Arianna
I wait outside the house near the car. Just because I don’t mind getting down and dirty with the boys doesn’t mean I don’t like to do my hair and nails, and I love spending time with my mom when I do these things. I will say, though, that she takes forever to get out of the house and get going. It must be nice being old and not in a rush anymore.
After I get my hair and nails done, I want to take Tia to the shop to have some modifications done. That’s one thing you learn about cars. When you’re really into them, there are never enough modifications. You’re always looking for the next best thing to put you ahead of the game.
I glimpse Alessandro through the window of his study, talking to Dominic and Carmine, and I study Carmine’s profile. I can’t see him clearly, but I know it’s him. That nose and haircut gives him away, and I wonder what the rest of him looks like.
I wonder what he tastes like.
“Ready to go,” Helena calls as she exits the house.
“Cup Cake, what are you staring at?”
I grin at her. “I was just wondering if Alessandro still has any fun or if his life is boring now.”
“That boring life affords us a lot, like these girls’ days out.” Helena pats my cheek. “So even if it is boring, we should be grateful he does what he does for us.”
I think my mother chooses to be naive about the fact that people are murdered and butchered by my brother and his men, that he moves illegal goods and substances around the city, and that he has a hand in many money-laundering schemes.
No, he just works really hard, according to her.
“We need to pick up Sofia,” Helena says as she climbs into the back of the sedan we’re taking. “She could also use a day out.”
“I don’t mind,” I say as I climb in next to her. And I don’t, Sofia is so good for Dominic, and I love talking to her about Argentina. One day I’m going to race the streets of Buenos Aires.
A driver and a guard climb into the front of the car, and soon, we are pulling out of the estate and joining traffic. I look out the window at the passing cars and scenery while my mother clicks away on her phone. I’m surprised that she’s adapted so quickly to smart technology. It’s as though she was born to use it.
A sense of unease envelopes me. I don’t like being a passenger at the best of times. I know how quickly a car accident can happen, and I prefer to be in control.
We pull up to Sofia and Dominic’s home, which isn’t far from ours, and I watch as Sofia comes downstairs and climbs in, sitting opposite me.
“Good morning,” she leans over and kisses my mother’s cheeks first, then mine. “How are we today?”
The driver starts to drive, and I smile at her. “Good, if a bit tired.”
“It’s all that late-night partying and racing,” she says with a small smile.
“One day, I’ll take you driving around a racetrack, and you’ll see how addictive it is,” I say.
Sofia shakes her head. “I’ve been in enough highspeed chases, both on a bike and in a car, not to like speed.
Just call me a tortoise.”
We laugh, and my mother looks out the window. “It’s such a beautiful day. We should have lunch at the bistro today after we get our nails done.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I say, looking out the window. “When we’re done, I want to take Tia to the shop to get some mods done.”
“You spend way too much money on those cars,” my mother says disapprovingly. No one approves of my racing cars, although I think Dominic might do so secretly. We’ve always been closer than I am to Frankie and Alessandro.
We all love each other. Hell, I’d die for them, but Dominic is closer to me in age, and we have always just been as thick as thieves.
With Carmine, I mentally add.
The boy who joined our family when he was twelve and I was eight. The boy who protected me from bullies at school and always had my back when I made up my mind about something.
Suddenly a car strikes us from the side, and the driver yells. The car strikes again, and my mother and Sofia cry out, holding out their hands to keep their balance. I look to my right and see a car with what looks like three thugs with dark sunglasses on. They deliberately swerve for us again, and this time, the driver loses control of the sedan, and we drive into the wall of a building. The guard and driver doors open quickly while the three of us in the back are still dazed.
I hear the first gunshots going off, Sofia screams, but I grab her and my mother. “Get down!” I scream, getting as low as possible and covering them with my arms.
It doesn’t last long before I hear the squeal of tires racing off. Carlos, our driver, opens my door. “They’re gone.
Are any of you hurt?”
