The Twelve Tables Ch. 21

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"Does he know?" Dante ran his fingers through his hair.

"He's already starting jockeying for support as if it is an election. He's smart, he knows what's coming, and I think it will entirely depend on how he spins his story, to the others," Josh said leaning back in his saddle. "If he knows, Carmen will know, and she will be trying to discredit Peri at every turn."

"She's not from one of the twelve families; some might see that as a deficit. On the other hand, she did a full trial with the Battaglia and got an exemplary report. They have supported her claim of being family." Dante said with certainty. "Don't tell her about this. Let her do her thing. I believe she has a bigger plan than even I know about now. It will only put her on edge if you tell her about this latest news."

"Yeah, regardless, until the announcement Romey is still just guessing. The only people who know for sure who the next leader is, are right here," he looked to where Dino sat on his horse quietly listening to them. "Unless you've told Lucy?"

"She knows I have been chosen as the warrior for the next Donati table. She's smart enough not to interfere. She wants to remain part of this family too much to risk it for gossip and power plays," Dino said confidently. "She is under the impression that Dante continues to torture himself with unrequited love for your wife." He gave a rare smile. "You're the baby brother who married a woman outside of the tables, and you're the dark, angry "fuck 'em all" brother. From the way Lucia talks I doubt even Romey sees you as a serious threat."

"People change," Dante chuckled, "When given the right motivation."

"True enough for some people, not all," he said thoughtfully. "I know it's not my place, but you should tell him about how crazy she is before all this goes down tomorrow."

"Tell me what?" Dante looked between the two men. "The visit with Nik went that badly did it?"

"Do you know that Peri still has nightmares? She just covers them up better these days," Josh said. "She dreams that Nik will get out and come for the children, and they will be defenceless against her."

"Nik wouldn't hurt the children," Dante frowned. "I'll admit the thought of Nik ever being able to return probably terrifies her." He watched as Josh pulled out his wallet and took a small sheet of paper from it. "But even Nik wouldn't hurt a child."

"This time last year if someone had suggested that Nik would kill or even physically harm Peri, I would have refused to believe that too," Josh said calmly. "She still believes she has done nothing wrong and that Papa will let her out after a year of punishment." He handed the small note to his brother. "It's my enigma. My trial," he extended the note toward his brother.

"You can't be serious?" Dante said concern etched in his features. "Josh it's a trial, you only have to figure it out you don't have to follow through." He looked with concern that Dino was listening to them discuss the enigma.

Josh took a deep breath and explained her involvement in Lio's death. Then he recounted his visit with her almost word for word. Finally, he sat back and waited for Dante to process it all.

"That's the Suebi Josh. We don't murder people," Dante said internalising his renewed heartbreak over Lio's death.

"She did," Josh said unemotionally. "She murdered Giorgio, almost killed Peri and was responsible in some way for the deaths of Lio and Matteo."

"We aren't killers Josh. You can't do this, regardless of what she did to Peri and Lio," Dante challenged him.

"You're right; we don't kill or murder. The only card she has left to play is to identify the Suebi that she worked with. I imagine they will try to end her before she does identify them. She's caught between a rock and a hard place now. Without knowing it, I pushed her to it faster than expected by telling her that Papa had no power to help her now because I was the new chair." Josh said sadly. "I didn't have all the information, about the Suebi, about what happened to Lio, about a lot of things," he admitted.

"So what happens next? You can't leave her there, surely," Dante had always been the one to be judge and executioner where Nik was concerned, even before they found out about her secret life but now faced with the very real possibility, he didn't want her to die for her madness.

"She will be moved to the compound where she will live out the rest of her life. The Papilla will handle all the arrangements and keep us informed through Dino. She will be pronounced dead to all but those that need to know." Josh explained. He had been prepared to order her murder if that was what his father had asked of him. Unlike Dante, he had been prepared to sacrifice Nik for the good of his family.

Dante, Josh realised was his perfect counter-balance. On the surface, they were both loyal, and driven family men, but where Josh needed control and order in his world, and the power he was about to inherit would allow him to seize that control by any methods necessary, Dante held enough power of his own to stop him. It was Dante who was ruled by his heart and his love of his family more so than the need for power and control. He enjoyed the power and control that being part of this family afforded him but he didn't crave it in the same way Josh did. Though the brothers shared similar visions of the future, he would keep Josh grounded in reality and be his conscience when necessary.

"That's not my decision; that comes from Papa. They just needed to see what I would sacrifice for the family and how I handled the decision making. The outcome didn't change," he admitted.

"So you passed their test then?" Dante accused knowing what it meant by the way Josh evaded his question.

"I told Papa that I understood what it meant and asked what I should do next?" Josh said. "The trial was to understand the danger she represents and to seek counsel in how to contain it. We do not have the benefits of the other experts at the table as they do. Or their experience in these matters."

