His compliment did nothing to placate me. I had heard those words all my life, from everyone around me. My beauty was all I had ever been known for. It was the reason I had been given in marriage to Luca. “I am surrounded by Romero and Sandro and other men all the time.”
“They are my men and they know the consequences of touching what is mine,” he growled, his eyes full of the promise of violence. “They would never even dare look at you lewdly , but strangers are not bound by our rules. I would kill them for touching you as I would my men, but only after the deed was done because they do not know who you are. They might risk touching you.”
“You know what’s funny?” I said, my hands raised on his chest to push him away, but once again he did not relent.
“You never considered my reaction to their advances.
I don’t care whether an honorable man or a stranger hits on me, because my reaction would be the same. I would reject them and tell them that I am married, because I am faithful.
You are in contact with women all the time and I don’t run around worried that you might be touched by them, although I have more reason to be wary considering what happened with Grace.”
He stiffened. “It’s not fair to hold that against me, Aria,” he murmured. “I made a mistake. Then our marriage existed only on paper, and I never even thought of anyone but you afterwards. I am faithful. No other woman will ever change that.”
I sighed. I should not have mentioned Grace. It brought back memories I didn’t want to relive and, as Luca said, it was a thing of the past. Luca had never again given me reason to doubt his loyalty. “Why don’t you trust me when you are with other men?”
“I trust you, but not them, and although I am capable of rejecting advances, you are a sissy who would not stand a chance against a male opponent.”
“We are working on my self-defense skills. I am improving ,” I said, but in reality it was still a long way off when I would be able to fight an attacker half Luca’s size.
Moreover, we had hardly found time to train for the past six months because Luca had been busy taking over Matteo’s job as well. “And not all men ignore the meaning of ‘no.'”
“One asshole is enough,” Luca said.
“Romero could be by my side, as he is when I go jogging or shopping.”
Luca peered into my eyes. “What would you like to study anyway?”
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while. It has to be something useful for the Family. I can’t work in the outside world. The only way I could get a job is if I could be part of our business, and that limits my choices. I doubt you would be happy if I became a chemist and produced our drugs.”
Luca’s mouth loosened and his embrace became less of a cage. “That would be interesting, no doubt.”
“I thought maybe I could get a degree in accounting.
That way I could keep our books.”
Luca nodded slowly. “An accountant, that’s something that even old-fashioned family members might be able to accept.”
“Does that mean I’m allowed to go to college?”
Luca sighed. “If it makes you happy, you can get a degree, but Romero will have to be by your side at all times, and I don’t want it to be known that you are attending college. You know how wary my family still is about my ability to be Chief. My Uncle Gottardo thinks he should do the job, and my aunts would be happy to see their husbands or sons in my place. I cannot kill them all, not without being provoked. That would not earn me the respect of my men, so I will have to keep them quiet as much as possible .”
“We don’t have to tell anyone that I got a degree. Romero won’t tell anyone. I won’t even have to tell Gianna right away if you’re afraid she might let something slip.”
Luca stroked my hair back from my face. “It’s probably for the best . Your sister is a ticking time bomb right now.
Let’s just keep Romero informed.”
“So you’re really going to let me do this? When can I start?”
“Whenever.”
“The application deadline for NYU’s economics program is January 1 . I might try to submit the application by that date. I’m not sure I’ll get everything I need, though, but I might try…” I interrupted myself. Luca pulled me down so I straddled his legs. “If you want to get into NYU, you’re going to get in, Aria.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face in his shoulder. I would have thought he would have fought me harder for this.
Getting a business degree and becoming an accountant for the Family was not my dream job. If I had grown up in another family, I could have chosen to become a teacher or a social worker. I wasn’t sure, but I knew a business degree would be more useful in my position. When I pulled back, I caught a hint of concern on Luke’s face before he hid it and promised to show him that doing something outside the penthouse, getting a degree, was not a risk to our marriage or his position as Chief. “With your hair and given our presence in the paper, people might recognize you,” Luca said. “And that would draw unnecessary attention,” I concluded. “How about if I wear a wig? It worked for Gianna.”
