Page 112 of Dangerous Rhythm

Lina moved back to Curtis stealthily as she watched Serafina like a hawk. She kept herself between him and the unpredictable woman. One look at him assured her he was okay, and she signaled him to keep quiet.

Things are volatile right now.

“You wouldn’t be where you are if not for me and my ways, Junior,” Serafina fumed as she marched to her son.

“I’m not disputing that.” Tony stood his ground and looked his mother in the eye. “We are grateful for what you’ve done for us, but didn’t you build this so we can take it to the next level? For the next generation? For Liliana and Luca? And Sofia’s future children?”

“And Rocco! You forget your brother. But now he’s gone! Murdered by thesebastardi!” Serafina screamed.

“Rocco is dead because of me,Mamma. I didn’t know he followed me,” Sofia said through tears. “If I hadn’t kept myrelationship with Connor a secret, he probably would still be alive.”

“And you, ungrateful child,” Serafina hissed. “How could you betray your family with the enemy?”

“Connor is not the enemy,Mamma!” Sofia said. “Why do you insist on keeping alive this old feud that nobody even remembers how it started?”

“Because it is what we are!”

“Is it? Harboring and nurturing hate?” Sofia said. “I don’t want to have anything to do with that. Not anymore. It already took my brother away. I don’t want it to take our future, too.”

“And what are you gonna do, huh? Become his whore?” Serafina gestured at Connor.

“Do you even listen to yourself?” Connor came forward. “And you wonder why your children are rebelling against you?”

“Do not talk to me, scum.” Serafina stuck her nose up as if she thought he was dirt on her shoes.

“That’s it,” Tony said. “I should’ve done this years ago. I didn’t want to out of respect for you. Because I know you needed to feel powerful.”

He turned to Sofia. “You’ve set all the paperwork for transferring businesses?”

“Yes.” Sofia nodded. “Once you give the green light, everything will be dispersed.”

“What are you talking about?” Serafina questioned sharply.

Tony turned back to his mother. “The last time we spoke, I knew you would never give me the reins to our businesses. When Dad died, you might’ve fought to keep the power for us. But over the years, you got high on its seductions. It stopped being about us.

“I never want the power you wielded over us,” he continued. “But I will take it from you.”

Serafina laughed. “Take it from me? And how are you going to do that?”

“By dividing it among your men. They’ll be their own bosses now. Instead of a kingdom where one person rules—sometimes with savageness—they can have a choice to run their own businesses.

“Sofia and I have met with your lieutenants and gave them options: fight among themselves or divide equally and coexist in a profitable way. I gave them the business—after working for you all these years, they’ve earned it—whatever they’re going to do with it, it’ll be their choice. I can’t make them all do things my way, but I can hope.”

Serafina froze where she stood. “You can’t do that. They’re mine, they’re—”

“They were filed under a lot of shell companies, but good thing I have a brilliant lawyer. We want out of this life, and we don’t want the past to haunt us in the future. As you did with us, I have my children to think about. I wish you would think of them, too,” Tony said. “Can’t you see,Mamma? You’ve become the enemy.”

From everything Tony had told her, Lina could tell that the last part struck Serafina the hardest. She backed a few steps away from her son as her gaze flew from him to her daughter.

“No more revenge. No more blood,” Tony told her. “Rocco’s death should be a lesson, a reminder to us to do better.”

“Your brother curses you from the grave,” Serafina snarled at them, but there was no more weight in her voice.

Tony studied Serafina sadly before he turned to Lina and Curtis. “If you would allow us the courtesy of taking care of our family matter in private, I give you my word you won’t get trouble from my mother or us ever again.”

Lina and Curtis nodded. Though they both agreed Serafina should answer for all the crimes she’d committed throughout theyears, nothing that had been said could be used by the police to build a proper case against her or the Stilettos organization.

Lina was certain if Sofia was as good as Tony had said, she’d made sure all the business transfers wouldn’t be connected back to her or Tony.

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