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Twenty-six:
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Underground Hearts Club Twenty-seven:
Twenty-seven:I had called Nero so that the two of us could talk. Nero and I were about a month apart. Maybe that should have been the tip off that there was something more to the two of us than we had thought. But I couldn’t imagine that my mother wasn’t my mother. There were two many secrets to fathom. The two of us were sitting at the Luna family restaurant, staring at each other.“Well….” Nero fiddled with his drink, which was wine, even though it was in the afternoon.“You put it together, didn’t you?” I said.He raised an eyebrow. “Put what together?”I groaned. “Come on. Don’t be like this. You’re too smart for that. You know exactly why I’m here. We’ve got to talk about the truth.”Nero sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve never wanted a cigarette more badly and I’m trying to quite.”I snickered. “Why, exactly, are you trying to quite? Does that have anything to do with a girl?”He glared at me. “Oh, come on. Don’t talk about this. Things are already weird enough.”“W
Underground Hearts Club Twenty-eight:
Twenty-eight:When I got to my apartment, I was surprised that Galileo wasn’t standing out there with the other two security guards. “Billy,” I said, “where’s Galileo?” Galileo normally went with me everywhere, unless I was with family or Cesare. Since I was with Nero, he hadn’t gone with me. But now I was beginning to think that maybe I did need one around my brother. In fact, I wasn’t even sure who I could trust anymore. I had thought that Thalia was my real mother---but now I wasn’t so sure.“I don’t know,” said Billy, “Galileo hasn’t been here all day.”I raised an eyebrow. “That’s strange. Normally he’s always skulking around somewhere.”Billy shrugged. “Who knows?”“Is Laura here?” I asked.Billy coughed. “Think about that question.”I frowned. “Right, of course. You wouldn’t be here if she wasn’t here.” I opened the door. Inside, Laura sat on the couch, staring outside at the window. I raised an eyebrow. “Laura?”She glanced over at me. “Oh. Hey.”“Are you okay?”She sighed. “I
Underground Hearts Club Twenty-nine:
Twenty-nine: There was someone stroking my face. I woke up, and I was not in a place that I knew of. My vision kept on going in and out but slowly, I focused on the face before me. It was not Galileo. It was not Cesare. And it was not even Nikos or my father. “Daddy?” the words came out of my mouth before I could stop them. It was not Donatello I was looking at. It was the man that I had thought was my father. The Fixer. He smiled up at me. I never called him by his given name. I only kept his last name because it kept me safe. He and Donatello were twins, although it was easier to tell him because he had a big scar above his eyes. His nose also looked like it was broken. “Hey, sweetie.” He also had a deep voice because he’d been in a fire that had damaged his vocal cords. I pulled back from him. “I thought you were dead. I thought…I thought Cesare killed you.” He shook his head. “He let me go.”
Underground Hearts Club Thirty:
Thirty:It wasn’t a dream this time.My real father was alive and well. I was in a secret loft that Cesare Luna apparently owned. I had lived with my aunt. She had pretended to be my mother. But she was not my mother, and my real one had been on the run from Donatello. My father’s brother. My uncle. Nothing made sense.When Cesare finished telling me what we were going to do, I couldn’t help but feel strange. Not because I didn’t believe that he would help me save my family. But because I didn’t know what was real anymore.I was a Vitore.But who was my father? Titus claimed to be. Donatello had also. I didn’t know what was the truth anymore. My father had left me alone. But Cesare was still in the room, looking directly at me. “What are you thinking?” Cesare asked.“I’m thinking you’re unhinged,” I told him, “And I’m thinking that I don’t trust anyone anymore.”He smiled and walked over to the wall. There was a picture hanging from there that I hadn’t noticed before. I squinted at it
Underground Hearts Club Thirty-one:
Thirty-one:We had to have a family dinner to announce our engagement. Cesare had a whole closet for me full of clothes in his room. I shouldn’t have been surprised. He was always one step ahead of me and seemed to know from the beginning that I was going to be with him. I was glad that someone had had faith in us. I didn’t know that I had faith in anyone. Everywhere I turned, people weren’t who they said they were. Or they wanted something from me. The one thing I could control was which viper’s den I went into.Cesare was the deadliest.So, I was trusting him.Maybe my judgement was a little clouded because he was the father of my child but I had to trust someone. With Cesare, there was a chance that I could have a family and a future. With everyone else, I would be a pawn in someone else’s game. At least Cesare would let me play in it.“What did your father say when you told him that we were engaged?” I asked.The two of us were in a black car. Cesare’s security guard was driving.
