Reckless & Ruined (4 page)

Riley eyed his son, smiling. “You’re too perceptive for your own good, Adriano.”

“No, I just know you.”

“Truth. We’re very much alike, son.”

“And entirely different,” Adriano muttered.

“That we are,” Riley agreed quietly. “You’re angry with me.”

“Figured that out, did you?”

“There’s no need for your mouth to make an appearance, son. But yes, I’m very aware of your feelings. You’ve made them clear more than once.” Riley made a disapproving sound under his breath, adding, “And you know better than to do that, Adriano. Challenging me like you have been, it’s ridiculous. I won’t stand for it. Family is most important. You know that. I expect you to be loyal to me at all times, son.”

“I thought the Outfit was the family. That’s what you always said.”

“It is,” Riley replied.

“Family forgives, Dad.”

“Not this one, Adriano.”

“Mom’s body isn’t even cold yet,” Adriano said.

“Your point?”

“You’re already looking for the next hole to fill, Dad.”

Riley scowled. “Adriano—”

“I can’t help but wonder if you’re just using her death as an excuse to get something else that you want. And if that’s the case, you’re just an asshole.”

“Watch yourself, son. You’re treading a very thin line.” Riley stood from the bench and dropped his full cup of gelato into the trash can. “I think we’ve talked enough.”

“I think we haven’t said nearly enough,” Adriano replied, unfazed at his father’s anger. “The least you could do is tell me the truth. Is this about Mom’s death or is it about what you can gain from it, Dad?”

“It’s about the family—
la famiglia
.”

Adriano wasn’t sure his father knew what that was anymore.

“Your mother would understand,” Riley added.

“I doubt it.”

Adriano rushed through the office door leading into his father’s private space without even knocking. He knew better, but he just didn’t give a damn. The phone in his hand buzzed with yet another text, someone else confirming what he already knew.

Riley glanced up at his son’s entrance, but continued on with the conversation he was having on the phone. “Yes, well, sad thing … I’m aware. Let him believe that, I don’t care.”

“Dad,” Adriano growled.

“I absolutely did not!” Riley blew out a heavy breath, rubbing at his temples. “As I said, let him believe that. When I make my move on behalf of my wife, Terrance will damn well know it. Trust that.”

Riley slammed the phone down without another word.

Adriano clenched his hand around the cell phone he held, a pressure growing in his chest. “Tell me you didn’t do that.”

“Ah, you know about the shooting,” Riley murmured.

Another shooting.

More people were killed.

This time, the attack had happened at the Trentini mansion. From the information Adriano had been able to gather, a drive-by shooting after one of Terrance’s usual dinners had taken the life of one Rossi and nearly killed the Outfit’s underboss, Ben DeLuca. The man would be lucky to make it through the night with his life, actually.

Adriano hadn’t expected to get that frantic, frightened call from Alessa Trentini. He’d missed her call because he’d been collecting payments from guys on the streets for his father. But the voicemail from Alessa … it’d
scared
him. He tried calling her back, but Alessa wasn’t answering his attempts.

“Things had calmed down,” Adriano said, his hands shaking in his rage.

“Not entirely.” Riley shrugged like it didn’t make a difference. “And regardless of what I say, you have clearly settled yourself on the idea that this shooting was ordered by me.”

“Wasn’t it?”

Adriano wouldn’t be surprised.

“No,” Riley replied. “I don’t know who did it. It wasn’t me or my men.”

“I want to believe you.”

“But you don’t.”

“No,” Adriano said.

Adriano didn’t take his eyes off his father for a second. Without knowing it, Riley had hurt Adriano in the worst way. Not with the act itself, but because of who had been the one to call and tell Adriano it happened.

Alessa
.

She was
there
.

There might as well have been a giant, invisible wall building higher and higher between Adriano and his father. Riley was doing it all. Adriano’s growing resentment was nothing more than a by-product.

“You’re taking this too far,” Adriano told his father.

Riley frowned. “I didn’t do the shooting.”

“You don’t have to pull the trigger, remember? That’s what you said about Mom.”

“I didn’t order it, either,” Riley said shortly.

Adriano scoffed. “I still don’t believe you.”

“How dare you?” Riley shouted.

Adriano stepped into the living room of his family home just in enough time to see his father grab his sister by the arm. Riley shook Evelina fiercely.

“Stop,” Evelina whimpered. “I’m sorry!”

Pain and fear washed over her features as tears streaked down her cheeks. Adriano’s anger bubbled up to the surface fast and harsh. Never had he witnessed his father use any kind of violence against Evelina.

Evelina wasn’t perfect, as far as that went. She liked to push against the rules their father set out for her, but Adriano didn’t blame her.

“Hey, back off,” Adriano warned, stepping closer to his father and sister.

He hoped his presence was enough to force his father to let go of Evelina without Adriano actually needing to step in. Adriano had a good four inches of height and fifty pounds of muscle on Riley. When that didn’t work, Adriano jumped in between his father and sister. He shoved his sister back before giving his father one hard push. Riley smacked the wall with a thud but bounced right back like he was going to come at Evelina again.

