NO DOUBT [bwwm]

• 34 • The Wrong One

"Orlando."

"Orlando!"

"What?" I turned to Luca who was handing me a cup of coffee. "No thanks," I declined the drink and sunk deeper into my desk chair. I actually needed that coffee as it was 9AM and I hadn't slept at all. However, I couldn't ingest anything when all I had in mind was her. "Any update regarding Josie?"

My brother shook his head. He sat down in front of me and sipped his own coffee silently, though I knew he had something to say. "What is it, Lucky?"

"I was on the phone with Gino and some other guys earlier..." He began in a grave tone. "We were discussing the mafia."

"It's not going anywhere, is it?" I sighed heavily.

"Realistically, no. Not if we don't change. We've had some major setbacks over the last few months, don't you think we're doing something wrong?"

I reflected on his question a few seconds. "I could've done more. I can do more. I know I let you down, you, the mafia...father. I could've been a better leader, one Padre would be proud of. And I'll work on that as soon as--"

"No, Orlando," Luca cut me off bluntly. "Don't get me wrong, you're a great leader. You were a pillar during fragile times, I don't know how we could've survived without you. Not to mention you're very good at what you're doing. But the reality is... your heart is not in it, I can tell. It's admirable that you want to honour Padre, but it shouldn't be the only reason you stay. You're not happy in this. You're not proud of the business the way Dad was. And in a way it's hurting us, but more importantly it's hurting you."

I sat taking his every word in as he read straight through me. It was an uncomfortable feeling, but it was the cold truth he was spitting. "I can't give it up. It's our legacy. The mafia is such a huge part of our lives, our identity. The Ricci men. We're mafiosos, it's what makes us... the men we are."

"You're wrong. What makes you the man you are Orlando is so much bigger than the mafia. It's what kept you up all night." The confused look I wore disappeared when I understood him. "I've seen the way you are with Josie. It's just... crazy. It's more than love, it's pure admiration, respect, devotion. Kind of like Dad with Ma. You've built a life for yourself over the past couple of months. One you can easily be proud of. And happy. Don't beat yourself up for that... Besides, it was never supposed to be you. All that pressure you were put under ever since Benito passed away... it simply wasn't fair."

My heart clenched a little as he mentioned the unmentionable... our older brother's name. When he died ten years ago, my youth vanished too, in a way. I went from high school athlete with a full ride to an Ivy league college and a possible chance at a normal life to being thrown into the dark world of organized crime, because my father needed an heir. An heir... "How about you do it? Would that interest you, Luca, to become the boss?"

He hesitated, "I've actually been thinking. I want revenge for what happened to our father. I want to bring Elijah and his little circus troupe down, even if it takes my whole life. But I've got to be smart. So I'm going to be undercover for a while, as in a long time. I plan to lay low until I'm confident in taking action."

"Wow, Luca," I breathed, proud of my brother. "Just know I'm here to support you no matter what, but I believe in you. Also... maybe the mafia could use a small break from us. We can let the other families handle it temporarily, plus I trust Gino. You could always come back and take the title that's rightfully yours, or not, it's up to you."

"I'll see when the moment comes," he said a small glint in his eyes. "You should think of laying low as well. Our own uncle is our rival now. We can never be too safe, not until we know exactly how much they know."

I agreed. Once I found Josie, I would get us far away from them. I needed to talk to Gino so he could make some arrangements for us. I reached for my phone and opened it to see 3 missed calls from an unknown number.

"Hey, do we know anybody from Massachusetts? There's this number from there that's been trying to call me," I mumbled, furrowing my eyebrows.

"... Are you gonna call them back?"

"It's not like it's a 'No Caller ID' case... I'll try calling them," I decided, taking the care to turn off my location on my cell phone first.

I clicked on the number and it rang three times before someone answered.

"...Hello?"

The relief I felt in that moment was indescribable, simply overbearing. So much so, I lost all knowledge of the English language as the only word I could utter was, "Dolcezza?" Luca's eyes widened as he mouthed 'Is that her?' and I nodded yes.

"Orlando. You don't know how happy I am to hear your voice, baby." As a mobster, my mind went to the possibility that it was a trap, but she didn't sound rushed or as if she was picking her words. Just like me, she simply sounded like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"Are you healthy? Are you safe? Where are you?" I bombarded her with questions out of worry.

"I'm safe, uh... weirdly enough. I'm in Boston, actually. It's a long story. I'm good, really, it's just... I can't wait to see you. And I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for the way we left things yesterday, I-"

"Baby, it's fine. Let's not do this over the phone, ok? Look, tell me your location and I'll come to you."

I jotted down the address she gave me and soon enough I was calling the right people to send a few cars to the house. My brother sat pensively as I stood up to get ready, "You coming with?"

"Yeah," he jumped out of his thoughts. "I gotta see my sis-in-law before I tell her goodbye."

"Let's go then."