Page 34 of The Sound in Silence

I level my stare with him. “Quite aware, thanks, which means shut your mouth.”

He shakes his head once, throwing an unimpressed look my way. “Just sayin’, it’s not what I expected from you.”

“You know I don’t have time to love a woman. It’s not how I’m built. She’d take away from theFamiglia.”

He rolls his eyes again. “Since when does sex equal love?”

“Besides,” I skip over his last question, “she’s not like that. I won’t do that to her. Her background isn’t…typical. She’s not from this world, so I can safely assume a lot of the regular traditions will be put aside.”

For a beat, Caladin only stares. He takes another sip and glances out the window, scanning the passing malls. “Now that’s interesting,” he finally murmurs, his eyes coming back to me, staring at me with a serious expression I see so infrequently from him. “Very interesting, cuz.”

* * *

Way into the evening, close to midnight, everyone re-gathers at the meeting place, but instead of me at the head of the table, Father is.

Father, who strode in minutes ago without glancing my way. Fucker avoided me—and everyone else for that matter. Every call to him, or request for my men to be on the lookout, he’s slid by us all until he was ready to be seen. Which means, I still didn’t get to ask him about the Bratva’s presence in Vegas.

For now, something more important is about to happen. Something bigger than him and me and our arguments over the organization’s future.

The change of leadership. It’s above him, me, and our visions. It’sfortheFamiglia.

“When Gia announced I’d be granted a son, I dreamed of this moment,” Father begins, scanning the room of gathered men. “For anyone with a son, you know what it’s like—the knowledge that he’ll be taking over for you. Following in your carefully laid footsteps and utilizing every minute of training you’ve put him through. There’s a pride in doing so, which I’ve witnessed multiple instances in my time as Boss, always envisioning the day I’d experience that pride too. When I made Erico my underboss, it was the beginning of that feeling.” He stands, this time looking toward me, where I’m on his right side. His eyes glisten, and for once, not with malice. He’s correct in that there was only ever a single time I’ve seen his current expression, and that’s was during my first promotion. “When he took over as underboss, it was only a matter of time before we came here. Once, I believed I’d remain your loyal Boss until the end of my days, serving right up until death claims me, but after recent months, I have complete confidence the future of theFamigliais no longer with me, but with my son.”

He glances at me again, and I feel my chest expand with breath—with new life.Mynew life as it’s dangled inches from me. Minutes away from becoming a reality.

Then he scans the room, addressing everyone here. “Thank you all for coming to watch this momentous moment in our history. All our leadership under one roof to witness this makes me proud to have your trust. Your knowledge that handing over theFamigliato my son is for the best. He’s a man I know will lead you all right, with a new bride by his side, and eventually an heir.”

His bitterness is buried beneath the pride he speaks of, but I catch a slight wind of it. His disapproving of Ariella blatantly stated for the room, if anyone here can figure out his tells.

Father turns his body, facing me now, his hands pressing together as though he was praying. I bow my head, my hand over my heart, waiting for his next words.

“Erico Rossi, underboss of theFamiglia, I now entrust the organization in your capable hands. From this day forward, you will be Boss. Do you agree to uphold theFamiglia, to ensure their prosperity, and toalwaysplace the organization before anything else?”

Those words, I’ve never heard before, but now my life makes sense. All Father’s done was place the organization before anything else, including Mother. Me as well, to a point, because I was a part of his job. Training me for this moment, so the typical relationship a father and son might have, that was never us.

This is all I’ve ever prepared for. The reason I told Ariella her rough reality. I’mnota typical man. I’m a Made Man. One vow away from being Boss. TheFamigliaalready owned my life and loyalty, but now they ownme. Everything I am will be for them.

And nothing will get in the way.

“I agree.”

Father grins as I dip my head lower, the weight of my vow settling on my back as he waits for me to finish the ceremony with the final words that’ll seal everything.

“Per la Famiglia.”The Italian slogan flows from my lips as easily as the day I learned it.

The room breaks out in cheers, everyone repeating the slogan in a mutual chorus, but around Father and me, it feels like a silent bubble instead. Everything around us is muted, allowing me to hear his murmurs.

“Good job, son.” His hand rests heavy on my shoulder, making a statement, even as he leans closer. “I’ll expect you to remember that vow, Erico. Do not disappointment me. Continue making me proud, and not feeling like this will be the biggest error on my part.” When he straightens, that pride from earlier is gone, replaced by an evil gleam in his eyes.

Our stare holds until Caladin whoops and jumps between us, his arm hooking around my neck as he steers me away and toward the staircase, where most of the other men have already gone, ready to celebrate the leadership change in the empty bar, which has been closed for the night for this purpose.

“Looked like you needed saving there,” he mutters in my ear.

I’m swarmed by the others when we make it upstairs, people slapping me on my back, my shoulders, even my head, until they guarantee I’ll wake up with both a headache and bruises.

Questions about who’ll be my underboss arises, which I shrug off, because I truthfully don’t know. Many assume it’ll be Caladin, but I announce he’ll be my Consigliere instead, based on his skillset and how we work together. It does present a problem for me, having to pick someone who I trust enough, but it’ll be another day’s concern.

Eventually, I make it back to Caladin, who’s leaning against the bar, a beer bottle in his hand. He raises it up to greet me while also sliding a shot my way. The bar is littered with them, the two bartenders continuously pouring and lining them up for people to take.

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