Page 6 of Reign of Hope

Allegra hugs her brother, tears falling freely while he hugs her back. “I’m sorry, Ally, I fucked up.”

“Jesus,” Dante says. “You think?”

Allegra brushes the tears away with the back of her hand and gasps loudly when she sees me. She literally climbs over her brother, her hands going to my arm. “Oh my God, you’re hurt. We have to get you to the hospital,” she exclaims, turning to Raffaele. “Please, we need to get help.”

“Well, that’s a good sign,” Reno speaks up. “A good fiancée taking care of her future husband, that is.”

“We’ll stitch it up on the plane home,” Dante responds.

“I’m fine. It’s just a scratch,” I tell them. I glance down at Allegra. “Really, I’m fine. Had worse than this. I hope you don’t have anything of value in that apartment, because this is the last you’ll see of it.”

Allegra bites her lower lip but nods.

“Mom’s photo albums,” Vic says quietly, and Allegra reaches over, takes his hand in hers, and squeezes.

“We’ll keep her alive with our memories,” she whispers back. “You’re safe. That’s all that matters. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you too.”

Vic knows how badly he’s messed up. He meets Raffaele’s gaze. “I’m so sorry, Capo.” He’s about to say more when Raffaele interjects.

“Reno Viale is your capo, and before you say another word, I would think twice. The Viales have risked their lives for you and your sister. I agreed in good faith,” Raffaele states, then turns to Reno. “You still want to take this on?”

“No, but Zano does. And since he’s a loyal soldier, I’ll give him this,” Reno answers. “I would welcome a ride to my plane. My wife, Anna, is waiting up.” He turns from Dante to me, then back to his brother. “You will explain the situation to Victorio during the flight.” Reno rests his gaze on Vic. “I prefer Victorio. Vic is unrefined and I will not use it. Word of warning, Victorio, you’re breathing because of the man sitting next to you. You owe him your life. As long as you obey orders, we will try and mold you into a proper soldier. But if you do anything to harm Zano, I’ll kill your sister first and make you watch, then you, and it won’t go slow.”

I feel Vic shift next to me. His lips get tight, but he says nothing and lowers his gaze. Allegra reaches over to take his hand. Vic and Allegra hold on tight, and in a barely audible voice, Allegra whispers, “It’s going to be all right.”

* * *

Twenty minutes later, we’re boarding Reno’s private plane. Reno is the first to enter and walks immediately to the back of the plane toward the bedroom. I doubt he’s going to nap, but instead is calling his wife and kids, whom he adores.

Dante moves to the pilot’s cabin but tells me he’ll be right back with the first aid kit. He’s going to stitch me up, and I’ll check in with the doctor tomorrow. It’s just a graze, and seeing the doctor is a waste of time, but that’s a hard rule Reno put in place. He wants his soldiers healthy and as safe as he can make them, despite the business we’re in.

I show Allegra and Vic to their seats. Allegra is shaky, and Vic is doing his best not to fall apart. He’s feeling the weight of his actions. Part of me feels sorry for the kid. His father may have started the unfavorable events that led their lives to upheaval, but at a certain point, you need to take control of your own decisions, and Vic’s made a mess of his, dragging his sister into his mess along the way.

“Belts on. We’ll be taking off in a few minutes,” I tell them.

Allegra clumsily attempts to do up the seat belt. I move her hands aside and do it myself. As I move away, Vic grips my good arm. “Please don’t hurt my sister.”

I look into his eyes and see his sincerity. He loves his sister. He’s also coming to terms with how much damage he’s done to both their lives. “I took a risk by taking both of you on. Your sister is sacrificing her freedom, moving away from everything she knows for you. She believes in you, and I’ve got a gut feeling she might be right. What I do affects my whole family andNostra Casa.I made you our problem, but I think you got it in you to be the kind of man your sister can be proud of. Prove me right.”

Vic swallows hard, letting go of my arm. “I will.”

FOUR

A Quiet Moment

ALLEGRA

My mind is whirling. I need to call Melissa. She’s going to be worried sick about me. I have never been late, let alone sick, since the day I started working for her at the salon. I take my job seriously, and I love it. All of a sudden, this all feels very heavy. I didn’t have much of a life, but I had a good friend who didn’t judge me by my past and taught me everything she knew to help me better myself. We even talked about one day having a shop together and expanding to do more than hair.

That’s all gone!

Okay! Calm down! I take a few deep breaths. Let’s consider the positives and begin to take a mental inventory. Vic is safe. He’s sitting right next to me, in one piece. I’m also safe, and most of all, my brother and I are together. Zano has promised that we’d all stay that way if we followed orders, and I believe him.

I glance over and see a shirtless Zano, with Dante stitching up the damage the bullet caused when it grazed him. For what Zano calls a “scratch” there’s a lot of blood caked onto the towel Dante used to clean Zano up before he started his needlework. Zano’s torso is as muscular and toned as it can get, and apart from clenching his teeth, he hasn’t uttered a sound the whole time. He must feel my eyes on him because he meets mine, and I swear he can see into my soul. His body is a work of art and the scars only add to his masculinity. His dark hair looks so soft. The crazy idea of wanting to run my fingers through it is completely insane, but it’s his penetrating blue eyes that have me mesmerized. He’s hot, smart, and dangerous, a lethal combination.

This is the man I agreed to marry. More surprisingly, he agreed to marry me. A million crazy thoughts run through my mind, but the biggest question I wonder about is why. I’m sure the moment I left the restaurant, Francesco filled him in on our family history. Raffaele didn’t hide the fact that Vic and I are persona non grata inUltimo Morte.

I know nothing about Zano, but based on the fact that he’s in town with his capo and the capo’s brother, he is a trusted soldier. Which means he’s loyal and fierce. I can see that Dante is paying extra attention and has asked Zano repeatedly if he’s hurting him or if he wants anything for the pain. Dante cares about Zano and doesn’t hide it.

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