Chapter 24: Chapter 24

The whirlwind of emotions swirling inside of me has me on edge. Moments like this typically have Twyla snapping a femur or something, but I don’t want to be dramatic or drastic. They’re fractures mostly. Injuries that heal within weeks that I can feel even when the bruising subsides.

I don’t want to feel that kind of pain anymore. Chasing the pain of something more hurtful than my mother abandoning me is getting me nowhere. Having Hera show up after decades of not speaking is pissing me off. I want to break her bones this time around, not mine.

Still, my pain seems to land on the intangible side of things these days. I guess that’s why I need the physical pain, something to touch to make it real enough because as Don fucking Barrone I can’t tell anyone that my heart was broken by the first woman who was supposed to love me.

Lia deserves better than this, than me. I’d fucking flee, too. How dare I get upset with her? I’ve told Armande too many times to count that she’s not in the life. Why the hell would she hang around while two dons are duking it out, leaving a trail of bodies in their path?

Lia grunts, grimaces, and breathes deeply. A shade of red colors her face and I rush to her side. ‘Should I get, Dr. Monroe? Or the other one?’

‘No, don’t leave me.’

‘I’m not, Lia. I swear. Whatever you need, you’ll have it. You and, what’s her name?’ I ask her.

‘Don’t have one.’ Lia huffs out a few more pained breaths.

‘I don’t like the sound of your breathing, Lia. I think I should get the doctor. You need another dose of that epidural or something. I know what pain looks like and you’re in a lot of it.’

‘For fuck’s sake, Valentino, let me feel this shit,’ she bites out, but then she mumbles a sentence I swear she thinks I can’t hear. ‘I deserve it.’

‘Look at me, Lia. This is not the time for self-flagellation. Less stress on you and the baby. Let’s push good energy, right? Like Twyla said. What’s her name going to be? She’s going to be here any minute now. What are Mom and Dad going to call their little bambina?’

‘What about Ava Grace, after my grandmother? My Nonna who practically raised me and Frankie.’ Lia sighs as the contraction subsides and I swipe hair out of her face.

‘Beautiful. Are we giving her all the names?’ I ask Lia.

She squints at me. ‘All what names?’

‘Ava Grace Mirante Bonetti Barrone?’

That gets a smile on her face, laughter before another contraction hits. She squeezes my hand as she bites down and starts to push.

‘Wait, no, not yet. We need doctors, don’t we?’ I ask her.

‘Are we ready to push?’ Dr. Bastian says, entering the room.

‘Yes. I think she is,’ I tell the doctor who no longer has a team of young doctors around him.

I look at Lia who’s fucking exhausted. The doctor checks and pushes a button on the side of the bed that gets Twyla back in the room.

‘We’re ready.’

A little over an hour later, Ava Grace Barrone is born at five pounds even. She’s the tiniest little pink thing I’ve ever seen with light brown hair and bold blue eyes, like mine. This little human looks like me, but then I see her mother’s nose and ears with little points at the rounded tops.

‘We’re parents,’ I whisper as Lia holds our daughter in her arms. I can’t believe this shit. ‘When do we get to take her home?’ I ask.

‘We’re going to run some tests and make sure she can hold her body temperature. And as long as she’s nursing and we get a good first bowel movement I don’t see why you can’t take her home after a few days. Let’s just keep an eye on Mom and baby. We’ll check in and go day by day. Congratulations you two, and welcome to the world baby Barrone.’ Dr. Bastian smiles at us as he leaves and the rest of our families are allowed to come in.

Once we all get to gush over how gorgeous Ava and Lia are, I pull Frankie and Armande outside.

‘We have two days to get this done,’ I tell them.

‘Get what done?’ Frankie says and leans in close. ‘Are we gonna, um, whack your mother?’

Armande bursts into laughter. ‘I can’t with this guy. Where did you come from, Frankie? I mean, we could, and Hera definitely deserves it, but I don’t think we’d include you in that kind of conversation.’

I can’t help but laugh. ‘Fuck. No. I hope she falls back into whatever crevasse of hell she crawled out of. I want Lia safe, but also in New York. She’s not going back to wherever the fuck she was.’

‘Good, because I begged her to come visit and convince her to come back,’ Frankie says.

‘I want her folks’ place made over. Nothing crazy, but turning one of the bedrooms into a nursery, and the other into a space for her to get some rest. I know she needs to feel safe, but I also want her someplace familiar that won’t make her run out of state again. The stairs are a no-go for your place, Frankie, and her apartment is a trauma nightmare on steroids. I would bring her to my place, but I’m not sure about our personal shit yet. So we need to baby up the grandparents’ house.’

‘I’m on it. Budget?’ Frankie volunteers.

I pull out my wallet and hand him a black titanium credit card. ‘Whatever she wants and needs. I’ll have my team from Barten out there today. Armande can you take care of that?’

‘Of course, my little niece is going to have state-of-the-art⁠—’

I stop him. ‘Make it simple and safe so Lia doesn’t get scared or anything. While you two handle that, I’m going to handle that last thread we left dangling. If she’s going to be back in New York, it’s only a matter of time before Caputo finds out. I haven’t been able to get the dons together, but I can at least meet with one of them to let them know what’s about to happen. I can’t have her or Ava in danger.’

We all agree on our tasks and I start making calls. There’s one don of La Familia that I know will understand what I want and can give me the updates I need because we move in a similar way. One foot in the life and one foot out. He understands business, as well as keeping his family and the love of his life safe.

We agree to meet at Kings and when I show up later that night after a shower and dinner, Don De Luca stands to shake my hand.

‘Congratulations, Valentino. Welcome to fatherhood.’ Alessandro greets me with a welcoming smile as I sit in the booth across from him.

‘Thank you. How is it?’ I ask him.

‘Terrifying, if I’m being honest. But all threats have been neutralized and as long as things stay that way, and no one tries to kidnap my wife again, the Butcher will stay retired. So, what’s going on?’

Right to the point. I like Alessandro.

‘Saul and I made a deal. He violated that deal and had my wife kidnapped. Well, she will be my wife, and she just had my daughter. I want her home, but if she’s not safe in New York City, I’ll have to leave and take everything I own with me. That means whatever businesses La Familia is connected to as well. My power—political and financial—vanishes.’

‘Ease up, Barrone,’ Alessandro says. ‘Let’s not wield that hammer so recklessly. We all have millions, if not billions, of dollars tied into strategic ventures. You can’t just pull out of these deals. That play you made against Saul, the video, the severed finger, kidnapping, and attempted murder? It was smart. The way you’ve mourned her leaving, and the brutality you’ve subjected yourself to. Brava!’

‘That wasn’t an act,’ I admit.

‘Oh, the dons know that, which is why we’ll sanction punishment, but not death. Take a finger, an eye, something, but leave him breathing. Caputo is a vile piece of vermin, but he’s a profitable vile piece of vermin with the Teamsters in his corner. Just because you don’t have business with him, there are two other dons of La Familia that do. And one of those dons has the police union in his corner. Top contributor for the Widows and Orphans of Fallen Cops Fund. Those three outweigh us two, brother.’

‘If he tries some shit with her again?’ I ask him. ‘You said it yourself. You know how he gets when he wants to own something. He’s not going to let it go.’

Alessandro dusts his hands together before putting them up like he’s surrendering. ‘May the Lord have mercy on his soul.’