Authors Note: Thank you to everyone left comments or sent me feedback about previous chapters of this story. Thank you again to Margaret who proofread for me. ~ellie
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The Donati men sat around the big table in the Athenaeum listening to the sermon of the family priest as he retold the biblical story of the twelfth night and the epiphany the following day that the Son of God had been born.
"Like that baby, your ancestors were born the sons of men with no name, no prestige, no power. Men with the courage and determination to reclaim what was rightfully theirs. Each of you has chosen to embrace who you were born to be and receive the name, prestige, and power that your forefathers risked their lives to ensure would be the rightful legacy of their Son's sons down throughout the ages," he spoke in a heartfelt rousing tone.
It seemed to the men at the table more of a battle cry than a blessing but then their family had been at war long before the infant Jesus had been born. The history lesson within the sermon seemed to go on interminably as they were reminded that the Twelve tables took up the ideals and purpose of the Italics, as well as the laws of ancient Rome, though they had been chiselled finely to suit the modern day world as each generation had taken its place at the table.
"You the descendants of noble men have chosen to take up the torch and be a beacon of goodness and light to your fellow men," He raised his hands as he gave his final blessing on the table and the men who sat around it.
Dante felt like laughing. He was coveting his brother's wife and encouraging her to commit adultery. Not only was he doing that but the act was encouraged and accepted as part of their lives by every man here. He considered the other commandments and realised that the only one he could honestly believe that they all strictly adhered to was, honour thy mother and father. While he didn't believe anyone in this room was a stone cold killer, he also knew from recent events that anyone could be driven to it given the right circumstances.
It was a tradition brought to the family when they had blended with the powerful and deeply religious Medici family. It was all about salvation for the murky world of religious, political intrigue and manipulation, in which they dwelt when one overlapped the other constantly. Despite how altruistic their ancestor's motives must have been, there was no doubt that the family benefitted greatly from all the machinations of those medieval generations both professionally and privately.
In this modern world, they continued to slaves and servants. They lived like kings above the reach of the local laws, because of the power and affluence they held. The men at this table, including himself, were far removed from the saintly personalities the priest waxed on about and he could have laughed out loud as he was anointed with an oily cross to his forehead.
This meeting originally scheduled for tomorrow had been rescheduled half an hour before it began and they had all dropped their plans immediately to be here. Dante was reassured that Peri now had two watchers and a bodyguard acting as a third nanny to anyone outside of their home. Each of their wives now had watchers as they remained on alert because the evidence Marcus had brought them, that someone within their immediate family had already been compromised.
The drawn out ceremony was slowly coming to end when Dante felt a prickling on his scalp. Something was wrong. He turned his head toward the door narrowing his eyes and listening carefully past the droning of the priest. He stood and held up his hand for silence stunning those around the table and quickly walked toward the door throwing it open and staring at the man walking toward him with a gun raised before him.
"Gun," he yelled and dove forward onto the floor taking the gunman's feet out from under him and carrying him to the floor, as well as he cried out in pain. Ignoring the searing pain in his leg he used the momentary shock of the man below him to disarm him and punch him in the face. Dino and several others ran past him toward a scuffle at the front of the showroom floor.
"You fucking shot me! Motherfucker!" Dante roared in pain and slammed his fist into the man face one more time as his father knelt beside him pulling him away and others moved to make sure the area was clear.
"Well that was a stupid thing to do," Joseph frowned and took his jacket off, using it to put pressure on the wound. "It doesn't look too bad."
"Hurts like a mother..." Dante grimaced as his father added pressure making the pain slice up his leg.
"I don't think they expected anyone to be here but the night guards, one fled as soon as they saw us, Dino and Larry went after him. One of the guards is down. The others managed to fight back and sound the alarm. Another man is being taped up by Romey and Jules. The police should be here any moment," Ben reported as he returned with Josh.
"Fuck the police get an ambulance," Dante groaned.
"What do we do with this guy and his friend," Vincenzo indicated the unconscious man that he had one foot on. "Keep him or throw him to the boys in blue?"
"Keep them. Charles you take them to your place, Con, CJ go with them we'll meet back there later after the hero here gets his wound kissed better by a pretty nurse," Joseph said in a light tone. "Get the others back here with us before the police arrive so we can get our story straight," Joseph ordered taking full control of the situation.
When the police arrived the two men had been taken away by Constantine, Charles, and his sons, through the narrow corridors that ran like a maze behind this front building to the side streets. Only one of the would-be attackers had a gun which was handed over to the police. The story had been that the men who had been conducting a family meeting had surprised the would-be thieves and Dante had been shot before landing a few good punches on the offender's face. They described the three men in detail and aside from the fact that they said that the three men fled the scene they were in all other ways scrupulously honest.
Ben received a call and nodded to Joseph signalling that Dino and Lorenzo had been successful in a fast but relatively short little car chase and were on their way to Charles place, they would meet everyone there.
"Change of plans," Vincenzo said quietly. "Whoever told them our meeting was tomorrow is in danger. Go home and check on your loved ones just as a precaution. The senior table can meet with Charles after we deliver our wives to a safe location. We can't move all your young families."
"Josh. Go. Now," Dante groaned as the paramedics probed at his wound and packed it with dressings. "I'll be fine with these sadists. Go check on Peri." He grimaced.
"It doesn't look bad, no damage to bones or arteries, he's been very lucky, it could have been much worse," one of the paramedics informed them as they rolled him onto a stretcher and lifted it to transport Dante to the hospital.
"Which hospital are you taking him to?" Josh asked.