Evelina, like the smart girl she was, stayed behind Adriano’s large form.

“Back off, Dad.”

“I’m sorry,” Evelina repeated in a whisper.

Riley glared at his son, waving at Evelina. “Do you know what she did? Do you know?”

“I just got here to have dinner like you wanted, Dad,” Adriano said through clenched teeth. “I’ve been running around for you all fucking day. No, I don’t know what she did.”

But with the way Riley had been going on lately, like he was five seconds away from losing his shit, Evelina could have breathed wrong and she’d be in crap.

“She went there,” Riley barked.

“I just wanted to see—”

“You shut up, you little bitch.”

Adriano took a step toward his father, zoning in on the man like he was prey. “That’s enough, Dad.”

Riley scoffed. “Oh, Adriano. You have not yet reached an age where you scare me, son.”

“Do you want to test that theory out?” Adriano asked.

Adriano didn’t move a muscle. Neither did Riley.

“I’m sorry,” Evelina repeated softly.

“What happened?” Adriano asked.

“She went to that fucking wedding,” Riley muttered, his voice full of hate and disgust. “After I told her not to, she still went. She, like you, clearly doesn’t understand what loyalty means.”

“I do!” Evelina cried. “But Lily is—”

“Nothing to us,” Riley interjected cruelly. “A Rossi now—
nothing
.”

Adriano felt for his sister. Evelina and Lily DeLuca—although she’d married a Rossi today—had been friends ever since they were just kids. Evelina was supposed to be in the wedding but the war between the families forced her to drop out of the party. Or rather, Riley demanded it of her.

“And who took you?” Riley asked.

Eve glanced away. “I went myself.”

“You’re lying.”

“I am not!”

“You are,” Riley ground out. “I will find out who took you, Eve.”

“What does it matter?” Adriano asked. “She went and she’s home. Nothing happened.”

“I don’t expect you to understand, Adriano,” Riley spat.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t act stupid. You couldn’t even follow through with the one thing I asked of you to do, son.”

Adriano sighed, more frustrated than ever. Two weeks earlier, after the mess of the Trentini shooting had calmed down, Riley went after the Rossi crew. Despite acting like Laurent’s attack on a Conti business hadn’t mattered to him, Riley still went after the men of the Rossi crew. Adriano was starting to get whiplash with the games his father was playing.

“You retaliated like you wanted to. I didn’t have to be a part of it. Have you got what you wanted yet, Dad?”

Riley smirked. “Not even close.”

“Keep spilling blood and you’ll eventually drown in it,” Adriano bit out.

“Then I’ll die a happy man,” Riley said unaffected. His attention turned back on Evelina in a blink. It spoke volumes about how Riley felt toward his only son in that moment—an afterthought and entirely unimportant. “If you can’t follow my rules, Evelina, I will not give you another chance to break them. Your dorm is gone. I will have two enforcers follow you to your dorm tomorrow. I want it emptied and your keys handed over. Welcome home, sweetheart.”

Eve nodded. “Okay.”

With another dismissive wave of his hand, Riley left his children. Adriano turned on his sister, wondering why she had defied their father when Riley was in the state he was.

“Why would you do that, Eve?”

Eve sniffed, wiping at her tears. “I wanted to wish her luck before she walked down the aisle. That was all.”

Shit.

Adriano hated it when his sister cried. “Why didn’t you tell Dad who took you?”

“That would have just set him off even more,” Evelina said.

“Because it was someone from another family.”

“Yeah.”

“Who?” Adriano asked.

“Theo,” Evelina whispered.

“DeLuca?”

“Yes.”

Fucking
hell
.

CHAPTER TWO

S
omeone was always watching Alessa Trentini. Even the walls had eyes.

“Alessa, that had better not be something with alcohol in it,” Terrance said, sneaking the glass from his granddaughter’s hand before she could protest. He sniffed it, and then handed it back. “Smells clean.”

“Because it is.”

Terrance believed his granddaughters didn’t lie to him. That was one of his biggest mistakes. Being raised in a family that was front row and center in the Outfit meant Abriella and Alessa needed to be above reproach. It didn’t matter that their father wasn’t a made man in the family, because their grandfather was the boss and he made all the goddamn calls.

“I never know with you two,” Terrance said, smiling slyly at Abriella who stood beside Alessa. “I don’t mind you girls drinking occasionally but tonight is not that night. Stay sober and smile for the guests. It is the least Damian and Lily deserve after the last couple of weeks. We don’t need any issues at this wedding. They would surely like a quiet, happy night to start their lives off with.”

Alessa couldn’t help but agree with her grandfather.

The Outfit had been in the midst of a feud for a couple of months that only seemed to grow with every passing day. It started with a shooting at a restaurant and spiraled wildly out of control. Mia Conti died at the restaurant shooting. Her husband Riley blamed Terrance for reasons that were tied up with another family that wasn’t even involved with the Outfit. The four major families involved with the Outfit had either taken sides with Riley or Terrance while the ones who hadn’t were left struggling to keep the peace. Another shooting happened right in her grandfather’s driveway during a party.