United with the Family - Cherie Benjamin (book reader for pc txt) 📗

Erik stood behind the chair.

The front door opened and Zachary came face to face with a tall, dark haired man with piercing blue eyes.  Zachary could tell by the way he held himself, that he was a very dangerous. Zachary surmised that this must be Kane's capo, Uriel Brookshire. Kane had made a very good choice in this man.  "Welcome, please follow me." Uriel said in a cold, even tone of voice.

They arrived at the den and Zachary saw his granddaughter.  She was even more beautiful than he remembered, so much like his own mother at Ara’s age.

"Welcome to our home, Zachary."  Nazario said. "Please have a seat and we will get started."

"Thank you for having me."  Zachary said, sitting in the chair on the other end of the fireplace, while Tony took his position behind him.

"Zachary, we know that Ara is your granddaughter, but I wanted to let you know that I've put her under our family’s protection."

"Excuse me, but she is my granddaughter."  Zachary said sternly.

"That may be, but she has become very important to the family, so it is within my right to do so."  Nazario stated clearly in a don't fuck with me tone.

"SHE IS A MOROTTI!"  Zachary yelled.

"SHE IS MY FINACÉE!"  Kane yelled, standing up and looking dead into Zachary's eyes.

"WHAT?"

Kane smirked.  "We are getting married."

Zachary stood and reached for his gun and, in doing so, caused everyone in the room who had a gun to pull theirs out to aim at each other’s enemy.  Ara looked around the room. When she saw all of the guns, she became afraid that someone she loved would be hurt because of her and she couldn't have that.  Standing up, she laid her hand on Kane's arm and looked over pleadingly to Zachary.

"Grandfather," Ara said, trying to calm him down by using the name she was sure he wanted to hear from her lips.  Truth be told, she was not ready to call him family; there were too many years of lingering pain, but, maybe, over time, he might gain her trust, and one day she would call him Grandfather from her heart. "Please don't do this.  I love Kane with all that I am, and I intend to spend the rest of my life as his wife." Ara said, standing tall and proud.

"But you're my granddaughter, my oldest grandchild.  It is you who will be the next leader of our family."

"But I don't know you.  However, I do know is that I want no part in the family business."

"But you will be marrying into a crime family; hell, Kane will be the Don soon.  So what is the difference?"

"The difference is I want no part in the business of drugs, human trafficking, or prostitution.  Yes, the Leone's also commit illegal activities, but at least they don't ruin people's lives with every transaction.  And they love me. For the first time in my entire life, I finally have a family and I am loved."

Zachary was taken aback by Ara’s statement.  What did she mean loved for the first time? Had Luna really never shown this beautiful young woman love?  Then he looked at the couple before him and realized that Kane and Ara truly loved each other. Fuck, what was he going to do?  If he hurt Kane, it would hurt Ara and if he allowed Ara to remain with Kane, what would that mean for the future of the Morotti family?

Then Zachary had a wild idea, but he needed a few answers.  He lowered his gun and then holstered it. He turned and nodded to Tony to do the same.  Tony lowered his gun and put it back in its holster. The Leones, after seeing Zachary and Tony put away their guns, did the same and waited to see what would happen next.

Zachary sat back down and so did everyone else.  He glanced to Nazario and asked, “I need some answers to some important questions.  Are you prepared to provide me answers?”

Nazario pondered Zachary’s request, knowing that he had the Don in a precarious position, he acquiesced.  “You may ask, and I may or may not answer.” Zachary nodded and asked his first question.

"When is Kane to assume control of your family?"

"On his wedding day."  Nazario said.

"And when is that?"

"We have not discussed it yet, but I believe it will be very soon, why?"

Zachary looked over at Kane Leone.  He knew he was going to a very good Don.  He was intelligent, disciplined, fearless, and deeply cared for his family.  All of which were qualities of a great Don. Then there was his precious granddaughter, who he had learned was intelligent, hardworking, loyal, strong, when need be, and obviously loved her new family.  As he examined Kane and Ara, he thought of the members of his own family. He knew that Sebastian was an evil man. It broke his wife's heart every time she heard or saw the disgusting things he was capable of doing.  Then his eldest grandson, Kurtus, was so much like his father. He was cruel, cold hearted, and only cared about himself. If Kurtus were permitted to run the family, it would be run straight into the ground. Moreover, his other grandson Simon, was kind hearted, but did not have the qualities needed to be the leader of the Morotti.  So what was he going to do? Then, it hit him.

"Ara, I want to retire and step down as the Don of the Morotti family.  I need you as my predecessor to become the Donna of our family."

