Riccardo (17 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

SEBASTIANO

I had no idea how long I walked, since I had stormed out of the mansion in a rage. All I knew was if I didn't leave when I did, I'd have done some serious damage to people I loved. Irreparable damage. I needed to calm down before returning to my family. I hated having this uncontrollable temper, but it was in my fucking genes.

To some extent, the only person who could control my temper was Sierra. Thinking of her, I headed towards the local park. How many times had I come here with Sierra and Matias, letting him run wild on the play equipment? God, that little boy meant the world to me. As a child, I never experienced playgrounds or country fairs, or simply had the freedom to be a kid. My father was a bastard and had no time and no patience for children. The only place I visited as a kid was Italy. I knew that any child of mine, especially Matias, would never live a normal life. They would always be under the protection of the
famiglia
.

As I walked towards the play equipment, my gaze landed on Sierra pushing Matias on the swing. My first instinct when I saw them was anger. What the hell was she doing in a public place all alone with my son and no protection? Then I saw that Johnny, one of my security crew from the club, was loitering in the background.

“Papa!” Matias called out, waving his chubby little arms at me when he spotted me.

I bent down and stopped the swing in its motion, lifting him up out of the seat and hugging him to me. It was exhilarating to hold him in my embrace, inhaling his sweet baby smell. It was the smell of comfort, innocence, love and pure happiness all rolled into one.

“Seb, I've been sick with worry for you,” Sierra said, rubbing my forearm. “I had to take Matias out of the house. The men took Riccardo to Dr Jensen and Stefano is on a mission to find Uncle Joey and slaughter him.” She tilted her head back and stared at me. “I don’t know a lot about this honour, respect and loyalty you have in the
famiglia
, as I’m still learning. But answer me this. If there were only one man on the entire planet who you trusted with your life, and trusted to treat your daughter with respect, protecting her with his own life, who would it be?”

Damn it. Sierra was right. I didn't even have to think about it. I knew deep down in my heart that Riccardo was the man for my daughter. No other man would be good enough.

“Answer me, Sebastiano. Who would it be?”

“Fuck.”

“Nope, I don't know anyone by that name,” she joked, trying to make light of the situation.

“You know what my answer will be, sweetness, so don't aggravate me any more than what I already am.”

“I want you to say it aloud. You need to say it aloud,” she challenged me.

“Riccardo,” I admitted. “Are you happy now? Riccardo is exactly the type of man Lorena needs.”

Sierra smiled and leaned into me, kissing me gently on the lips and then Matias on the cheek. “I am assuming you are concerned at the age difference, but look at us. It's the same thing. Age is nothing but a number, but
famiglia
is
famiglia
, and love is love. Riccardo loves her. You would have to be blind not to see it. Even that arsehole uncle of yours saw it. You work too hard and get blind sighted by things. It's normal for you to feel this way. You're her father after all, and you'll do anything to protect her. But think about it, apart from you, there is no other man in the world who would be willing to risk his own life or walk over hot coals in order to love and protect Lorena, like Riccardo would.”

“
Gesù Christo
, what would I do without you, sweetness?” She was right. She was always fucking right when it came to family.

Fuck, I better go fix this shit
.

***

LORENA

Paulie and Raphael took Riccardo to our family doctor. The
famiglia
tried to avoid the hospital at all costs, especially with injuries that were ‘in-house’. Stefano and Vincenzo went to hunt down
Zio
Joey, but not until they interrogated Aldo first. As for me, I was beside myself with worry. I was so worried my father would come back and finish off Riccardo. I was also worried about the extent of Riccardo's injuries. Riccardo’s honour and respect was like no other. He took the beating, the brutality of the rain of punches on him, without a fight. If only my father recognised just how loyal Riccardo was.

After the men left, we ladies sat there stunned. If it wasn't for Matias’ constant babble and laughter, it would have all been doom and gloom. Of course,
Nonna
Angela thought food would cheer us all up, but I had such a lump in my throat, I couldn’t even think of eating.

I excused myself, leaving
Nonna
and Gracie downstairs, while Sierra took Matias out for a walk in the pram, saying she needed to clear her head and get some fresh air. I should've gone with her, but I wasn't in the mood for company and nothing could stop my worry. How the hell did
Zio
Joey know about us and why the hell did he have to tell everyone like that? And at a family dinner of all places. Throwing myself on my bed in defeat, I cuddled my pillows and cried into them. My eyes burned; in fact, my whole body ached from all the crying. I must have looked a rightful mess. Waiting impatiently for my phone to ring for news about Riccardo, I couldn't sit there any longer.

