Two Months Later
The Lombardi family is at war.
Correction: wars.
War with the Marchettis.
A civil war with Antonio’s uncle, Sonny.
So much has happened within the past year.
The pro of violence is, it offers a momentary escape from the unhappiness of losing Pippa.
The downside is, people I care about are at risk of dying.
Cristian murdered Vinny after he kidnapped Natalia, Cristian’s fiancée, who also happened to be Vinny’s ex and Cristian’s daughter, Gigi’s, best friend.
Seeking revenge, Vincent attempted to kill Cristian’s son, Benny. Instead of the bullet hitting Benny, it struck his wife, Neomi. She survived, thank fuck.
Vincent’s act not only created more problems with the Marchettis but also with Severino Cavallaro, Neomi’s father and our largest weapons supplier. As expected, we lost that relationship. Shortly after, Vincent passed away from a stroke before Cristian or Severino could kill him.
After his passing, Antonio assumed leadership as boss of the Lombardi family. Sonny is now making a claim for the title, causing a split within the family. Half of the traitorous men have aligned with Sonny, and the other half remain loyal to us.
If we want to stay alive and get rid of Sonny and his men, we’re in desperate need of weapons. Cernach Koglin is our final hope.
I know the bastard won’t make this easy and will want more than a simple cash deal. This time, he knows we’re at his mercy.
As we step inside the dank warehouse, Cernach is waiting with a smug grin. Three men stand behind him, like soldiers, staring at us in distrust.
“I’m only doing this because I detest your son-of-a-bitch uncle,” Cernach bites out.
Rumor has it, Sonny fucked one of Cernach’s mistresses during a trip to Boston. Even after Sonny mailed him a thousand-dollar check with a note saying, Payment for your whore for the night, Cernach still holds a grudge against him.
Antonio cuts straight to the chase, opening the duffel bag of guns on the table Cernach brought us.
“And before I give you these, I want to make a deal,” Cernach adds with a huff as Antonio unloads three AK-47s.
“What kind of deal are you looking for?” he asks Cernach, inspecting the guns.
“After you kill Sonny and his men, you marry my daughter, Riona.”
Antonio raises his hand, showing off his wedding band. “I can’t do that. I’m already married.”
“To who?” Cernach grunts.
“Giana Marchetti.”
“Giana Marchetti.” Cernach pauses, as if waiting for Antonio to tell him he’s fucking with him. His eyes widen when Antonio doesn’t. “As in Cristian Marchetti’s daughter?”
“The one and only.”
Cernach barks out a laugh. “You’re married to the daughter of the man who wants to murder you?” He runs a hand through his beard. “You hold a gun to her head?”
“I’d never do anything like that.” Antonio smirks.
That’s precisely what he did.
He took Gigi captive, held a gun to her and a priest’s head, and forced her to say her vows to him. That made reason nine fucking hundred thousand to have Antonio on Cristian’s kill list. Adding to the problem, Antonio hasn’t returned Gigi. He’s not keeping her out of spite. He loves Gigi and fears Sonny will hurt her.