Ara looked at the man who was her grandfather in name only.  She could see the position he was in, and although she felt some twinge of familial connection to him, she knew her answer before he asked the question.  "Grandfather, I thank you for your obvious confidence in my abilities, but for the reasons I previously stated, I must decline your offer.”

"Ara, allow me explain this more succinctly; once you assume leadership of the family, you will be in the position to rule the business aspects as you see fit.  All decisions in the direction and manner of the family business will be yours to control.”

"You do not understand my position, Grandfather.  I will be the wife of Don Kane Leone, leader of the Leone family.  My loyalty in all things is to the Leone family, but, more importantly, to Kane.  This is my vow, as important and significant as those of matrimony. I will never leave Kane’s side.”

“Ara, I would not ask of you to separate yourself from those you have chosen to love, and who have chosen to love you.  Had you met our family first, things may have been different. But hindsight is of no consequence in this situation." Zachary said, and then took a deep cleansing breath in and out.  "I am asking you and Kane to run the Morotti family together with the Leone family."

Nazario could not believe what he just heard; he looked around the room at the shock on everyone’s face, and realized that he had indeed heard what he thought Zachary Morotti had just said.  Zachary Morotti was willing to merge the Morotti family with the Leone family. Fuck, this was huge. If Kane and Ara agreed to this, they would be the most powerful couple in organized crime on the West Coast, hell, maybe in the whole country.  Looking over at Kane and Ara, he could see just that: Kane and Ara, Don and Donna of the Leone/Morotti crime families. A new reign was beginning and it was going be marvelous.

Chapter 14

 

Ara could not believe that Zachary wanted Kane and her to run both families.  Shit, she knew nothing about running a crime family. How the hell was this going to work?

"Zachary, I know nothing about how to run a crime family."  Ara admitted.

"Ara, don’t you have an MBA?"  Zachary asked.

 

"Yes, but there was never a class titled ‘How to Run an Illegal Business 101’."

"Smart-ass, I like it."  Zachary smirked. "Running the family business is not much different than a regular business.  However, anything you need to know differently, I am sure that Kane, Nazario, or I would be glad to help."

"Zachary, why do you want to do this?"  Kane questioned. He wondered why Zachary Morotti would be willing to turn over the reins of his self-made empire to a rival family, much less to a person whose only knowledge of business was learned in the classroom.  Fuck, it was not like Ara couldn't learn, because he knew she could, but why?

"Kane, I am getting tired.  As you know, running the family is very time consuming, and, unlike Nazario, I have not had the luxury of having a son or, fuck, even a grandson I could trust to help me.  I have been worried for years about what was going to happen to the family when I turned it over to Kurtus."

"I have heard about him, but have yet to meet him."  Kane said.

Zachary was suddenly confused.  He had been told that Kurtus had had a confrontation with Kane at Diamond Knotts after he attacked Ara.  This was another reason why Zachary was upset with his grandson. "But, Kane, you have."

"Not that I remember."

"Shit, I bet he didn't use his real last name when registering."  Zachary said.

"What do you mean ‘real last name’?"  Kane questioned.

"Kurtus Morotti is probably using his alias, Kurtus, or Kurt Elroy."

 

Kane jumped to his feet.  "ARE YOU FUCKING TELLING ME THAT KURTUS ELROY IS KURTUS MOROTTI?!"  Kane yelled. Turning quickly around, he looked Uriel in the eyes. "HOW THE FUCK DID YOU NOT KNOW?"

Uriel was as shocked to learn the news as everyone else was.

"Kane, I swear I had no idea.  His application checked out and he paid his dues in cash."  Uriel said.

"Kane…was he the man who grabbed me?”

When he didn’t say anything, Ara knew she had her answer.  

“You mean my half-brother tried to...tried to...NO!"  Ara said as she struggled with the thought of her own blood touching her the way that he did.  The very thought turned her stomach.

Kane turned back to Zachary with fire in his eyes.  His posture was stiffer, his shoulders were drawn back, and he even looked  bigger, his jawline was more angled. The man standing in his parents’ den was not their son, Kane, or Kane the Don, but rather Kane the Dominant Don.  "Zachary, Kurtus is a dead man." Kane said in a voice that would make the toughest of men quiver.

 

Zachary looked at Kane.  This was the type of man he had hoped his son or his grandson would be, but, at the same time,  this man was telling him that he was going to kill his own flesh and blood. "Kane, I can't let you do that."  Zachary said strongly.

"Well, if you want Ara and me to take over, you won't have any say over it.  That fucker touched her." Kane said, pointing at Ara. "He held her so hard that she screamed out in pain and then the motherfucker bit her neck and left a mark."

Zachary face softened as he looked over at his granddaughter.  "I am sorry for what he did to you."

Ara nodded, accepting