The Heir

Chapter 34 - Ryan's POV

There's plenty of things that call for celebration right now. Firstly, Charlie decided on a name for the baby. She's going to call him Orion. Simultaneously a variant of my name and her favorite constellation. Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen her happier.

And, of course, Elle passed all of the tests. She's smart and strong, I had no doubts. But Rocco and I both agreed to go a little easy on her because Lord knows Luca wasn't going to be. She's officially up for consideration. She's proven that she has what it takes to be in charge. To be the Donnina.

But the thing I want to celebrate the most, to share with the people closest to me, has to remain a secret. At least for now.

While Elle was doing her tests, Rocco took me to see Victoria. In the Don's absence, the Regina holds the most power. So while Luca was watching Elle's every move, Victoria saw me in their home office.

I took the oath.

I'm officially a full fledged member of the DiSilva Family. I'm classified as a foot soldier, the lowest on the totem pole, but I'll work my way up. With the training I already have and Rocco's guidance, I'll climb the ladder in no time.

But, like I said, I can't share this excitement with anyone. Charlie would drop dead on the spot if I told her, I'm not exaggerating. And she barely knows the extent of what it means to be a soldier. I know she didn't want this life for me, she's made it clear for as long as I can remember, but it's my life not hers.

And I sure as shit can't tell Elle. She wasn't supposed to know I was training to begin with. I told her because she's my best friend but I can't tell her about this. Because I've been given my very first assignment.

Guard Elle.

Our guards can't come to Montrose. Sure the school has its own security and Switzerland is, in and of itself, a very safe place to be. But if something were to happen, if our enemies were to track her down, those security guards wouldn't stand a chance. Not to mention the fact that they have no idea what to look out for.

So I've been assigned to protect her. But they don't want her knowing; they meaning Victoria and Luca. They don't want her to know what's going on. I get it, sort of. They're her parents, they don't want her to worry. But keeping Elle in the dark has never turned out well before.

There have been attacks. Spaced out and not all too serious; the death toll is in the double digits. But it is an attack nonetheless. Only no one is taking credit.

The Russians are gone, they were exterminated nearly seventeen years ago. There's only one other family in the Italian mob and we have them under our thumb. The triads are in good standing and we've come to an agreement with the cartel. No one knows who's been attacking us.

And I can tell that it's scaring the shit out of Rocco.

Knowing who you're up against is vital to taking them down. That's the only way you can come up with a plan. Track them down and destroy them on their own turf. But with these anonymous attacks, there's nothing to do.

So I'll hold onto these secrets and protect Elle like my life depends on it. Honestly, I didn't need that assignment. I didn't need anyone to tell me to watch after her. Because that's my job as her best friend.

The air in the dining room is thick. Everyone's here, the whole gang. Luca sits at the head of the table with a stone cold face. Victoria sits to his left, as she always does, and waves her hands around as she talks to Enzo.

Gio and Rosa occupy the foot of the table, only their expressions are flipped. Rosa's the one wearing a scowl while Gio jokes around with his sons. Their kids are remarkably well behaved. The twins are the same age as Gabby but lack the spoiled attitude. And Julian is so quiet he often gets lost in the chaos.