Luca frowned. “You and her together are a dangerous combination.” I walked over and placed a kiss on his taut mouth. “Don’t worry. You’ll know everything this time. So what do you think ? A wig. Maybe you’ll like me better with brown hair.” “No,” she said, twisting a strand of my hair around her long, strong fingers. “Your hair is perfect. Like spun gold, nothing can come close.” I laughed. Her fascination with my hair was almost cute. I had lost count of the number of times she had played with it. “A wig might work. Fortunately, Romero is good at staying in the shadows and has never been in the spotlight.” “It’s still months before I can even go to college. Then we’ll find out everything. If they accept me.” “They will,” Luca said doubtlessly. I knew my grades had always been excellent, but I had a feeling he would have his ways of getting me accepted even if they weren’t. chapter 9 LUCA “I have a bad feeling about today,” I said as I drove our car to the Bardoni’s townhouse. Bardoni had been close friends with my father, one of the reasons Matteo and I couldn’t stand that asshole. He was my captain, not a good captain, and his son was a fucking coward. “Because of Gianna and Matteo?” asked Aria with a slight frown. “I know you’re worried because he took the electronic bracelet off her ankle, but he’s not going to try that again today.” I wasn’t worried about that. Ever since Matteo had caught Gianna a couple of weeks earlier, they had been fucking or fighting. And things had been fucking tense in the Family because my aunt and uncle weren’t the only ones who thought bringing Gianna into the Family was a bad idea. I shared their opinion, but I couldn’t say it openly, not only because it would make me look weak to doubt my decision, but also because of Matteo and Aria. “Bardoni thinks his son should be Councilor, and because of Matteo’s decision to marry Gianna, some forces in the Family agree.” Aria bit her lip. “I hate that you are having so much trouble because of Gianna’s escape.” “I will eventually silence my skeptics, but it’s a pain in the ass,” I said. Another bloody statement was inevitable at some point. Aria huffed out a laugh when we reached the Bardoni’s driveway. “What’s that?” I followed her gaze to a huge angel carved in ice that had been installed in the front yard. The entire courtyard sparkled white and gold. “Bardoni likes to impress,” I muttered . Aria raised a pale eyebrow and I shook her hand briefly before getting out of the car and abandoning the ‘pleasant expression. I opened Aria’s door for her when Matthew pulled up in his Porsche behind my Aston Martin. Aria sighed as she looked at me. “What?” I asked softly. “Sometimes your expression scares me. I prefer the way you look behind closed doors.” I touched her back. “I know.” My eyes rested on Bardoni and his wife. They were both smiling at us, fake fucking smiles on their faces. I elbowed Aria lightly and she followed me toward my captain. She squeezed my hand before taking Aria’s and kissing it. He helped her take off her coat, his eyes cast to her chest for the briefest of moments.
I aimed my gaze at him and he quickly stepped back and turned his attention to Matthew and Gianna. “Come on,” I said to Aria, touching the exposed skin of her back, and led her into the living room. My eyes took a quick glance at the guests: most were soldiers from New York, but I recognized a few men from Philadelphia, including Cassius. As I walked toward him with Aria at my side, I said under my breath, “That’s Cassius Moretti.” “Son of Mansueto Moretti, Sub-Chief of Philadelphia,” Aria concluded with a smile. “I remember him from our wedding, Luca. I have a good memory. I know most of the men in this room, and the women, too.”
I nodded. Sometimes I forgot how smart Aria was, but I had seen her grades when I had prepared everything for her NYU application. Cassius straightened up when he saw me, and I held out my hand for him to shake. Then his eyes shifted to Aria, respectfully. “It is an honor to meet you again.” “The honor is all mine, Cassius,” he said with a sophisticated smile, looking at my soldier. “How is your wife? I heard she gave birth to your first child a few days ago.” I had forgotten. I gave Aria’s hand a gentle squeeze to show my appreciation. “She’s recovering,” Cassius said, then his eyes returned to me and I realized he had business to discuss. Aria smiled, catching the silent message. “I’m going to have a little talk with Mrs. Bardoni.” She turned and walked away, giving me a breathtaking view of her bare back. Cassio cleared his throat, his eyes on me, and I finally looked away from Aria. “My father’s health is not improving. He can no longer take care of business.” “I will announce you as Sub-Chief of Philadelphia in our next meeting.” Surprise crossed Cassius’ face. “I thought you might want to give the position to one of your cousins for-” “For what?” I asked in a clipped voice. He crossed my gaze. “To appease your family.” I smiled darkly. “My family will bow to my command if they know what is best for them. You are loyal, and I would rather reward loyalty than favor someone because of their blood.” Suddenly Gianna appeared at my side and grabbed my ‘forearm. I stared at her, taken aback by her proximity. “Luca, can you come with me for a moment?” she asked in the most civilized voice she had ever addressed me. My body immediately went into a state of heightened alertness. “Excuse me,” I said to Cassius, who nodded and stepped back. Gianna did not loosen her grip as she led me out of the living room. “What the hell is going on?” I asked suspiciously. I didn’t trust the redhead at all. “Matthew needs your help,” she whispered, her eyes darting to a door at the end of the hall. “Fuck,” I whispered.
