195

Liliana I walked nervously back and forth across the kitchen. What was taking Aria so long?
I didn’t even want to know what she was telling Romero.
What if she had convinced him to break up with me?
She had promised not to do such a thing, but I wasn’t sure. If he thought he had to protect me from harm, he would play dirty if necessary.
The door opened and Romero walked in. He looked almost relaxed. I hurried toward him. “What did he say?”
“That we should be careful.”
“Is that all? You’re not going to tell Luca?”
“No, not now.”
“What does that mean?”
A slow smile curved his lips. “There might be a way for us to be together.”
“You mean officially?” I asked excitedly.
“Yes, but first Aria has to find a way to talk to Luca, and then we’ll proceed from there.”
I tried to hold back my joy, but it was difficult.
I wanted nothing more than a real future with Romero.
I stood up on tiptoe and kissed him, but after only a few seconds Romero drew back with a pained look on his face. “We have to be more careful. Aria will tear my head off if she catches us kissing like this in the open again.”
“Probably not just your head,” I said with a mischievous smile, cupping him through his pants.
Romero groaned, grabbed my wrist and pulled my hand away. “Lily, stop torturing me.”
“I thought you liked it when I torture you.”
Romero leaned down, his lips brushing my ear. “Yes, when we’re alone.”
“Then how about we go to my room?”
“There’s nothing I’d rather do, but we shouldn’t risk it during the day,” Romero said regretfully. “And I really need to call Luca and ask him about the problem with the Russian deputy chief.”
I pouted playfully. “I hate it when you’re reasonable. Tonight is too far away. I want you now.”
“Fuck,” Romero muttered. Then he turned a dangerous smile on me. “Go ahead. I’ll join you in a few minutes.”
I ran off toward my room, already feeling my core tighten from anticipation.
*** The next day, Luca returned from New York. He was nervous , so our confession would have to wait. During dinner that night, Aria, Romero and I acted as if nothing had ever happened. I really hoped that Aria would find a way to talk to Luca soon so that we could find a way to make a future possible for Romero and me.
Gianna kept throwing tentative glances at Aria and me as if she sensed something was going on. Gianna had always been attracted to trouble, so this was no surprise.
Halfway through the main course, Luca’s phone began to ring. “What now?” he growled as he dropped his fork. That day was definitely not the day to tell him about Romero and me. I hadn’t seen him in a bad mood in a while. He stood up, pulled his phone out of his pants pocket, and answered.
“Rocco, I wasn’t expecting your call,” he said.
We all turned toward the conversation.
Luca cast a glance in my direction. “Liliana is fine.”
My father had called only once all summer to ask how I was doing. For some reason I worried about the real reasons for his check-in.
“Tomorrow? That’s such short notice. Did something happen?”
I put down my fork, my stomach tight with anxiety .
“Sure. There will be,” Luca said, wrinkling his forehead.
He hung up and returned to the table, lowering his large figure onto the chair.
“What’s going on?” Aria asked before I could even say a word. She looked as worried as I was. Did she think Father had found out something about Romero and me? If so, the call would not have gone so peacefully, that was certain. And who was supposed to tell him ? No one in this house would have.
“Your father wants Liliana to come home tomorrow,” Luca said thoughtfully.
“What?” I said, shocked. Romero could not hide his surprise either. I had to force myself to look away from him quickly before Luca became suspicious.
“So soon?”
Matteo laughed. “You’ve been here three months.”
Gianna elbowed him in the side and he rubbed the spot with a smirk.
“I was joking, damn it. Why do you have to be so violent?” he asked.
I wasn’t in the mood for jokes. I felt like the rug had been pulled under my feet. I had always known I would have to come back sooner or later, but now that I was facing my Father’s order, I felt heartbroken. “He wants you on the first flight. He has already booked the ticket,” Luca continued as if his brother and Gianna were not still arguing.
“Did he say why?” I asked.
“He said something about social responsibilities.
Apparently there are some parties he wants you to go to, but he wasn’t very forthcoming with information.”
My eyes shifted back to Romero, but then I focused on Luca. “Did he say how long I had to stay in Chicago?”
