Raffaele might not have pulled the trigger, but he’s unhappy. Bruto should have called me or Raffaele immediately when Ruggero approached him. There’s no reason for Ruggero to be in this situation. He’s given a handsome income on a monthly basis. Ruggero’s story doesn’t make sense. He lied to his father-in-law and, in part, Bruto has offended Raffaele by not coming to us.
I feel slightly better knowing that Bruto wasn’t responsible for Ruggero’s attack on Elisa, but only slightly.
“I want him followed,” Raffaele says. I make arrangements, sending Massimo along to set the wheels in motion. Dino is then contacted and reminded that his loyalty belongs to Raffaele and Ultimo Morte.
“I believe him,” I tell Raffaele.
Raffaele slides his eyes to me. “Yes, but he should have come to me.”
“Agreed.” I nod.
“Ruggero’s up to no good. You know it and so do I. Who is he working with, and what does he hope to get from it?” Raffaele isn’t looking for an answer. He knows the only way to find out what’s going on is to find Ruggero, and to do that, we must set a trap for our rat.
For several hours, Raffaele and I plot different scenarios to get Ruggero to show his face. The greatest opportunity is dangling a bait that he can’t refuse. The best option is to leak an event at the newest casino where an obscene amount of money will be sitting in the back room waiting to be taken. An opening night with crowds of guests would be the perfect time to sneak in unannounced.
Raffaele and I will have to be there for certain, as will Evangeline and the new Mrs. Avante. This isn’t the way I’d like to introduce my wife to our men, but this is our plan. There will be tight security, and, knowing Raffaele, he’ll leave nothing to chance. His wife will have her own army surrounding her, as will mine.
I’m itching to get back home. This business with Ruggero makes me ill. When I think of all the time, money, and energy we put into growing him in the family, it makes me want to vomit. Time is precious, and to know I’ve wasted it on a man who doesn’t deserve it turns my stomach. I’ve learned to mask my displeasure in front of the men. They need a leader, not a hothead.
I’m glad to be back at the house. Raffaele is the first to get out of the car and go inside. He left Evangeline feeling poorly, and he’s anxious to check in on her. Elisa is sitting with Adriana on her lap, on the floor, reading her a book. Evangeline is sitting up with a bowl and spoon in hand, eating while she watches them.
Elisa must sense my presence and looks up to see me. “Daddy’s home, Adriana,” she announces, and, as always, Adriana comes bounding toward me. Raffaele makes it over to the couch where Evangeline is and sits next to her, giving her a light kiss.
“How are you feeling, tesoro?” he asks. Elisa bustles about packing away Adriana’s toys as quickly as possible. “Did the doctor come?”
“Yes, and I’m fine,” Evangeline replies, taking his hand in hers.
“We’ll just get out of your way,” Elisa murmurs.
Evangeline stops her. “Actually, could you stay for a few more minutes? I’m sure Ivo and Raffaele would love some soup and biscuits,” she says.
Even I know it’s an excuse to have us hang around.
“Of course,” Elisa replies. “Come give me a hand, my monkey,” she coos to Adriana. “You too, Ivo. I can’t reach the top shelf.”
Once in the kitchen, Elisa puts Adriana to work, placing the freshly baked biscuits on a plate. While Adriana is busy, I corner Elisa against the counter.
“Want to tell me what’s going on?” I ask.
She smiles shyly and says, “Wait for it.”
“Wait for what?”
And that’s when I hear Raffaele’s booming voice. “Baby, that’s the best gift I could ever ask for,” followed by, “Ivo, get in here. You’re going to be an uncle!”
“Christ! You were right,” I tell her.
“Go on. Your brother needs you. He has to share the wonderful news with family, and you’re all he has,” she says, urging me to the door. I clasp the back of her head and kiss her soundly on the mouth. She’s a witch! I want to be with Elisa all the time. I can’t keep my hands off her. Her sweet, sensitive nature fills me with hope, and in our dark world, that’s a gift that can’t be taken lightly.
Adriana runs ahead of me to open the door, and as soon as I enter the room, Ivo takes the tray out of my hands and sets it on the coffee table. Raffaele has his wife in his arms, his big palm almost entirely covering her stomach. Evangeline isn’t even showing, but I can see her happy glow at the idea of becoming a mother. I’ve always wanted that for myself. A child of my own to love, but I have that with Adriana. I may not have given birth to her, but I love my little minx. I snuggle Adriana closer to me and look down at her face.
“Why is Uncle Rafe acting weird?” she asks, scrunching her nose.
“He’s happy.” I stroke her hair.
“I’m happy too, but I’m not weird,” she declares, glancing over at her aunt and uncle.
Then Raffaele calls her to him and sets her on his knee, still with his arm around Evangeline. “Guess what, sunshine?”
“What?” Adriana asks with excitement.
“Evangeline and I are going to have a baby. You’re going to be the big cousin, and I hope you’ll help us with the new baby when it arrives.”
“Yippee!” Adriana throws her hands up in glee. “Now I’ll have someone to play with.” She finds her father and says, “Daddy, I need a bigger playroom.”
Ivo laughs. “Uncle Rafe can build a bigger one.”
“Why don’t you eat while the soup’s still hot,” I say. “Evangeline, do you want anything else? More soup?”
“No, thank you. You’ve done more than enough,” she replies with a smile.
Then Ivo asks Raffaele, “Do we postpone the grand opening? Do we move to another plan?”
“Grand opening? I would love to have a night out,” Evangeline says. “It’s been too long. I better get some use out of my fancy gowns before I can’t fit into them anymore.” She giggles.
Raffaele’s jaw tightens, but he nods. “Okay, tesoro, but I have rules,” he warns.
“You always have rules,” she teases, rolling her eyes.
We hang out with Raffaele and Evangeline long enough for Ivo and Raffaele to have a couple of bowls of the hearty chicken soup and over half a dozen biscuits. I told Raffaele that I put together a casserole and instructions on how to bake it for when they get hungry for dinner.
“Thanks for staying with Evangeline,” Raffaele says, he then looks at Ivo. “I’ll call you later to discuss security.” Although Raffaele keeps his tone smooth and even, I can see that there’s more to this event than a simple grand opening.
On our way back to our place, Adriana is excited about the new baby and already planning all the things they’ll do together. She’s a bundle of energy. I’m looking forward to bedtime to catch my breath. Ivo spends the rest of the afternoon with us, mainly hanging out on the floor with his daughter while I do a few things around the house and get dinner started.
With Adriana finally asleep, I tidy the kitchen, and when I’m done, I find Ivo waiting for me in the living room. He stretches his arm across the back of the sofa as he sips from a tumbler with a golden liquid in it.
“It’s exciting news, about the baby, that is,” I say as I approach him.
“Raffaele will make a great father,” Ivo replies, nodding. He pats the seat next to him. “We have to talk about the casino opening.”
I take my place beside him and wait for him to begin. But instead of talking, he tugs my hair tie off and lets my hair tumble loose, then runs his fingers through my locks. “Pick out a sexy red dress. You’ll look fabulous in red,” he murmurs.
“Okay,” I manage to say, completely mesmerized by the feel of his fingers sliding through my locks.
Then, out of nowhere, he says, “I want you to have our baby.” I swallow, my mouth going dry. “Do you want kids?”
“I’ve always wanted a child,” I whisper. “But Adriana is important, and I never want her to think that she’s not.”
“Our children will know nothing but love,” he says. He lowers his head, but his phone rings, and we’re interrupted. I’m doing a little happy dance inside that Ivo wants to have more children.