Mafia Betrayal

Chapter Forty Two

Luca

Christmas was quickly becoming my least favorite holiday. I never wanted to see Antonio again, let alone with my family in our living room, laughing and acting as if the last several years hadn't happened. Why the fuck had I let Charlotte convince me to do this? The man didn't get to erase years of deceit and hurt with a simple I'm sorry and then be welcomed back like the prodigal son. When I apologized to Charlotte, I had to beg and plead my case to get her to accept it, but with Antonio, all was forgiven.

At least I hadn't been the only one to question his motives. I knew Elena was upset he was here, and she trusted him even less than I did. At one point, she pulled him into another room and must have laid into him, because when they came back, he was much more subdued. For a guy who had just been planning on stopping by to say he was sorry, he quickly made himself at home.

I understood why Seth and Gabe would want to see him. He was their father, and I knew from experience that no matter what a father had done to you in the past, it was hard to cut ties. Charlotte, on the other hand, completely baffled me. Here was a guy who basically sent her away because he didn't want to be bothered with keeping her safe. He lied to her for years, made her believe her brothers were dead, and then showed up out of the blue, telling her it was all for show. And when he found out she was pregnant, he offered her a huge amount of money to make the entire problem disappear. That one cut me the most. He didn't even deserve to be within a hundred miles of Layla after that bullshit.

Antonio was no father to her—Josh was. He had loved her and raised her and given her nothing but security and adoration. I wished like hell that he was still here, because he would never let Antonio pull this.

Charlotte introduced him to Layla as a friend, not her grandfather. At least she hadn't completely lost it. When he was out of hearing range from Charlotte, I let him know that if he tried to talk to Layla at all, I would drag him down to the tombs and gut him myself.

Every time he came within a few feet of either one of my girls, I was right there. Charlotte picked up on my little show of force and rolled her eyes, but this was all for her own good. One of us had to keep a level head when it came to Antonio, and it looked like it was going to have to be me.

When Elena started serving dinner, Angelo sauntered up to me with a stupid grin and his hands in his pockets. I groaned, preparing myself for whatever smartass comment was about to come.

"What the hell is this all about?"

I shrugged, throwing back the rest of my bourbon. It was the fifth one I'd had since Antonio walked in the door. So much for cutting back on my drinking.

"Ask her." I gestured to Charlotte, who was laughing at something Marco was telling her, thankfully far away from Antonio.

Angelo raised his eyebrows and chuckled, making the whipping gesture with his hand again.

"Would you give it a fucking rest?" I growled. "I'm not whipped. I'm just trying to be sensitive of her feelings." She was allowed to have them, even if I didn't agree with them.

"I told you that you should see a shrink, not turn in to one." Angelo laughed, refilling my cup. He must have known how badly I needed it.

I shot him an ice glare. "You better thank your lucky stars that I have bigger fish to fry tonight than you. Remind me again why I keep you around?"

"Because I know too many of your secrets." Angelo smirked. "And because you know, no matter what, I will always have your back. This is your house. If you don't want him here, send him out on his ass, Christmas or not. You know I love Charlotte, but she's got to learn her place around here. Some things are nonnegotiable, and as far as I'm concerned, Antonio isn't one of them."