Luca squinted his eyes. “No. Chicago is your home, so I had no right to ask him.”
“Lily is of age, she could simply refuse to come back,” Gianna said in a practical tone. Matteo had put an arm around her shoulders. As usual, their argument had not lasted long. They would probably go to their room soon to make up.
“Then I would drag her onto that plane if necessary. If her father wants her to come home, she’ll go. I don’t want to risk a conflict over something so ridiculous.”
I bit my lip. “All right. I’ll go. I’ll survive a few parties and I’m excited to see Fabi again. I’ve missed him. I will beg Father to let me go back to New York as soon as possible .”
I didn’t speak for the rest of dinner and was glad when I was finally able to get up. It was ridiculous of me to be so nervous about going home; for in spite of everything Chicago was still to be my home. I headed for the terrace and hugged myself, feeling inexplicably cold even though it was still warm.
The door opened again behind me and Aria approached me, addressing me with an understanding smile. “I will call Father and ask him to send you back soon for another visit.
It’s not like he needs you in Chicago. You’ll be back before you know it.”
“You’ll probably be glad I’m gone because that means I won’t be able to see Romero for a while,” I blurted out. I immediately felt guilty for lashing out at my sister. Closing my eyes, I said:
“I’m sorry.”
Aria lightly touched my shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. And I really don’t want you to leave, please believe me.”
I nodded, “I’ve gotten used to life here. I’ve been happy. I can’t even remember the last time I was happy in Chicago.”
“This is only temporary. You will be back here in no time and while you are in Chicago I will talk to Luca about Romero. Perhaps when you return we will have worked out a plan on how to convince Father to accept Romero as your husband.”
Hope flared up in me. I looked at my sister. “You are right. I should look at this as a short vacation. Maybe soon I can call New York my home forever.”
We didn’t say anything after that, just stood next to each other and looked out at the churning ocean. What I really wanted to do was talk to Romero, be in his arms and convince myself that this thing between us was meant to last, but it was too early to go to bed and we couldn’t risk anything with everyone still awake.
When the breeze picked up, Aria and I returned to the living room. Romero met my gaze from across the room. I couldn’t wait to be alone with him that night, to feel his body slide against mine. I had never needed him so much.
*** Earlier than usual, I sneaked out of my room and headed for Romero’s. I wanted to spend as much time as possible with him . He didn’t seem surprised when I slipped inside.
He was sitting on the edge of the bed, his arms resting on his knees. He stood up when I closed the door. For a while we just stared at each other until the pressure in my chest threatened to crush my rib cage. Why was I so emotional about this? Romero crossed the room and grabbed me by the hips, then turned us around and led me backward toward the bed until my calves bumped against it and we both fell onto the mattress.
Our hands roamed over each other’s bodies almost frantically, undressing and caressing each other. Who knows when we would have a chance to feel each other again? It could take weeks.
Too much time. We had to make the most of our last night together.
Tonight I wanted to be in control. I pushed Romero on his back and he didn’t resist. I straddled his hips and lowered myself onto his erection, feeling it slide deep inside me. I closed my eyes for a moment, letting go a deep breath at the familiar feeling of fullness. Romero grabbed my hips and began to thrust upward, pushing himself deep inside me. I leaned forward on my forearms so that my face was over his and my hair surrounded us like a curtain, our personal sanctuary from the outside world. “I will miss you, ” I whispered as I rocked back and forth. “I will miss this, everything.”
“You won’t be gone long,” he growled.
He sounded absolutely sure. I kissed him, moving even faster until we both came at the same time, but we were not yet satiated. We made love twice more that night as if we could imprint in our minds the sensations of our union like that.
“I don’t want to leave,” I murmured later as I lay in Romero’s arms. “I want to fall asleep in your arms.”
Romero took the alarm clock. “Then don’t. We’ll get up early so you can sneak back to your room without anyone noticing.”
I smiled and rested my cheek on his chest.
It didn’t take long for me to fall asleep with the sound of Romero’s heartbeat as music in my ears.
