SIX FURIES AND A ROSE

CHAPTER 9

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//GYM//

Lex, his t-shirt darkened with sweat across his shoulders and back, was a study in focused power. Vin’s movements were sharper, fueled by a restless energy that had only intensified since the previous night.

“The De Lucas have confirmed for the dinner,” Vin said between controlled breaths, delivering a sharp jab-cross combination.

“Twenty-eight guests. Close associates only. Gabe is handling the menu—nothing too opulent, elegant. Luca’s drawing up the seating chart. Dante’s on security.” He paused, wiping his brow with his arm. “It’s under control. She’ll be safe, celebrated, and home by midnight.”

Lex absorbed a series of body blows into his bag, his footwork impeccable. “And what does Raphaella want?”

Vin stopped, holding his bag steady. “She wants to run off to a lake house with a boy who can’t keep his hands to himself. She wants things that aren’t safe.”

“She’s twenty-one, Vin. Safety isn’t her only concern anymore. It might not even be in her top five.”

“It’s in my top one,” Vin shot back, his voice low. “It’s the only one that matters. Last night proved that.”

“Last night proved your current method is creating the very rebellion you fear,”

Lex countered, his voice calm but unyielding. He stopped his workout, unwrapping the tape from his hands with deliberate slowness.

He glanced toward the smoothie bar, where two women were openly staring, whispering behind their phones. He turned his back to them, his gaze locking onto Vin’s. “We need to talk. Not here. But now.”

Something in Lex’s tone—a gravity that went beyond sibling disputes—cut through Vin’s frustration. He gave a sharp nod. They walked to a secluded corner of the gym, near the empty racks of weights, an island of relative privacy.

“The dinner is a good idea,” Lex began, his voice dropping so only Vin could hear. “But it’s not just a birthday. It needs to be a statement. A show of strength. Because the calculus has changed.”

Vin’s eyes narrowed. “What calculus?”

Lex leaned against the cool concrete wall, his expression turning grim. “The reason I cut my trip short. The reason I’m back.” He let the silence hang for a beat, ensuring he had Vin’s absolute focus. “Lorenzo Amerigo is back in the country. He’s in New York.”

The name hit Vin with the force of a physical blow. All the color drained from his face. The restless energy solidified into something cold and deadly.

“Amerigo,”

he breathed, the word a curse. The man whose betrayal had led to the ambush that killed their parents. The ghost that had haunted their family for seventeen years.

Lex gave a single, grave nod. “He’s not hiding. He’s re-establishing. He’s got backing from the old families in Naples. And he’s not alone.” He paused, letting the next piece of information land with maximum impact. “He has a son. Elio Amerigo. He’s Raphaella’s age.”

The implications exploded in Vin’s mind like shrapnel. This wasn’t just an old enemy returning. It was a strategic play. A son the same age as their most protected, most vulnerable asset. It was a message, a threat, and a potential move all in one.

“He wouldn’t dare,” Vin snarled, but the fear beneath the fury was palpable.

“He’s daring enough to come back to the city where he’s a marked man,” Lex said flatly. “A birthday celebration for the Scarlatti princess? It’s a perfect opportunity for him to make a point. To send a message. To see her. Or for his son to see her.”

“Her birthday…” Vin whispered, the horror dawning. “It’s not a celebration. It’s a target.”

“It’s both,” Lex corrected. “It has to be. We use it. We show the entire city that the Scarlatti family is stronger than ever.”

Vin stared at the floor, his mind racing, the old grief and fury mixing with this new, potent fear. The women at the smoothie bar were forgotten. The world had shrunk to this corner, to this name from the past that had just catapulted into their present.

“Elio Amerigo,” Vin repeated, tasting the name like poison. “What do we know about him?”

“Less than I’d like,” Lex admitted. “Educated in Switzerland. Kept away from the business, supposedly. But he’s his father’s son. And he’s here now.”

Vin finally looked up, his eyes meeting Lex’s. The brotherly frustration was gone, replaced by the cold, calculating gaze of the heir. “The birthday plans change. Everything changes.”

“Yes,” Lex said. “We start planning today. Not for a party. For a declaration of war, disguised as a celebration.”

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// UNIVERSITY//

“Rafe! Hey, Rafe, wait up!”

Ethan’s voice, tinged with a desperate urgency, cut through the ambient noise. He jogged to catch up, falling into step beside them. He had a fading red mark on his cheekbone—a perfect imprint, Chloe noted with savage satisfaction.

Raphaella didn’t break stride. She didn’t even turn her head.

“Rafe, come on, please. We need to talk. About last night… it was a huge misunderstanding. She kissed me, I swear. I was just drunk and upset because of your brothers, and I thought you hated me—”

“I don’t hate you, Ethan,” Raphaella said, her voice so calm it was more chilling than any shout. She finally stopped and turned to face him. Her eyes were clear, devoid of the tears or fury he’d seen before. They were simply… empty of him. “I’m indifferent. That’s worse. Now, you’re in my way.”

She moved to step around him. He reached for her arm. “Just listen for one second!”

Before his fingers could make contact, Chloe’s hand shot out, slapping his away. “The lady said you’re in the way,” Chloe said, her tone sweetly venomous. “And after last night, you’ve lost all ‘touch her’ privileges. Permanently.”

Ethan flushed, looking between them. He focused on Chloe, his voice turning pleading. “Chloe, you have to believe me. Help me explain to her.”

Chloe looked at him as if he were a poorly done sketch on a napkin.

“Explain what? That you’re a coward who uses ‘your brothers scared me’ as an excuse to stick your tongue down the nearest poli-sci major? No, thanks. My best friend doesn’t need your explanations. She’s already done the math, and you came up as a zero.”

She hooked her arm through Rafe’s. “We have a class. One that actually requires a spine to attend. I’m not sure you’d qualify.”

They walked away, leaving Ethan standing alone on the path, the curious stares of passing students burning into him. He called out once more, “Raphaella! Please!”

She didn’t look back.