I examine my mother and then Sofia. “No, just a bit shook up.”
“I’ll call Don Sorvino. He will send someone to come and get you while we deal with the police,” Carlos assures me.
In no time, another sedan is there to collect us, this one with an escort car to protect us from another attack. We go straight home again, and as soon as we reach the estate, Dominic, Alessandro, and my father come down to the car.
Sofia throws herself into Dominic’s arms, shaking, while my mother reassures my father that she’s fine, just a bit shaky. Alessandro looks at my mother and then at me. “You three need to stay here for now while we figure out where this attack is from. You’ll have to do your hair and nails another day.”
I groan, and he looks at me. “What?”
“I wanted to take Tia in for mods,” I say. “Can’t I take a few guards and go do that.”
“Stop being a child,” he hisses immediately, and I can see he means business. It doesn’t make me any less annoyed as he continues, “You were nearly killed with mom and Sofia. You want to mod your car, mod it yourself here at home.”
I don’t say another word to him. I flip my hair over my shoulder and stalk off toward the garage, not wanting to say anything else that may get me into trouble with him when he’s in a mood like this.
I braid my hair and put on some overalls before I jack up Tia and roll under her to do minor checks, ensuring she’s okay for the next race. Alessandro can try to stop me from doing that. Good luck.
“Do you know what you’re doing?” I jump slightly and hit my head on the bottom of Tia.
“Carmine?” I ask. I feel his shoe on my creeper, and he pulls me out to look up at him.
“Did I scare you?” he asks, concerned.
“A little.” I give him a small smile. “I’m probably still a bit nervous from the attack.”
“I heard about that. I want to make sure you are okay.” He smiles down at me. “So, do you know what you’re doing?”
I cock an eyebrow at him. “Do you know how to shoot a gun?”
Carmine
I cock my head to the side. “I know how to shoot just perfect.”
“Well then,” she says, “Why are you questioning my ability to work on a car? You men are all the same.” She gets up and brushes a strand of hair out of her face, leaving a greasy mark. I chuckle and pick up a clean-looking rag, and move to wipe her face. She lets me.
“Aren’t women supposed to be at the house, barefoot and pregnant?” I’m teasing, but I try to sound serious.
She pulls away and punches my arm. “That’s such a sexist thing to say. Can you come back to the twenty-first century?”
I set the rag down. “I’m just saying you could pay someone to do this for you.”
“Except Alessandro won’t let me leave the house for the rest of the day,” she sighs. “Also, if I do it, I’ll do it properly.”
I shake my head. “Uncle Donny should never have taught you how to change the oil on a car.”
“Why? Uncle Donny saved me a lot of hassle and being ripped off. Men see a woman coming and think they rub a brand-new air filter in dirt and insist they have to install a new one for triple the cost of the part.”
Her face is a bit flustered, and I raise an eyebrow. “Did that seriously happen?”
“To a friend, who called me, and I sorted that mechanic out real quick,” she says, picking up a wrench.
“Still, women and men should each have their place,”
I say, waving a hand in disregard. “We should all have our places.”
She looks like she wants to throw the wrench at me, and I can’t take it anymore; I burst out laughing. “I’m joking,
Ari. Just joking.”
“Don’t call me Ari,” she mumbles, getting back on the creeper and sliding under the car. I can hear her tinkering around as I sit on a stool near the workbench.
“So no racing for you tonight then,” I point out, fiddling with a screwdriver left carelessly lying about.
I swear I hear her curse, and then in a muffled voice, she asks, “Are you just here to torture me?”
“I came to check on you,” I say sincerely. “I was really horrified to hear about the attack on you all. Mom is still shaken up, and she’s gone to rest. I was worried about you. Are you okay?”
She doesn’t say anything, so I get up and roll her out. She looks up at me. “I’m fine. I expect this sort of thing to happen. I know what my family does, Carmine, as much as you all don’t think it’s women’s business to know. Which is so stupid because Katya is involved, and she could whip you all in one swoop.”