*** The alarm woke us before dawn and I quickly gathered my clothes in the dark room. Before I left, Romero held me to his chest and kissed me fiercely, then I slipped out and ran back to my room. I slept for a couple of hours before actually getting up and getting everything ready for the car ride to the airport.
The hardest part of the departure was that I could not hug or kiss Romero when we said goodbye in the airport lounge. With one last look, I left, trying to ignore the insistent worry about not coming back.
*** When I landed in Chicago, my old bodyguard Mario was waiting for me. He was not a very talkative person, so we did not talk on the drive to the family home.
As I approached the front door, my heart was pounding in my chest like a drum. The last time I had been there, the house was filled with sadness and death.
Mario opened the door for me, and I went inside.
It was not as bad as it used to be, but I no longer felt at home. Was it my imagination or did the stench of disinfectant still hover in the corners?
“Where is my father?” I asked quickly before my mind conjured up more madness.
“In his office. He wants to see you right away.”
I doubted the reason was that he had missed me . Mario headed toward my room to get my luggage. I walked down the long hallway and knocked on Dad’s door, trying to ignore the way my stomach twisted with nerves.
“Come in,” Dad called to me.
I took a deep breath and slipped inside. Fabi was standing by the window. He had grown in the three months I had been gone, and something in the way he was acting told me that wasn’t the only change in him. The last few months seemed to have taken a toll on him. It would have been better if Fabi had been allowed to go to Chicago with me for the summer, but of course that was out of the question.
Dad sat behind the desk as usual. He did not bother to get up to hug me. But Fabi came up to me and I hugged him before he could decide he was too cold to feel affection. He was taller than me. I leaned back to get a look at his face.
I knew something was wrong the moment I saw Fabi’s expression. Lately Dad had been involving him more and more in mob affairs, even though Fabi would not turn 13 for several weeks. Had something happened?
He couldn’t have been forced to kill someone, right?
The idea that my little brother might already be a murderer had turned my stomach into an icy pit.
“Sit down,” my father said with a nod toward the chair in front of the desk. Fabi immediately released himself from my embrace, but what worried me most was that he made sure to keep his eyes on my chin.
“It’s good to see you back in Chicago. I trust Luca and Aria have taken good care of you?” my father asked.
No mention of Gianna, which was no great surprise.
I dropped into the chair across from him. “Yes, they did. It was lovely.”
I tried to meet Fabi’s gaze; he had returned to his seat at the window, where he was busy avoiding my eyes, his hands clenched tightly at his sides and his lips a thin white line on his angry face. My stomach contracted into a knot. My father tapped his fingers against the smooth wood of the desk. If I didn’t know better, I would say he seemed almost ashamed. Fear gripped me. Again I cast a glance at Fabiano, but he stared at the floor.
The silence stretched between us until I was sure I was choking. “Did you tell Luca you wanted me here for some party?”
“That’s one of the reasons. You need to become part of our social circle again.” My father paused, then cleared his throat. He looked almost guilty. “Life must go on. Death is part of our existence, but we have to make sure our family line remains strong.”
What was he getting at?
“I will marry again.”
I was torn between relief and shock. At least I wasn’t in trouble, but I couldn’t believe, much less understand, how he could consider another marriage when Mom had been dead for less than six months. “But…” I paused . Nothing I could say would have changed things.
It would only have gotten me into trouble. “Who is she? Do I know her?”
I knew a few widows of Father’s age, but I wasn’t sure if any of them were his type. Even thinking about it made me feel guilty, and I wasn’t even the one who was thinking about replacing Mom. Maybe Dad was more lonely than he had let on. I had always thought that he and Mom had not cared much for each other, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe he had loved her in some twisted way. Maybe he hadn’t been able to show it. Some people were like that.
Fabiano made a low sound, drawing my gaze toward him, but he was still grimly staring at his feet. Which was probably a good thing, because Dad gave him a look that made me cringe. I noticed a fading bruise on Fabi’s left temple, and I couldn’t help but wonder if there were more hidden under his clothes and if Dad was responsible for all of them.
Dad’s fingers resumed drumming. “Ramona Brasci.”