Capo Dei Capi (Secrets of the Famiglia Part 1) novel Chapter 44

“But he still agreed.” I point out as Gabriel opens the door when the soldiers line up next to the entrance.

“Yes, he did, and thank fuck for that,” Ren’s deep voice is loud as we enter the dark place.

“I am calling dibs on the sound,” Gabriel declares as we enter the Azure.

“As long as I don’t have to listen to that damn classical shit,” Ren says, putting on the lights. The smell of new leather and paint hits my nose as the blue glow brings life to the darkened space.

“The glass is remote controlled. I need to get the remote, give me a minute. Help yourselves to a drink,” Ren states as he disappears to what looks like a big ballroom.

“I have a little present for you guys. Wait here,” Gabriel declares, and I watch him walk with ease and familiarity through the back of the club. His big shoulders and tall body are a wonder to the short kid, with keen eyes I met all those years ago. It isn’t the first time I consider how lucky I am to be one of them.

“What are we drinking?” Mero asks as his big muscular body comes closer toward me. He is built like a linebacker, but he doesn’t just play football like the other guys, he is a professional boxer. His family is big on cage fighting and martial arts.

“I think brandy to begin with,” Ren replies as he walks back into the room with a familiar guy following carefully behind. It still surprised me at times, especially ones like these on how in-depth to the inner circle of the next generation of Capos I was.

If my father found how I spent my free time I was not supposed to even have, I don’t think he would share in my gratitude that I was, in fact, the only girl amongst four dangerous guys.

Right now, I wasn’t just alone with them, I was in the company of my future Capo, the Underboss to the Catelli Famiglia, Deno Catelli and it wasn’t the first time.

“Aliyana. You are always a sight when I see you.” Deno Catelli’s voice is loud as he opens his arms as his dramatic entrance comes to a complete stop when he gathers me in a big hug.

I am short, and he is an important, dangerous man, well over 6-ft tall with hard, sinewy arms that have brought many men to their deaths, and right now, he is kissing me on the cheeks and holding me toward his hard chest.

Yes, I doubt my father would be pleased by this; then again, the thrill is something I find quite liberating.

“I am glad someone remembers I am a lady,” I point out, knowing Mero and Michel can hear. Deno winks at Mero as he releases me when Mero groans.

Mero greets Deno with a hug and kiss before Michel.

“When Gabriel called me this morning, I was fucking glad you misfits were showing up. Until I got a call informing me the Russo boys were joining. I suppose you don’t want them coming by?” He gives us a knowing look that is evil in intent, and I am glad he is on our side.

“Well, considering they are the reason we are here, no.” Gabriel walks in, there is something about his voice that is different, but I hear the note of badass he is giving off.

Behind him walks in a familiar boy, though we never got to see often enough I squeal as I run and throw myself in the arms of an old friend, Dexter Kent.

As I predicted the last time when I saw him, 6 months ago, he was now as tall as Gabriel, if not a bit taller. Dexter Kent was hardly a boy any longer, he walked with an air that screamed he came from old money and a powerful family.

“Fuck, Dixie, you've grown so tall. You are like Captain America after his transformation,” Mero informs our outsider friend as he extracts himself from me, long enough to shake hands with Mero, Ren, and Michel.

Dexter puts his arm over my shoulder, “It has been a while, but considering the call I got from Gabriel, it was time we have a little reunion.”

“Can I come out now, or have you forgotten about me?” The female voice coming from behind me has all of us jumping into action, walking toward the sound, behind the bar.

I hug her close, and the guys follow.

“How could we forget a beauty like you,” Deno responds as he encompasses her into his side and touches her nose lightly with his finger. That is odd.

“How did you, I thought you were... when did...” My words are all coming out half said as I am speechless. I thought she was halfway to Europe by now.

I stare at her, it has been so long, a year almost, and I want to cry, but I don’t. We have kept this secret for so long. Her life was counting on it.

"No, my father changed his mind, I'll be staying here and finishing school and if I am lucky, maybe study English."

“That is great news, Elisa,” I say with a big smile that I hope tells her exactly how I missed her.

“It has been a long time. I'm sorry, I couldn’t see you sooner.”

“No need to be sorry, Eli, Aliyana knows that your cousin is around.”

Yes, I knew all about Alice. She was around, and where Elisa was a good thing, Alice was terrible. Both my father's daughters. But Alice, there's no denying the proof, she looked just like him. We lived in a world where fools were few and far in-between. Our men were not stupid, and everybody wanted to know your weakness, and my father’s bastard Russo daughters wasn’t just a secret but his kryptonite. They were proof that my father’s love for my mother wasn’t as real as he led many to believe. It hid something else entirely. A secret that both my parents kept and my mother died with.

It was something a lot of people would want to know because my father, the advisor to the most powerful man in the world was/is the 2nd most powerful man in the world and his secrets, his life and anything that could be used against him was information no one would pass up.

And one of those people was the man who helped us when we needed Elisa to remain safe, Deno. But Alice, she was a different ball game altogether. She didn't know that we shared a father.

So far, the only people who knew the truth were in this room, and the fact that we were all standing here told me that this was no casual visit, and knowing Deno Catelli, he was not here to shoot the shit with us. This was something serious.

“Well, now that we got all that out of the way, let’s begin, shall we?” Deno voices this as his eyes stare at who I can only imagine is Gabriel.

“We need to take out Alec,” Gabriel says and we all look at him.

“And I am going to help you.” Matteo says as he walks into the restaurant.