. It never mattered before, and I hated that it would have to be my world now.

We argued back and forth for a bit about our suspicions, and he told me more about which of the men would answer to me now.

In the end, I was too impatient to sit around and wait, too restless to talk and speculate. Things like this would take time, but I didn’t want to be idle.

Rocco Acardi had behaved suspiciously, and I wanted to jump on the action now. If he’d killed my brother, he would be home and feeling guilty. Acting out of sorts. Vulnerable, even with that remorse. Or maybe stupidly high on the victory of killing a Bernardi.

“I will avenge him,” I vowed sincerely before I took my leave.

I set out to begin that process now. If Rocco wasn’t guilty, then I’d need to dig deeper and figure out who was. Grieving and mourning wouldn’t happen now. Action was necessary. I had to show my father that I would step up, even at these hardest moments.

And that was why I arrived at the Acardi residence late into the night. After parking a ways back to avoid being detected by their patrolling guards, undoubtedly on high alert with their boss attacked at the wedding, I snuck closer and closer.

Gio was wrong to assume I didn’t know anything about what it took to be a ruthless Mafia man. I’d always been loyal to the Family, even if I never had to do much. Stealth came easily to me, but I’d fine-tuned that skill set by sneaking around with women. Getting into married women’s beds or running out of coveted mistresses’ homes, I’d learned how to get around without being detected, and that was precisely what I did at the Acardi residence.

Getting up close to the back entrance wasn’t difficult, but I waited outside for a long while to better gauge when I could pop in and find Rocco. Patience was the key to any secretive mission. The longer I stalled just outside the doors, the better I could track the guards’ movements and predict when the way would be clear.

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