Chapter 566: I Feel So Sick

Luca looked calm. He had to be before he would have to tell her what he needed to. Enough was enough. He heard a soft movement on the stairs. His head turned.

Vee finally came down, wrapped in a loose robe, her hair untidy. One hand rested lightly over her stomach. "I feel so sick."

That was what she started with. First thing in the morning. Yes, that had just started recently. The morning sickness had arrived. She could barely keep anything down.

"Good morning to you too," he said. "I’ll make you some tea."

"No. No..." She lifted one hand weakly. "I’ll probably race to the bathroom again."

"Ginger? Crackers?"

"Do not say food to me."

"Water?"

"Do not say anything to me. You’re up early," she said.

"Couldn’t sleep," Luca admitted.

"You worried about something?"

"Something like that," Luca said.

"What?" she asked. "Tell me, Luca." She stepped closer to him.

Luca inhaled then exhaled. Well, this was it. There were very few things in life that genuinely frightened him.

But his wife’s face after hearing the truth about Valentina? That frightened him. Whatever happened after this, happened. He had delayed it long enough. Perhaps too long. Silence had started to rot. And rotten things, left alone, always found a way to stink up the house.

"While we were in..."

A knock sounded at the door.

Vee’s brows drew together. "Who is that?"

Luca’s head turned towards the entrance. Only a select few people could make it to the front door without the guards stopping them. Even fewer could do it this early in the morning.

"I’ll get it," Vee said.

"No." Luca stepped forward immediately. "Let me."

She gave him a look at his back.

"I saw that." He crossed the living room and opened the front door. "Father?!"

Massimo Genovese stood on the doorstep in a dark coat, his presence as heavy and arrogant as ever.

Behind Luca, Vee appeared, one hand on her stomach. "Don?!"

"Ah, Regina." Massimo all but shoved Luca out of the way to reach her.

Luca stumbled a half step aside, offended. "Good morning to you too," he muttered.

Massimo ignored him completely. He took Vee’s good hand with unexpected gentleness and looked her over. His eyes went to her face first, then the bandage, then her belly. "How are you?"

"I’m fine," Vee said.

"Il bambino?"

Vee’s hand moved instinctively to her stomach. "We are both fine...Thank you."

"You don’t call me often enough," he told Vee. "I need to know how you are doing constantly so I can report to Carol."

Vee’s smile grew warmer. "I do call her too."

"Yes, but she thinks she can hear lies when I call her. So she prefers to hear news from me."

"And can she?" Vee asked.

"Yes," Massimo admitted.

"Don," Luca said, finally deciding to announce his existence, "what are you doing here?"

Massimo turned to him as if surprised to discover Luca still lived there. "Because when something is wrong, your mother blames me. So I am here to move things along faster. I am supposed to be preparing for my retirement, dammit."

Luca reached for the small leather bag in Massimo’s hand and took it from him. Massimo walked into the house, glancing around.

"What do you need?" he asked. "My men are at Commissioned. There was no time to check them into a hotel. I was hoping I would not wake Regina since it is so early."

Luca stared at him. "I live in this house too. Just saying."

Vee looked at him with bright amusement. "Awww... is someone jealous?"

"No."

Massimo removed his coat and handed it to Luca without looking.

Luca took it, then realised what had happened, then dumped both the coat and the bag on the sofa. "Don, you did not have to come over. I have everything handled."

"Nonsense," Massimo said. "Your mother sent me. Here I am. Is anyone else here?" he asked.

Luca and Vee shook their heads.

"Staff are in the back quarters. Guards outside."

"So," Massimo said, "we need this Voss guy and Vito gone. What are their locations?" His idea of moving things along faster. Identify the problem, remove the problem.

"Dad," Luca said carefully, "we cannot go around shooting cops. Especially not one like Voss," he added.

"This is why I could never stay here." Massimo sat down, irritated already. "I do not own the patience. When is the trial?" he asked.

"In three months."

"Three months?" His face hardened with immediate offence. "I am not staying here that long."

"I don’t even expect you to stay for a week, Don," Luca snapped.

Vee smacked him on the arm. "Ignore him, Don...You are always welcome here."

Luca turned to her slowly. "Always?"

Vee turned away before she laughed too openly. Truly, the Genovese men were a plague, but God forgive her, she had developed affection for the symptoms. "You came straight from the airport?" she asked Massimo.

"Yes. I will need a nap, and then we get to work."

"Of course."

"I told Marco when you all left Italy to keep an eye on Vito," Massimo continued. "How did he miss this?"

"Marco came back to Italy almost immediately to train Elio," Luca said.

"Call Marco to meet me here," Massimo said, "and we can work out a plan."

"Don," Luca snapped, losing patience. "I do not need your help. This concerns my immediate family."

"Luciano," Massimo said, "the rules of the famiglia are simple. If your father..." He gestured towards Veronica. "Has decided to be an idiot, whether or not he is a member of the famiglia..."

"Don," Luca cut in.

"then he is treated like any other threat." Massimo ignored him.

And in that moment, Vee understood. Luca was not hesitating because Vito deserved mercy. God knew he did not. Vito Scalese had spent his life collecting reasons not to be mourned. Luca was hesitating because of her. Because the bloodline was hers. Because no matter how many times she said she wanted Vito gone, Luca still feared being the man who took her father from the world.

Or rather, feared what taking him might take from her.

"Don..." Luca said, his voice controlled with visible effort. "I would like to handle this myself."

Vee stepped in. "Why don’t I get the staff to make you breakfast? While you rest, I will head out to Commissioned and make sure your men are in good hands."

"Thank you," Massimo said.

Vee smiled, gave Luca a warning glance and headed outside the house to the staff quarters.