Dante stands near the window, a glass of whiskey in his hand. He catches my eye and nods once. We don't need words. He knows what I did to Castellano. He helped.
Valentino emerges from the kitchen with a bottle of wine, his mother immediately scolding him for not letting the staff handle it. He ignores her.
And Antonella.
She sits in the chair beside mine. The bruises on her face have faded to yellow-green shadows. Her left hand is bandaged where they cut off her ring. I had a new one made. Bigger. Better.
She looks up as I approach. Smiles.
"You're staring," she says.
"I'm admiring."
"Same thing."
I lower myself into the chair beside her, setting the cane against the table.
Pietro stands. The room falls silent.
"Thank you all for coming," he says. His voice carries the authority of a Don, even though he's about to give up the title. "I know it's been a difficult few weeks. But we're here tonight to celebrate."
Aria raises her glass. "To family."
"To family," everyone echoes.
Pietro waits for the toast to finish before continuing. "Three weeks ago, the Castellanos took something precious from us. They thought they could use Bruno's wife as leverage. They thought wrong."
I feel Antonella's hand find mine under the table. Her fingers intertwine with mine, squeezing gently.
"Bruno coordinated the response," Pietro continues. "Every detail. Every man. Every move. The Castellanos are no longer a threat to this family or any other. Their Don is dead. Their organization is scattered."
He doesn't mention the five days I spent with Marco Castellano in the basement of Lorenzo's restaurant. Doesn't mention the screams that echoed off the concrete walls, or the way I took him apart piece by piece for what his men did to my wife.
Antonella doesn't know. She doesn't need to know.
"Not a single one of our men was injured," Pietro adds. "Liam's contact inside the Castellano organization provided crucial intelligence. The operation was flawless."
Liam, standing near the door, inclines his head slightly. His face remains impassive, but I catch the ghost of satisfaction in his eyes.
"Which brings me to why I've gathered everyone here tonight." Pietro looks at me. "Bruno."
I meet his gaze. Hold it.
"You asked me months ago if you could have the Don position back," Pietro says. "I told you to prove yourself. To show me you were ready."
The room is silent.
"You've done more than prove yourself." Pietro's voice softens. "You've shown me what I always knew but was tooafraid to admit. This family needs you. Not the man you were before the shooting. The man you are now."
He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a small velvet box. Sets it on the table in front of me.
I know what's inside without opening it. Our father's ring. The Don's ring. The one Riccardo wore until the day he died. The one Pietro has worn for the past two years.
"I'm stepping down," Pietro announces. "Effective immediately. Bruno will assume leadership of the Sartori family."
Aria makes a small sound. When I look at her, tears are streaming down her face. But she's smiling.
"About time," she says.