“Go back to the party and find Aria and Romero before people start suspecting we went together.” He tightened his lips. “As if I could ever have a quickie with you.” “Don’t worry, the idea of fucking you turns me on just as much.” I turned my back on her and headed for the door she had pointed out. “Matteo?” I growled, already losing my fucking patience even though I didn’t even know what had happened. Knowing Gianna and Matteo, it couldn’t be good. Matteo opened the door and motioned for me to come in. “What do you want?
Gianna didn’t say anything,” I started when I saw Bardoni behind his desk with Matteo’s knife stuck under his chin.
“Oh fuck.” Matteo shrugged. “Bardoni had an accident.” I couldn’t believe his courage. He had killed one of my captains in his home, as if I needed more trouble than I already had. “Shit, Matteo, what did you do?” “If you ask me, I think good old Mr. Bardoni killed himself,” he said. I walked around the body. Few people have killed themselves by sticking a knife down their throat. “It’s because of Gianna, isn’t it? Bardoni did or said something that bothered you and you lost your mind. I knew the girl would bring nothing but trouble.” And that was the understatement of a lifetime. Damn. “That jerk has been on your death list for a while. He’s been trouble. You’re glad he’s gone, admit it. We discussed having him killed countless times. I decided to finally take action.” “Of course I wanted him dead, but not in his fucking house at his Christmas party.
Damn it, Matteo. Can’t you think first and shoot later for once?” I could tell he was trying to make a joke, probably about stabbing Bardoni and not shooting him, but I narrowed my eyes and he fell silent. “I’m going to call Romero. He’s keeping an eye on Aria and Gianna, but we’re going to need him here to handle this fucking mess.” I called Romero. He answered after the first ring.
“How much trouble is there?” Trust Romero to know that something had happened. “Come to Bardoni’s office right away.” When Romero joined us a few minutes later and observed the scene, he looked at Matteo. “Did you kill him?” “Why did I have to be the one?” asked Matteo. “Because you’re the crazy one,” I muttered. His sanity had not improved since his marriage to Gianna. I turned to Romero. “Can you make it look like Bardoni committed suicide ?” Romero grimaced. “Few people stab themselves in the brain.” “There’s always a first time for everything,” Matteo said with a fucking grin. I glowered at him. “Oh, come on. That was fun.” I had to stifle a laugh. Matteo was fucking crazy. “Look around the room for a gun that could have blown his head off . I don’t need the Bardons on my tail right now. I want this to be dealt with quietly,” I ordered.
“No matter how we make it look, the Bardons will suspect something. They won’t believe it was suicide. Bardoni was too narcissistic to take his own life,” Matteo said. “Maybe I should put a fucking electronic bracelet on you too,” I growled. “You’re a ticking time bomb.” I was the one who had suggested he put that thing on Gianna, but apparently she needed even more supervision. Romero stopped searching through his desk drawers. “Even if the Bardons suspect something, they won’t say it out loud.
If they have no evidence, they will not seek revenge.” Matteo shook his head. “I wouldn’t count on it. But we’ll make sure they don’t get a chance to get revenge.” Matteo’s knife was still stuck in Bardoni’s fucking head . If someone had entered the room at that moment, we should have turned this Christmas party into a bloodbath. “Maybe you should pull the knife out of Bardoni’s head. No one will believe it was suicide with your blade stuck in his chin.” Matteo carefully extracted the knife and leapt back before the blood stained his clothes. Romero pulled a large-caliber Smith & Wesson from a drawer in the closet behind the desk. “This might fit.” I nodded. Romero was my best soldier without a doubt. I knew why I had chosen him to protect Aria, which reminded me that he was currently unprotected. “Good. Matteo and I will go back to the party.