I crouch down so that I can be closer to her. “Doesn’t mean you can’t be careful. I would hate for something to happen to you, Ari. I’d never live with myself.”
Is that a blush I see creeping up her face? I get up again, and she sits up. “Who was it? What family targeted us?”
“You know I can’t discuss that,” I say, sitting back down and watching her. “Alessandro doesn’t want us to discuss family business with you, Sofia, Amelia, mom, or any of the ladies except for Katya.”
“Katya thinks that’s stupid. Doesn’t that count for anything?” she asks.
“I am loyal to Alessandro. What he says goes. I respect Katya as my Don’s wife, but I follow his orders.”
She hugs her knees and looks at the tire of her car for a while before she says, “I’ve been meaning to get back into shape. It’s been a heavy carb winter.”
I chuckle. “You have no weight to lose. You’re skinny.”
“I gained a few pounds,” she says. “And I feel good when I work out, only I doubt Alessandro will let me workout on my own at a gym or go for jogs around the neighborhood.”
“I doubt it too,” I say, swinging from left to right on the stool.
“Perhaps it would be more agreeable if you were jogging with me.” I recognize that sweetness in her voice. She’s after something, and she means to get it. A small voice inside me hopes it’s me that she wants to get. And another voice is equally terrified it’s me that she wants to get.
“I’ll speak to your brother, but I see no harm in it,” I reply. “We can start with just around the track nearby.”
She grins, and we look at each other for what feels like an eternity. Those blue-gray eyes bore into my soul, and I felt like I shivered within myself.
The door to the garage swings open and bangs against the wall. We both jump, and I’m up with my hand on my gun. Dominic looks at both of us and then chuckles.
“Jesus, jumpy much. Do you really think they’d get this far?” “Can’t be too careful,” I say, dropping my hand.
He looks between Arianna and me. “What are you two up to?”
“I was checking in on Ari…anna.” I am uncomfortable using her nickname when others are around, “And….” “And…I was teaching him how to change oil,” Arianna butts in. “Do you also need a lesson, Dom?”
“I know how to change the oil just fine,” my best friend says. “But you better not get any ideas about rolling out of here to race. Alessandro means business when he says you’re to stay home.”
“I got it, I got it,” she snaps. “I’m a prisoner until further notice.”
“That’s not fair, Cup Cake,” Dominic says. I watch their interaction, not wanting to interfere. “You know it’s for your safety.”
“Had I been driving, we wouldn’t have been in an accident,” she says matter-of-factly, lying back down on the creeper. “We probably would have outpaced them even in that shitty sedan.”
“Probably,” Dominic says and turns to me. “Alessandro has a job for you. It’s why I was looking for you.”
I glance at Arianna’s legs and nod. “Okay, I’ll be there shortly.”
Dominic looks between us again, and I nudge Arianna’s leg. “You’ll have to finish teaching me how to change the oil another time.”
“You’re always welcome to pop in and learn,” she calls, then starts humming to herself.
I follow Dominic out of the garage, and he stops just outside. “What’s up with her?”
I panic slightly, wondering if he correctly interprets the looks I give his sister. “What do you mean?”
“You came to check in on her. Is it just because she can’t leave the house that she’s being a brat?” Dominic asks.
I raise an eyebrow. “Well, if you were still calling me Cup Cake and a brat when I was twenty-five, you wouldn’t be my favorite person either. Especially since Cup Cake is what the folks call her.”
“Yeah, I know. I like to annoy her. But she’s okay, right?” Dominic asks, and I see a glimmer of worry under his hard exterior. It’s there in his eyes. Her eyes. The Sorvino’s eyes.
“She seems fine. She wants to lose a few pounds, so I might take her jogging at the track tomorrow.” Dominic is about to say something, and I hold a hand up. “We’ll take an escort, and you know she’s safe with me.”
“Try telling Alessandro that.” Dominic makes a good point.
“I will.”