Heartless Ending Book 3 of the Heartless Series

Chapter 38 - The Compound

Romeo's POV

The amount of overwhelming information that transpired in the space of 2 hours were too much to comprehend. So many revelations and family secrets. Firstly Stefano is dead, I couldn't believe my ears when Maxwell declared he was gone, that he himself killed him. Although there were a flash of frustration and regret in his eyes. Which made me think he's not telling the truth or maybe not the entire truth, because why would Emilia lie about my mother's safety. She admitted that my mother had saved her life on more than one occasion. Knowing my mother's tenacious personality sacrificing herself for Emilia, was a worthy cause. To think of Maxwell killing his own father, would he even have the strength to do that? even without any forward thinking and his death being a spontaneous action, it would have taken a lot of courage and more than likely a no other way type of situation. I can imagine the only thing that Stefano could take to evoke such a reaction would be Emilia herself. I failed to have that amount of courage when he took Carmela from me. That is the biggest regret of my life. A regret that affected so many lives, not just my own.

Secondly, Maxwell is my uncle. How long has he known this and never said anything? Living together all them months and nothing, is that why he never liked me? Is this the reason we never got along? To many questions that I had no answers for and in some ways I bet I never will. Lastly, what business does he and I have to talk about? We have no business together. If he wants it all, then we will have a problem. I won't give up what's mine just for the sake of it. Not when it's just that mine.

Carmela squeezed my hand, pulling me straight back to the present. To her. Her reassurance that she was with me calmed me slightly, enough to get me to relax the clenched tightness in my jaw. Only then did I realise how much my jaw and teeth were aching in protest, I rubbed the tender spot trying to chase away the ache before turning my attention to her and then back to the road ahead.

So many different outcomes could have happened tonight, none I could bare to think about. But everyone of them plagued my mind, going round and round in my head as if on a merry go round. I held her tighter to myself, comforting myself that she is still here, that she's still by my side. I know all to clearly what it feels like to be without her, and I refuse to go through that again. For Luca to go through that, having only just found his mother.

"What are you thinking about?" For the second time she pulled me out of my doldrums. I looked at her and couldn't help softly smiling at her, my heart soared at just being able to look into those gorgeous cerulean eyes. "Thinking about you actually." She studied me with a face of contemplation, she knew there were more to my statement but didn't push for more information, she didn't need to she already knew. It was eerie to think how much she could read me, as if I were an open book. I guess she feels the same way when I do this to her, this made me smile again.

"You won't lose me." With that one little statement she proved everything I'd just thought. "Are you worried about tomorrow?" I pondered this for a few seconds before realising that I wasn't worried. "Not worried, just sceptical of what he wants to talk about." She nodded probably having the same thought process as myself. "Do you think he will go back on his word?" I've always known Maxwell to be a loyal person, even when I could see he didn't want to do something he always would do it in the end, this makes me think he wouldn't but then there's always that nagging doubt at the back of my mind says what if. "God help him if he does." The tension in my jaw returning with my statement.

Being back at the safe house I let Timo know everything that went on, while Carmela just listened by the side of me. Neither wanting to be apart from the other, not now, not ever. Timo, like me was a little distrustful of the whole situation and wondered like myself why he would kill his own father, but in the end Stefano was dead so it didn't really matter. One problem down. It was too late to make preparations for later today, we were all pushing ourselves to the limit and sleep was sorely needed. Pulling Carmela along with me we went for some rest.

Soon enough something was going to happen, but that could wait, for now I just wanted my rose as close to me as possible, and not let go.

We opted to walk to the compound rather than go by car. I hoped that if they could see that we weren't packing a lot of heat then no one could get itchy trigger fingers. It didn't help much with all three of the gate guards training their heavy weaponry on us as we walked towards them, in 3 rows, with me one step ahead of Carmela and Timo on my flank. Resembling a tactical team, progressing along the battlefield.

Each of their faces ranged from disgust to not even caring but still all reacted the same way with lethal intent. The gate opened without a word being uttered from anyone's lips. Never stopping my pace I continued to lead the group up the long driveway to the main house. I remember as a child I would run around on these luscious lawns and through the many gardens. These were only a few of the happy memories that I have of this estate. I don't wish to paint this beautiful greenery red, but I would if I had to. With that, I steeled my anger away to use it at the opportune moment.

While walking to the main house, our every footstep and movement were being watched. All the different ranking men followed us with there eyes and guns, some even falling in step behind us surrounding us all the way up to the main house, there they stood behind us as if becoming a wall preventing our escape. I flashed a knowing look at Timo, he knew the same as I did that something was not right. The only difference being instead of fighting our way here, we would only need to fight our way out.

The main doors were open as if welcoming us inside, with the exception of a man with broad shoulders, strong Italian features and dark hair, blocking our way inside with the same machine gun the men at the gate had. As if his presence didn't already halt our procession into the stately home, him shouting stop and holding out his hand in a halting gesture did. "Remove all weapons now." He smirked at Carmela. Knowing exactly who she were now, if he didn't already. After each off us placed all our weapons on the ground at our feet he motioned us to come inside.

"Let me take your jacket." He pulled at the collar of Carmela's jacket as she passed him, practically stripping her out of it. She turned quickly landing a solid punch to his nose. As he was preoccupied pulling the leather from her left arm. His shouts of pain echoed off the pure marble of the foyers interior. Blood was now dropping between his fingers, colouring the signature Carrara marble pattern bright red. He went to lash out at her, acting on instinct I through my own fist. Sending it flying towards his face, connecting hard against his right eye socket sending Caleb to the floor hard. The familiar sound of several guns being cocked from all angles had my nose twitching in irritation.

"No one is to shoot my guests." Maxwell's voice commanded from the second floor balcony. Slowly each gun was lowered, but I paid them no mind as I kept complete eye contact with him. "My office is this way. Do make your way quickly we have much to discuss."

I've stood in this depressive office multiple times, as back in my youth and to this day. I hated it. The dominant presence of Stefano never left even in death, sending a sickening quiver down my spine. I stood a foot away from the desk and the others were loosely stood behind me, Carmela being the closest to me. Maxwell had two men in each corner of the room behind him and Emilia stood by the open window to the left of the desk. She looked so much like her sister as she silently stood there, looking out at the beauty that is Italy.

Maxwell gestured for me to take a seat as he sat behind the oversized solid mahogany desk. I remained standing crossing my arms over my chest and raising a quizzical brow at him. "Fine. As you can guess I have taken control of this enterprise and intend to stay in command. This is with or without your approval." I expressed indifference, wanting to come back to that topic soon. "How did you kill him?" Maxwell's expression didn't change, but Emilia flinched in my peripheral vision. Turning my gaze to her, I asked again. She gulped, tears filled her eyes but never fell. "I... I slit his throat." She whispered.

I was impressed by someone of her stature being able to overpower him and cause a fatal wound. "Why?" Maxwell cleared his throat wanting the attention back on him but not succeeding as Emilia continued. "Trust me when I say you don't want to know." This peeked my interest. Carmela stepped closer, wanting to comfort her, but didn't advance more than one step as I asked the same question. "Because it's not a pleasant story." A sweet familiar voice sounded from behind us all. I whipped round finding my mothers frail and gaunt looking face staring back at me, I didn't get chance to comfort her and have her in my arms before she walked around behind Maxwell's desk to stand by Emilia.

"So you intend to take what is rightfully mine?"