Before I could even sit up, I heard a knock on my door. Thinking it was Sierra, I answered, calling out, “Come in.”

It wasn't Sierra. Standing in the doorway was none other than my father. He walked into the room and sat on the edge of my bed, not saying a word. I stared at him for a moment, took in his short black hair that was nothing at all like mine. There was no doubt in my mind that I was his biological daughter. Apart from being blonde, I actually thought I looked exactly like my father. I moved so I could sit beside him and shifted my body so I was facing him. I needed to mend this situation, because my father’s opinion meant so much to me.

It felt like an eternity before either one of us spoke. He just stared around my bedroom, taking everything in. Or perhaps, he was trying to gather his thoughts before talking to me. His eyes bore into mine.

“So, you love Riccardo.” It wasn't a question. It was a statement, but he said it without any hatred, anger, or malice in his voice.

“Yes,” I whispered, my voice barely recognisable.

He gritted his teeth. “I want you to understand the reason why I was so furious.”

“Oh, Daddy, of course I understand. I wasn't exactly expecting you to have a celebration over it. We knew you'd be angry, but we really didn’t mean to hurt or betray you. Not intentionally anyway,” I added.

“Fuck, Lorena, I was in shock. It was something I never expected. I never knew your flirtations with Riccardo were real. You broke the fucker in the end.” He let out a frustrated sigh. “At the end of the day, you’re my little girl. When I heard that bastard announce it like that, of course I lost it. I was uncontrollable. I never wanted to lose control like that in front of everyone. I didn't consider or respect anyone, not
Nonna
, not Sierra, none of you women, and especially not Matias. He doesn't need to see that at his age. I don't want him growing up and having a childhood like mine. He will see enough violence as it is once he's older and working for the
famiglia
.”

“I know, but it will be inevitable. I hate what you did to Riccardo, Daddy. I wish you had more control and didn't have to beat him like that. He could die from the injuries you gave him.”

“Yeah, well, at the time, that was my intention,” he admitted, almost apologetically. “I know what Riccardo feels for you is real. I could see it in the way the
bastardo
was looking at you the whole time I was beating him. I knew he loved you because he wouldn’t fight me back. That's what made me angrier. I wanted him to. I wanted him to show me the rage I know he has inside him. Like the rage he has when he does a hit, so it would give me more reason to kill him. But he knows me too well. This is all so hard for me to come to grips with,
cara
.”

My eyes filled with tears again. God, when was I going to stop crying?

“This is hard for me, Lorena. You're no longer my little
piccola bambina
. I don't know where the time went and how these years have just flashed before my eyes. To me, you're still that little girl who used to fall off her bike almost every day and scratch her knees.”

I leaned into him, and he pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. Enfolding my arms around his waist, I held him tightly. I’ll always be your
piccola bambina
, Daddy. Always.”

He let out a big sigh, like he'd been holding his breath forever.

“I know what I want and that's Riccardo. I want to study more and help with the family business with my interior design. You've been saying for a while now that the club needs a facelift. Let me do it.” I felt him nod. “But I need you to be okay with me and Riccardo being together. Your blessing means so much to me, because you are my world.”

“
La mia bella bambina, ti voglio bene, cara.”
He pulled me back and cupped my cheeks. “I spoke with Sierra and she calmed me down. She is good for me that woman. She made me realise that I wouldn't accept any man to be with you and that if I had to pick one it'd be Riccardo. Please understand, I'm not mad at you. I just worry about the dangers that this relationship will entail. You being with my Capo will be a threat.”

“Daddy, we’re a mafia crime family. Threats and risks are all a part of it. We can't stop living. We just need to take more precautions. I'm sure as The Don you can manage that.”

“I'm sure I can,
cara
.” He smiled for the first time and pulled me in for another hug. “I can do that very well.”

In silence, we hugged and comforted one another. It had been a long time since we'd had a moment like this. Unfortunately, Riccardo had to suffer for it, but he was expecting it.

“The only thing I ask is that you don't get pregnant straight away. I can barely cope with Matias. I'm not ready to be a
Nonno
just yet.” I giggled at his statement. “Another thing, I want you to give Riccardo hell. Don't take any shit from him. If he does, you give it back tenfold.”

“Thank you, Daddy. You accepting this, or at least you're trying to, means so much to me. That's a start and it’s all I could ask for.”