"So you passed then," he pushed Josh for a direct answer.

"I did enough in the end," Josh admitted. "Dino could you give us a minute?" he asked.

"Sure, Ben will be landing soon, and I'd like to be there to greet my new best friend. Until the announcement anyway," he chuckled. His presence at the holiday festivities was going to be a red flag to Romey, and the three men had decided to perpetuate the idea that Ben was still heir in waiting by having Dino treat him with deference.

Josh watched as Dino turned his horse and galloped off down the hill back toward the farm buildings. Then he turned to Dante and scratched his cheek.

"I fucked up, not enough to change their minds but enough to let them make a point," Josh said. "I did enough to maintain our places but not what was needed," he tried to explain a second time.

"You're damn right you fucked up. Even after I told you I was supposed to help you, you tried to do this without me! Fuck! How are we supposed to convince them we are a team now?" Dante was angrier than Josh had seen him for over a year. "You can sit on that pretty chair and have everyone else bow down to you. I don't care! But if you think for one minute that Papa rules alone or that you will, you're as crazy as Nik. We rule together, and not just you and me, though we will have more power than the others. There are twelve of us for a fucking reason."

"I get it, lesson learnt. I can't be such a total control freak anymore," Josh bit back angrily. "I'm trying alright! You think this has been easy for me? Shit! You've moved into my house, and my life and I am just supposed to make room? You're fucking my wife D! I never had Lio. I had a crazy ass sister who continually tried to destroy my life and you all wonder why I'm not fucking over the moon at letting someone else close enough to me to do the same thing!"

"Fuck, Josh! You were prepared to kill her as the sacrifice?" Dante calmed down in the face of Josh's tirade.

"You didn't see her D. Ninety percent of this family haven't seen her since Papa sent her to the Battaglia. Lucy snuck in once during the trial I saw her there because I went every fucking day, in disguise, but I was there. She schizophrenic at best but they diagnosed her as a narcissist with homicidal tendencies. She believes whole-heartedly that she had done nothing wrong." Josh closed his eyes to hold back the pain. "She would have been at peace and so would we," he sighed finally admitting that he would have ordered her murder.

"Get off the horse I need to punch you," Dante said stepping out of the saddle of his mount.

"I'm not getting off my horse," Josh looked at him as if he was stupid.

"Just get off your horse and talk me to me face to face. I have some things I need to say, and then I'll punch you," Dante said seriously.

"So talk," Josh said belligerently getting off his horse.

"I'm sorry," Dante said. "I knew you covered for her all the time, but I never knew why. Even when you were younger, we could see the things she would do and how you would take the blame. We all moved away and left you to deal with her. It explains a lot now that I think about, and I'm sorry," he repeated.

"Yeah well, she was a good actress, and it escalated when she came to the city and had access to better drugs than she could get in school. She realised they were watching her after the first time she was dragged to rehab. Not that anyone else knew about that," Josh told Dante all of it then. The extreme paranoia, the plan to escape the family and her perceived ownership of him and everything he owned. He admitted to protecting her from anyone else finding out.

"I became an unhappy bastard to everyone around me. Nik was so out of control I needed total control over something and that was my career." He went on to explain the first time he had ever seen or spoken to Peri down in the research dungeon and how the mousy young woman who had never said boo to a goose had stood toe to toe with him and in this face of his tirade had defended her work.

"You should get Andie to show you some photos of what she was like back then. You wouldn't have looked at her twice," Josh chuckled, "But I fell in love with her. I knew in that one moment I would spend the rest of my life with her."

"Love at first sight," Dante nodded. "Me too. I wish I could tell you that I'll back off but I can't. You let me into your life, and there is no way I can walk away now. Not from her and not from you. I love you, dumbass." Dante punched him then low in the belly doubling him over.

"That's for not talking to me about Nik sooner. I agree with you now, but maybe she'll find peace with the Papillo. You may be taller and about to inherit the chair, but I'm still your big brother, and I can still kick your ass when you need it," he justified his actions as Josh slowly straightened grimacing.

"I deserve that I guess," Josh croaked.

"I would have punched you in the face, but you've always look so pretty when you sing, I didn't want to ruin it for everyone tonight," Dante grumbled.

"You're just jealous that I'm prettier than you," Josh said mounting his horse and feeling queasy.

"I've always been the rugged manly type," Dante said without a trace of a smile. "So they're all coming tonight instead of tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I imagine Dom and Larry will know what's happening. CJ and Pete are here often enough that Charles mightn't have told them yet, but the fact that Con is home will make it pretty obvious if Charles made them change any plans they had," Josh nodded.

"Everyone can see what's coming, even if we hadn't been told we'd know what's coming," Dante said. "Run through who gets what again for me?"

"Later," Josh said looking up at a growing speck in the sky and they galloped toward the stables hearing the first of the flights carrying their brothers approach.

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