Underground Hearts Club Thirty-two:
Thirty-twoI hadn’t been to the Luna penthouse before. Most of the time, Cesare and his family came to my place with Laura or with me. I knew the Luna’s were wealthy because I’d seen the kind of money that their children had. But the money that Octavius Luna had was completely on another level. When Cesare took me into his parents’ penthouse, I couldn’t help but gasp. “Oh my fucking god!”Cesare laughed. “Impressed?”“You have a Monet on your wall.”“Ma likes art,” Cesare said, “she’s a collector.”Vera Luna came down the stairway and smiled at us. “Ah, the engaged couple!” she said. “You have no idea how happy I am about this. I’ve been watching you two dance around for months…and Cesare says that I have a granddaughter?”I blushed and glared at my fiancé. “You told her about that?”“She’s a grandmother. She’s been bugging me for grandchildren for years. I needed to get her off of my back. I think she was coming up with her own plan to get the two of us together if I didn’t take some
Underground Hearts Club Thirty-three:
Thirty-three:Vera had gotten a plate of cheeses, crackers, meats, and grapes set up for us out on the balcony of the penthouse. Laura poured us glasses of wine. “Does this often happen?” I asked.“You should know,” said Vera, “you’re one of us.” She popped a grape into her mouth.I frowned. “My dad was away a lot of the time, usually on the run from whatever horrible thing he’d done. But I was never really part of the life. I tried my hardest to stay out of it until my daughter was born and things…. things became complicated after that.”Vera smiled at me. “There’s a lot of terrible things that happen in this life. But there’s a lot of good too. For instance, I go to bed every night knowing that my children will never starve and they will always have a roof over their head. Sometimes, something as simple as that is worth the price.”I thought of Tori. I wanted what was best for her. What would I do to ensure my daughters happiness? I had gone to her father and he was probably the wor
Underground Hearts Club Thirty-four:
Thirty-four: You would think, considering how many shady people I was around, that I would have a good radar for danger. But when it came to Cesare and his family, I was finding it harder and harder to read people. Galileo was supposed to be my security guard and someone that I trusted. He was also Cesare’s brother. But somehow, I found myself getting tricked. Over an over again.When I was outside of the building the penthouse was in, I found a gun pointed to my head. “Don’t scream,” Galileo’s voice said, “I don’t want to hurt you. You’re completely useless if I hurt you.”I stiffened. “Galileo…what are you doing?”He pushed the gun harder against my skull and I found it hard not to cry out in pain but I forced myself not to. “Don’t ask questions, Emmilia. You’re going to get into the car and you are coming with me.”Galileo pushed me forward and forced me to get into the passenger’s side of his car. It was red, and once I was inside, he got in on his. “Your father is ver
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Underground Hearts Club Fifty-nine: Cesare Luna
Fifty-nine: Cesara Luna There were too many people in Boston that knew who I was. But Marco had places that he could take me where people wouldn’t know. “Your family is mob, right?” I said. I didn’t use that word often. I always said ‘underground’ as though that somehow made it less frightening, less of a cliché. But that’s what we both were. Marco nodded. We were sitting at a bar called Allegra’s. It had been owned by the Allegra family, the same one that Giana----or Maria----depending on who were talking to, belonged to. “I’m a cousin. I think. Maybe a brother. Our parents were never very clear, and they did have a weird history together. Either way, we’ve known each other since we were little. Went to the same schools and everything. I made my bones when I was sixteen working for her father. Her father was trying to make his empire expand, and so he arranged a marriage for Maria to the Vitore family. But Maria always had a mind of her own and she ended up
Underground Hearts Club Fifty-eight: Emmilia Vitore
Fifty-eight:Emmilia Vitore I had no cell phone. I had no purse. When I left, the guards didn’t even follow me. Vera seemed to scare even them. I should have known she wasn’t as innocent as she looked. To survive in our world, you couldn’t be a wilting flower. You had to be as dangerous as the men in it. Vera had killed her own husband. I had no doubt that she would try and kill me if I didn’t leave. At least if I were alive, I could try to get Tori away later. I didn’t want to leave. But I didn’t want her to witness my death either. Vera had already killed her husband. I had no doubt that she would try and kill me. I went to the only place that I could think of where I would be safe. Victoria Mariano’s house. The woman I had thought was my mother…. I had no way to get there but walk. As I walked, I couldn’t help but feel the rage that was coursing through me. Everything had been taken once again. A ca
Underground Hearts Club Fifty-seven: Cesare Luna
Fifty-seven:Cesare Luna “Pull over!” I demanded. Marco looked at me. “We’ve got to get to Las Vegas. We’re on a time crunch.” “Pull the fuck over!” I demanded. My uncle had told me the last thing that I wanted to hear. “Get out!” I shouted to my uncle. He got out and I did too. I took my gun out of the back of my pants and pointed it it at him. Uncle Augustus laughed. “Are you going to shoot an unarmed man?” “Why not?” I said. “It’s exactly the kind of thing that you would do.” “Ah, but you pride yourself on not being like me. You’re the next generation. You always told your mother that you were going to be better than me. You wouldn’t want to fail your mother, would you? Although, you’ve already failed because you fell for the daughter of the whore that ruined your parent’s marriage.” I thought of Emmilia. I hadn’t noticed that there was a resemblance between her and Maria. But I did re