“I don't want to lose you, Lorena. I need you and I need Riccardo,” he admitted. “I'll give him a few days to recuperate, then I'll go see him.”

“Be gentle, Daddy. I don't want any more fighting. I love you both,” I warned him. “I
need
you both.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

RICCARDO

Damn. I should've listened to Dr Jensen and spent a few more days at home resting. Instead, I wanted to be a fucking hero and get back to the club, after a few short days. I hadn't seen Lorena since the family dinner, but I'd spoken to her. We thought it was best to lay low for a few days until Sebastiano calmed down and until I got my strength back. Doc had treated me, stitched me and bandaged me up. I'd had worse injuries than this, but holy fucking hell, I was sore as fuck. My chest hurt, my back throbbed and my ribs felt like they'd been squeezed through a vice.

Luckily, my pain tolerance was quite high. That wasn't to say I didn't ache like a motherfucker. I didn’t care, because I'd planned to see Lorena that night and finish what she'd started at the dinner table when she took off her underwear. I still had them and I wasn't giving them back to her anytime soon. Pain or not, I was gonna fuck her. Sebastiano could go fuck himself!

Speaking of the bastard, my office door burst open and Sebastiano stormed in.

"We need to talk," he said, charging in and slamming the door with a loud thud.

I stood up from my desk, knocking over all my paperwork, ready for combat.

“Before we go any further, what makes you think you’re fucking good enough for my daughter?” Sebastiano roared at me.

“I’m the only fucking person good enough for her, and you know it.” I stood a few feet away for him, ready for him to attack. "And don't even get started about the age difference, because that would be like the pot calling the kettle black, wouldn't it?"

“You’re a fucking arsehole.” He punched the desk with his fist. “Her being with you is a huge risk. You are my Capo. My enemies will have a field day and give them more reason to go after her if she's with you. I wanted someone different for her, someone who wears those gay fucking loafers and knitted vests. Never one of my men.
Never
someone from the
famiglia
and
never
you!" He growled and stepped closer to me, looking like he was ready to kill me.

“You want to fight me again? Go for it, but I still won't fight back. Go your fucking hardest. But I still won’t fight you back. You may not believe it, but I have too much respect for you." Another reason was that I was still sore and broken. There was no way I had the energy or the will to fight him back. "You can fight me and I’m more than happy to take a beating, but I’m not going to walk away. I love her,” I told him, half-expecting him to throw a punch. But he didn't even flinch. There were no men here to stand up for me either. Not that I wanted their help.

"I didn't seek you out to argue again. It's not why I'm here. As you may already know, Lorena and I have spoken. That's what I want to talk to you about. I'm still not happy. I can't promise I'm not going to hit you again. You know I have a temper. By the look of you, I've done more than enough damage. For now."

“I'll make her happy. I promise. I never wanted to love her. I did everything in my power to stay away from her,” I told him. “I came to you for help. I tried to warn you but you laughed it off.”

“I remember, but I didn't take you seriously or Lorena’s constant flirting. I know better now, don't I?”

“She bewitched me. I couldn't resist her any longer. It was all too hard. She’s beautiful.”

“Motherfucking hell,” Sebastiano gritted out. “I want to hate you right now, Riccardo, and beat your fucking arse again. You are my Capo, a man I consider as my own brother, and what do you go and do?” He shook his head. “What you did goes against everything this
famiglia
stands for. But after speaking to Sierra and Lorena, I have come to accept the fact that no one will ever be good enough for Lorena. No one…except you. You’re the only man I'd ever accept with my daughter.” He ground his teeth, his jaw turning rigid with his anger.

I knew that those words of admission would've killed Sebastiano. I needed to keep our conversation calm because my main aim was to resolve this situation so I could be with Lorena.

“Seb, you’re my family. I've respected and loved you like my own brother. I'm happy to hear you've come to terms with it because I'm not going to give her up. Lorena has changed me. I can feel it inside me. If it means the two of us are going to be in a bad place right now, then we are going to have to work through it.”

“I agree. You’re right. I’m not going to apologise for beating you. You deserved every single hit. But I need you, as The Capo of our
famiglia
and as my lifelong friend. We will get through this, because we are
famiglia
. We have been through too much together, to let it slip away. We share a bond that goes beyond anything else.”

“And I fucked up that bond, I know. But I will guard Lorena with my life. I'll never hurt her,” I promised him.

“I may need you, Riccardo, but if you ever hurt her, I’ll fucking end you.”