Chapter 62: Tough Decisions

Chapter 62: Tough Decisions
Haden

“I’ll ship her off. You’ll never have to worry about her again,” Leo all but begged.

I didn’t answer. I just stared at him, then past him.

I already had what I needed.

Maxim’s location. His plan.

He was going to hit us on our wedding day.

Our fucking wedding day.

It wasn’t enough for them to betray me. They wanted to turn the moment Joella had waited her whole life for into a war zone. They wanted me distracted, vulnerable, and her taken.

It made the blood in my veins burn.

Riccardo sat tied to a metal chair. Head drooping, face purple and swollen. Cheekbone shattered. Jaw broken. One leg bent unnaturally. His ribs were shot to hell.

I didn’t even torture him.

Just beat him within an inch of his life.

That was mercy.

Julia stood in the far corner of the warehouse, shoulders tense, arms trembling. Not nearly as bruised as I wanted her to be. But Micah had asked me to go easy on her. He only would’ve done that if they’d fucked.

He’s not the type to speak for someone he doesn’t care about.

Micah and I go back. Elementary school. He knows me. Knows how I get about Ella. So if he asked me to spare Julia pain, it meant something.

Dante’ paced the room like a panther, sharp, silent, caged in fury. But his eyes weren’t just on me.

They were on Riccardo.

His own father.

Finally, I responded to Leo, “If I let you send her off,” I said, eyes locked on Leo, “what’s to stop her from crawling back?”

“She won’t,” he said quickly, voice tight. “I’ll have her married to the Comiso boy.”

“Daddy! What-”

“Quiet, Julia. You’ve done enough,” Leo snapped.

Micah stiffened behind me. Sucked in a sharp breath.

Yup. They've definitely fucked.

I turned my gaze to Julia. She looked like she’d been sentenced to death. Her lip trembled. Her mouth opened like she might protest, but then she saw the look I gave her.

And she shut it quickly.

To Julia, marrying into the Comisos was death.

They weren’t a mafia family. Just a well-known Sicilian household famous for their food. Their family-owned trattoria had been passed down for generations. Honest. Humble. Hard-working. They stayed in their lane, respected the old ways, and didn’t cross into anyone else's business.

They were a homely people. But they were good people.

But to someone like Julia, they were invisible. No black-tie galas, no Cartier bracelets or penthouse balconies. She’d be a well-kept wife serving cannoli and watching her husband manage tables.

She’d fade.

She’d hate it.

And I loved that.

But Micah didn’t. Not by the way his jaw ticked.

I’ll find him someone better.

A hard breath escaped behind me. Dante’.

His pacing stopped.

Hands in his pockets. Shoulders rigid. Eyes full of something more dangerous than rage.

I walked over slowly and tilted my head.

“You seem troubled.”

He scoffed, looking away. “Understatement of the year.”

I stepped in closer. Calm. Intentional.

“Come take a walk.”

“Haden-” Leo called.

I waved him off without turning.

“Send her off. She needs to be gone before I come back and change my mind.”



We moved in silence down the gravel path, toward the trees behind the warehouse. No one followed. The night air was cool, but I could feel the heat pulsing in my chest.

This wasn’t a stroll.

It was a decision.

If Dante’ even flinched the wrong way, I was going to kill him right here. Quick. Clean. One shot. And leave his body in the water.

We reached the edge of the woods. The trees opened into a clearing where the moon shimmered over the still pond.

Peaceful. Almost beautiful.

Ella would’ve liked it. I thought of her sitting by the pond at my grandfather’s cabin. Her legs folded beside her. My jacket over her shoulders. Her voice whispering through the quiet.

I inhaled deeply.

Dante’ let out a long, shaky breath beside me.

He looked wrecked. Tired. Not physically, emotionally.

Before I could speak, he did.

“You have to kill him.”

I didn’t respond right away.

“Why?” I asked, calm, watching him closely.

He looked up at the stars. His hands clenched, then opened again.

“Because he won’t stop. You let him live, and it’s just a matter of time. He’ll come for you. Joella. Your babies.”

I already knew that.

This wasn’t about Riccardo.

This was about him.

“I-” he started, then faltered. “You know I love him. He raised me on loyalty, on respect. Preached it every fucking day. And now he does this.”

His voice cracked slightly.

“I’m angry. But... fuck, Haden. He’s still my dad.”

I nodded slowly.

“I get it. So here’s the deal. If you want him to live, fine. But if he so much as breathes in my direction again, I’m coming for all of you.”

I stepped closer.

“If you want him dead... then you do it.”

He blinked. I saw it hit him.

That I meant it.

That I was watching him, not his answer.

I turned and started walking back toward the warehouse.

“I’ll do it,” he called.

I didn’t stop walking.

“Good choice.”



The heavy warehouse doors creaked open as I stepped inside.

Only the necessary people remained: Gio, Luca, Micah, and Enzo.

Leo and Julia were gone.

Riccardo was still slumped in the chair, slipping in and out of consciousness, his breathing shallow and wet.

Dante’ stepped in behind me.

I looked at him. He gave me a nod.

That was all I needed.

“Gio. Stay with Dante’. Luca, Enzo, Micah, let’s go.”

Gio didn’t ask questions. He just moved closer to Dante’.

The others followed me out.

As we stepped into the night, Luca glanced sideways at me.

“He’s gonna do it, isn’t he.”

I nodded once.

“Wait...do what?” Enzo asked, brows furrowed.

“Kill Riccardo,” Luca said casually.

Micah let out a low whistle.

“Damn.”

“You think he’ll go through with it?” Micah asked.

“With Gio in there?” Luca smirked. “Yeah.”

Then, BANG.

The sound echoed through the trees. Birds flying swiftly away from the noise. Sudden. Sharp. Final.

Micah and Enzo both stopped walking.

Enzo exhaled. “Well shit. Didn’t think he had it in him.”



The others got in their cars and drove off. But I stayed behind.

I leaned against my hood, hands in my pockets, staring up at the stars.

Half an hour passed.

Then the warehouse doors opened.

Dante’ and Gio walked out, dragging a thick, bloodied tarp between them.

No words. Just purpose.

They brought it to the side of the building where a blacked-out van waited, engine running, rear doors open.

The cleanup crew stepped forward. One of them pulled out a blade and sliced open the tarp.

Just enough to see.

Riccardo’s face. Eyes glassy. Skull blown wide.

The man glanced up at me.

And nodded.

That nod said everything.

I nodded back once.

The body disappeared into the van.

The doors slammed shut.

The engine roared.

And just like that... Riccardo Colombo was gone.

No trial. No ceremony.

Just a tarp, a van, and a nod.

I got into my car, started the engine, and pulled off without a word.

No hesitation. No need to look back.

Riccardo was dead. Julia was gone. And Dante’ had proven where he stood.

I wasn’t just a son anymore.

I wasn’t just a name.

I was the reckoning they didn’t see coming.

The blood had started flowing, and it wouldn’t stop until every last traitor was buried beneath it.

Maxim was still out there.

But I was coming.

And this time, I wouldn’t miss.

The weight of command no longer pressed on my shoulders. It moved through me now. Silent. Cold. Unstoppable.

This was the calm after the kill.

The silence before the next storm.

I didn’t need to speak it aloud. Everyone would feel it soon enough.

I was no longer becoming the man they feared.

I was him.

And now... I was going home.

To my woman. To my legacy.

To everything I'd kill for to protect.