He patted them. “I’ll call our vet so he can look at the wound, and you should head back to the city and meet with Luca.”
I ignored the last part and motioned at the truck bed. “I have Matteo’s bike. Can I leave it here so he can pick it up?”
Growl straightened, the suspicion returning to his face. “Why don’t you bring it to him?”
“I’m not returning to New York right now. I still have a few matters to attend to before I can join Luca’s team.”
Growl shook his head. “That’s not how it works.”
“It’s how it works with me,” I said simply. “I’ll probably be back in a couple of days, tell Luca that.”
“What business do you have to take care of now?”
“That’s only my business. But it’s nothing that concerns the Famiglia.”
“Everything concerns the Famiglia, especially if Marcella Vitiello is concerned. Does she know you’ll be gone?”
“You can tell her. She’ll understand.” I wasn’t really sure that was true, especially because I couldn’t give her details about my plans, not with someone ratting me out. I’d never been accountable to a woman, except for my mother when I was a little boy, but even that stopped when I became a teen.
Growl narrowed his eyes. “If you aren’t sure about Marcella or where your loyalties lie, you better not come back. Luca gifted you with your life once. He won’t be as gracious again.”
“What’s it to you?”
“I know where my loyalties lie. Luca took me in when I had nowhere else to go. I’m not someone who tramples on a gift like that.”
“Just tell Marcella I’ll be back once I’ve taken care of business and tell Matteo thanks for his bike.”
I turned and got back inside the car. I didn’t need a guilt trip from Growl. I had half a mind to drive to the Vitiello mansion and ask for Marcella, clear things up with her, but finding Gray before he got himself killed was my top priority. Once he’d told me who’d leaked the information about me killing his father, I could decide how to handle it. I wasn’t even sure how long that would take, but Marcella and I had gone through worse than a few days of separation.
Soon we’d be reunited, and fuck, I couldn’t wait to taste her again.
Being at home still felt strange after weeks of captivity. I had spent pretty much every second of the day with Maddox and being separated from him felt odd. I missed his presence, even his dirty mouth, and in more than one sense, but he obviously had made his choice to move on and enjoy the freedom only the biker lifestyle could offer him.
My lips twisted with bitterness as I glanced out of the window, down at the street in front of our house. I kept doing it, even if Matteo had told me an hour ago that Maddox wouldn’t return. The kidnapping had messed with my mind, even if I didn’t want to admit it to anyone. Maybe it was good that Maddox had made the decision I had been too weak for, too infatuated for, and cut ties between us. Was it really possible to rebuild a relationship on the basis of a normal setting, without fear and lack of freedom? We’d never find out.
I didn’t hate Maddox for leaving. I too had held doubts if it hadn’t been better to let Dad kill Maddox because then things would have been easier. A life with Maddox would have been a challenge not just for me but for my family and the Famiglia, one I wasn’t sure everyone would have mastered.
Amo let out a low sound of displeasure. “Stop staring out of the window like a dog waiting for its owner. He won’t come back. He’s a disloyal biker, and you’re better off without him.”
I gave my brother my best death glare, furious about his comparison. “A dog would wag its tail and welcome its owner after his return, but you can bet your ass on me kicking Maddox in the balls when he struts back into my life.”
Amo shook his head. “I know you would, but you should let Dad handle the idiot and have him killed. That’s the clean cut you need, Marci. That he’s still out there is holding you back and you really shouldn’t let that happen. You need your energy and brain to show Dad’s soldiers who’s boss.”
I finally turned my back to the window. Only Amo’s window had a view of the streets while my window pointed out toward the gardens, probably one more of Dad’s safety measures.
“Nothing is holding me back. I can separate my heart from my brain. My work in the Famiglia doesn’t have anything to do with Maddox and me.”
“There’s no Maddox and you. He dumped you.”
I narrowed my eyes. “He can’t dump me. We weren’t in a relationship to speak of.”
Amo waved me off. “Don’t go on. I don’t want to know details about your prisoner with benefits status.”
I hurled the next thing I could grab at Amo, a heavy algebra book from the floor. He barely managed to dodge it, then he raised his arms. “All right. Let’s not mention the biker again.”
“Thanks.” I walked over to his sofa and sank down. Amo returned his focus to his computer screen where he was reading up on the topography of Pennsylvania. I wasn’t sure if it was for homework or for their biker hunt.
“Our soldiers will accept you eventually,” Amo said but there was a hidden but in his tone. Our soldiers. To him, everything about this came naturally. He was welcomed with open arms, and nobody ever questioned that he would become Capo once Dad retired.
I also knew what Amo wasn’t saying.
“Because they respect and fear Dad.”
He didn’t deny it.
“I’ll earn their respect.”
“You’ll have to work harder for it than I ever will.”
I knew that. Women were looked down upon. We were supposed to be pretty and know when to keep our mouths shut. I’d be spared sexist comments because of Dad, but the men wouldn’t take me seriously for myself.
“You still sure about the tattoo?” Amo asked, motioning in the general direction of my back.
I tensed like I always did when I was reminded of the ugly words tattooed on my back.
Vitiello Whore.
“Yes. I won’t spend months trying to remove it only for scars to remain. People would know what those scars meant and that what happened bothered me enough to want to erase it completely from my body. That would look weak. I’ll keep the words but cover them with my truth.”
Amo nodded. “Maybe I’ll get another tattoo as well.”
I scoffed. “Good luck convincing Mom. You wouldn’t even have your first tattoo if you didn’t need it for the Famiglia.”
“Dad would talk to her.”
I rolled my eyes. A soft knock sounded.
“Yeah,” Amo answered.
Mom poked her head in, her expression worried but clearing up when she spotted me. “There you are, Marci. I went to your room first.”
I rarely spent time in my room. Amo hadn’t complained about my presence yet. If it really didn’t bother him or if his protectiveness came through, I wasn’t sure.
“What do you need?” I asked, giving Mom a firm smile. She still worried about me, especially since Maddox’s disappearance. Secretly, she was probably as relieved about his leaving as Dad, but she’d never say it.