Underground Hearts Club Fifty-six: Emmilia Vitore
Fifty-six:Emmilia Vitore I couldn’t help but stare at Vera. “What do you mean, you know my mother? Do you mean the woman that raised me? Victoria?” Vera shook her head. “No, I’m talking about her sister. Victoria’s your aunt. She helped take care of you while your mother was in hiding.” “How do you know her?” She looked away from me. “The hardest part about growing up is realizing that your parents had whole lives before you. That maybe you haven’t known every version of them that you’ve ever been. But you must know…I didn’t have a choice.” “Didn’t have a choice in what?” “Octavious liked to tell our story like he was the greatest romantic of a century. It wasn’t romantic. I was forced to marry someone else. Octavious knew him and he became obsessed with me. He seduced me away from him. But there was a time where I hated him so much that I wanted to kill him. Even when I did finally marry him, I still harbored that. And of cou
Underground Hearts Club Fifty-five: Cesare Luna
Fifty-five:Cesare Luna I made the call I didn’t want to make. My family was planning my funeral, and I went to the New York state prison. I waited outside and a pair of guards brought out my uncle. He was almost an exact replica of my father. It was strange, like watching a clone come out. Marco, who had come with me, shivered a bit. “Why the fuck are we getting the worst man in the mob out of prison?” “Because, he knows where Emmilia’s mother is. And Emmilia’s mother is the one woman who is part of a family that is powerful enough that they can help take on my brother.” “Why haven’t you just asked me?” Marco said. “Are you really going to tell me where she is?” Marco shook his head. “No, because I’m more scared of her and her family then I am of you.” “See? That’s why I need the evil bastard. So that we can find her and help Emmilia. We haven’t been able to find The Fixer, and this is our last resort. Also, I’m starting
Underground Hearts Club Fifty-four: Emmilia Vitore
Fifty-four:Emmilia Vitore He had finally left me alone. I still had security guards with me. But he didn’t make me sleep in his bed when he realized I couldn’t remember what was happening. I stayed in a room with Tori. Galileo went to work on trying to find out what had happened with his father. On our third day back in the city, there was a knock on the door. “Emmilia? Are you there?” I recognized the voice. It was Vera, Galileo’s mother. I had been with Tori in the kitchen. I had made us sandwiches and drinks. We were sitting at the counter. “Who is that, Mommy?” Tori asked. I got up from the counter. “Give me a moment, honey. Stay right there.” I went to the door. “Vera, is that you?” “Yes,” she said, “can you open the door please? I don’t have a key and the security guards won’t open it for me. Which is ridiculous, because I’m Galileo’s mother.” “I would like to see her. She’s my daughter’s grandmother. Please, let her in.” I wa
Underground Hearts Club Fifty-three: Cesare Luna
Fifty-three:Cesare Luna “What happened?” I asked Laura when she got back. We were back home, in Boston. I needed to find Emmilia’s father and it was hard to do that when I was supposed to be dead. Laura was doing my errands for me. I had to stay in the house, like a ghost. It was horrible, especially when I should have been going after my brother to get my girl back. Emmilia wasn’t his. He was using her to try and take over the family fortune because my daughter was the heir to the Luna fortune. That was the only reason he wanted her. He didn’t care about her at all. But I was in love with Emmilia, and when I got her back, I would do whatever it took to make her mine. Laura’s face was drawn as if she had seen something terrible. “Cesare, you aren’t going to like what I saw.” “What did you see?” “Emmilia knows that you’re dead, but she…” “But what?” I asked. “She thinks th
Underground Hearts Club Fifty-two: Emmilia Vitore
Fifty-Two:Emmilia Vitore Galileo had to give me his cell phone. Mine had long since been taken from me. There was also no way that he would give me one. He couldn’t have me calling someone that would help me. But Nikos Balis and I had once had something special. He had tried to kill my father and that had been the end of our relationship. If it hadn’t been for that though, we might have still been together. He was incredibly possessive. If I could figure out a way to let Nikos know what was happening, maybe I could get away from Galileo. But I had to do it in a way that would let him know that there was something wrong without alerting Galileo about it. If Galileo knew that I was trying to get away, he would kill Nikos. I couldn’t have another person’s blood on my hands. “Call him,” Galileo said. “What do I say?” I asked. “Tell him that you’re worried because you’ve been hearing rumors about Cesare being dead. Te
Underground Hearts Club Fifty-one: Cesare Luna
Fifty-one:Cesare Luna “Are you sure you need to save her?” Laura asked me this as we were driving back to Boston. I looked at her. “Why would you ask that?” “I mean, as much as you hate to hear this, it is possible that she did fall in love with Galileo and they decided to get married. Besides, you always talk about how she was trying to kill you. You were hired to kill her first, even though you like to pretend that wasn’t the case.” I glared at my sister. “She’s not in love with Galileo. That’s not something she would ever do willingly.” “How do you know?” Laura said. “I mean, you never really saw the two of them together. I lived in the same apartment as her. I saw them. They had a certain something. I don’t think that Emmilia ever acted on it, but there was a chemistry between them. Maybe Emmilia didn’t want to marry you because she still hated you. She didn’t like that she was being forced into the wife role by her uncl
