Page 86 of Undercover Desires

And then I tell her everything I have been holding inside for so long. It spills out and I cannot stop. I tell her who Dante is and why she couldn’t find him. I tell her of his heart attack, our lie to keep the family safe, and how I have been in charge since his death. Now this will all be Giulio’s responsibility and he will decide when and how to let the family know about our father.

“Do you regret it? Any of it?”

He looks at me as he puts a hand on my thigh to squeeze it gently, “I am never going to regret choosing you. I do regret that I left my brother to deal with everything on his own. I know he is perfectly capable and he has Pietro to help him through it all. And that I had no other choice, but I still feel responsible for his destiny.”

“I can understand that, but I will not lie, I am so happy you chose me. But…” Rachel pauses a moment. “What if they come looking for me?”

His hand leaves my thigh for a second as he brushes it through his hair, “They are using your fabricated calling card. The FBI are going to frame it as just another one of the murders. This way there will be no further investigation from anyone. And like you told me, there is no one else who knows you exist other than Sophie.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I know you exist, I exist right along with you. This is our new normal now. I hope this is enough.”

I lean in and close my eyes as his lips brush mine gently. “Alex, this is more than enough.”

EPILOGUE

Giulio

In the comfort of my bed, my sleep is interrupted by loud and insistent knocking on my door. Giving my date a quick kiss on the cheek, I go to the door, putting on my pants on my way there, to avoid flashing the unexpected visitor with the family jewels.

It’s Pietro, standing at my door. His face is etched with seriousness.

He motions for me to join him in the hallway, and as the door clicks shut behind me, the weight of his news settles in the air. The corridor is silent, lit by the white harsh light that forces me to squeeze my eyes at this time of the night.

“Pietro, what’s going on?” I ask, my concern evident in my voice.

“C’è stato un incidente,” he utters in Italian. I tense, my mind reeling. What has happened? “What do you mean an accident?”

The way Pietro delivers the next blow freezes me.

“The mafia serial killer.Alessandro è morto.”Alessandro is dead.

Shock reverberates through me, the words a cruel refrain that shatters the stillness of the night. Alessandro, my brother, a pillar in the dark world we inhabit—gone. I want to scream, but I push back the sob that is rising in my chest. The gravity of Pietro’s words settles, and I find myself thrust into a reality where the mantle of leadership falls upon me.

“Questo significa,” Pietro continues, “che tu sei il nuovo capo. Devi rivolgerti al tuo clan.”

I’m the new boss. I need to speak with the clan.

What?

Confusion swirls with the shock. Me, the new capo? I excuse myself from Pietro’s presence, retreating to my room where my date is now awake, unaware of the upheaval that has unfolded.

“What happened?” she asks, her eyes reflecting surprise at the turmoil etched across my face.

“My brother is dead.”

* * *

I stand before my assembled mafia men, their eyes locked on me, expectant. .

I can’t believe he is fucking gone; first my father, now him. The news hangs in the air, a silent reminder of the ruthless world we navigate.

I take a deep breath studying the men in front of me.

“Brothers,” I begin, my voice steady but laced with grief. “Alessandro is gone. He’s been taken from us.” The room falls into a heavy silence, broken only by the muffled sounds of the city outside.

In Italian, the language that binds us, I share the details of Alessandro’s murder. Murmurs ripple through the group as they absorb the news. I can see questions and disbelief dance in their eyes.

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