Page 117 of Tempting My Mafia Monster

Maddox bobbed his head, a sadistic smile on his face that made the hairs on my arms stand on end. Oh no, he was livid.

“Blacklisted? After he slaughtered my family? And what about the Barbieris? You were happy to ally with them when they supported McKenna.”

“That’s not true. Trust me, the Buccinis and the Barbieris have a long history of violence and were enemies when all that happened. But after Diego died and Alessio took control, everything changed. One of the first things Alessio did was to end his father’s alliance with McKenna. The Buccinis have never allied with the McKennas, and we never would.”

“Not sure that being your ally would make any difference to anyone.”

Gio’s fist clenched on the table. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Maddox’s jaw pulsed. My heart raced.

“You gave my Da your word that you’d support us,” Maddox growled, his fist trembling around his knife. I swallowed and looked at Liv, who was clearly just as concerned, reaching for Gio’s forearm.

“And I did,” Gio said, his voice stern yet calmer than I expected. “I supported your family for months, sending men and weapons. But when your father asked for more than I could offer, as I was fighting a war here, I had to put my family’s safety first. Your father understood. He’d have done the same in my position.”

Maddox seethed, his chest rising and falling.

“I offered you and your siblings refuge here in Italy until he killed Sean, but I never heard back from him about it.”

Maddox dropped his gaze to the table, his mind racing as I could only imagine what horrific memories were playing out in his head.

“Because that same night we were all poisoned and attacked.”

A heavy silence followed. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes because all I wanted to do was comfort him, yet it felt as if there were an ocean between us, not just a table.

“I’m sorry,” Gio said, his voice heavy with genuine sadness and sympathy. “I’m sorry for what happened to you and your family. Your father was a man I admired. A fair man. He didn’t deserve what happened. If I’d known you were alive and that Sean had taken you, I’d have done everything I could to free you. I can’t make things right, but as I said, Alessio and I have been discussing it, and you can take whatever you want from Sean’s empire. It can be all yours if you want it.”

Maddox shot out of his seat. His body was shaking. Half the table jumped back. He hissed, “I’ve lost my appetite.”

He stormed out of the pool house, the door slamming behind him.

Gio pressed his hands to his mouth in prayer, and Liv leaned into him, kissing his shoulder.

“You said what you needed to say. That couldn’t have been easy for either of you, but it’s done now. He knows where you stand. You did well, baby.”

“Grazie, Bambola.” Gio sighed, taking her hand and kissing it. “I feel bad for him. I do. He’s lost so much. Years of his life, everyone he loved, and his family’s legacy. Giving back at least some of what Sean took from him is the only thing we could think of.”

I quickly wiped my cheeks to hide the tears that had welled up at my brother’s kindness. Gio was ruthless, terrifying and calculating to the rest of the world, but we, his family, knew this softer side of him. The fact that he’d lowered his guard and let Maddox see it too was huge.

Gio’s phone pinged with a message, and he checked it, sighing. “Looks like our dinner host has done a runner.”

“What?” I asked, my heart pounding. Had Maddox left? For good?

“Soldiers on duty said he’s running laps around the estate. I don’t think he’ll be back anytime soon.”

My body slumped in slight relief, and I braced my elbows on the table, dropping my head into my hands. I wasn’t sure how much more of this stress I could take. It felt like I was constantly on edge, expecting Maddox to disappear again.

“Aleksandr is coming tomorrow. He says he might have a new lead on McKenna,” Gio said, digging back into his food.

I groaned into my hands. That’s the last thing I needed. Fuck, I’d need to speak to Maddox. I doubted he’d even care. He’d made it very clear he was avoiding me and didn’t remember us. Even so, I didn’t want him to find out about my engagement from someone else.

“I take it he didn’t make a very good first impression on you, Raya?”

“Aleksandr was… exactly as I had expected him to be.”

“Which was?”

“Cold, controlling, intimidating and a complete psychopath.”