Wait about five minutes before you blow his head off, then get the fuck out of here. Hopefully, Matteo and I will be here first, and in the confusion no one will notice you’re gone.” Romero was already busy figuring out the best angle to shoot Bardoni and barely reacted as we left the room and closed the door. The troublesome redhead was standing at the end of the hall. “Make sure she doesn’t miss anything,” I muttered. “And we’ll talk about this fucking matter later.” “Don’t worry. Gianna can lie if she has to.” My eyes shifted to Gianna. “Oh, I don’t doubt that she can lie very well if she wants to. But she’s not exactly the most trustworthy person.” “She’s my wife,” Matteo growled. “That’s the problem,” I said as I walked away. Aria clutched a glass of wine in her hands, her eyes full of relief when she saw me. She excused herself from a conversation with a young woman I could not identify and came toward me. I grabbed her arm and she gave me a questioning look. I could not tell her what was going on with so many people around us. I led her toward the buffet table, making sure enough people could see us. “Luca,” she said softly, her body tense. I shook my head slightly, and just then a loud shot rang out. Doing my part, I pulled out my Beretta and turned in the direction of the noise. Aria’s body jerked against mine, fear flashed across her face. I leaned toward her ear. “Stay here. It’s nothing, trust me.” I rushed toward Bardoni’s office with the other men, pushing some of them away to stand in front. Matteo also came running. “What’s going on?” he shouted. Bardoni’s wife let out a high-pitched wail when she saw her dead husband. It was a horrible attempt at acting. When I returned to Aria later and met her worried gaze, I swore to myself that I would never let Aria see me like that, because I knew her agony would be real. I was leading a life full of death and I wasn’t exactly afraid of dying, but since Aria had come into my life I had another reason to stay alive. Things went more smoothly than I had hoped after Bardoni ‘s accident. Bardoni’s wife and daughter did not seem to miss him, and his son was a cowardly whiner who would never act of his own free will.
Of course, Bardoni’s Christmas party was not the last time Matteo messed up. The business partners had invited us to their Christmas party five days before Christmas in a warehouse, which had been transformed into a winter wonderland with fake snow and a bar made out of ice. Matthew had been in a foul mood all evening, because of Gianna, of course. He refused to fall for her charms. Aria gave me a conciliatory look. “Let’s enjoy the rest of the evening.” Now that I had sent Matteo and Gianna away, perhaps that was an option. “Will you dance with me?” asked Aria, with a hopeful, sweet expression. Had we not been surrounded by so many people, I would have kissed her, but as it was, I nodded and pulled her against me. She let out a small sigh as we began to move to the music. “Will your sister ever agree to be married to my brother?” I asked softly. Aria looked up. “I don’t know. I think she really likes him, but she doesn’t want to admit it.” “Why? Does she like making everyone miserable so much?” Aria rippled her lips, her steps staggering, but I stopped her. “It’s not that. She feels guilty because she likes a man like Matthew.” My lips twitched. “A man like Matteo?” “Gianna thinks she will have blood on her hands if she accepts Matteo’s dark side. She feels guilty. She wants to be a good person.” “And you?” I murmured. Aria frowned. Her hand ran down my back until her palm pressed against the tattoo on my shoulder. “You know I accept every part of you.” “I know,” I said, lowering my voice even more. “But do you feel guilty about that?” “Guilty about loving you? No, never,” she said firmly, without a hint of doubt in her voice, and my chest swelled with love for the woman in my arms. “If that makes me a bad person, I don’t care.” “You are good, Aria. Nothing about you is bad,” I whispered fiercely. She rewarded me with one of those smiles, and I had a hard time keeping my hard mask on. “I think you may be biased.” “I’m not. It takes a lot of goodness to erase my darkness.” He huffed but I didn’t have a chance to say anything else because my phone started ringing. “Fuck,” I muttered. Aria and I moved off the dance floor and checked the screen. “Matthew,” I said, annoyed. Aria followed me to a quiet corner of the warehouse. I answered the call, feeling my blood boiling.
“I don’t feel like talking to you, Matteo. You acted like a big asshole tonight.” A feminine sob resounded on the other end. I stiffened and Aria approached. “Gianna?” I asked cautiously as I headed for the door and out. Aria was having difficulty keeping up with my pace. “What’s wrong?” she asked. “She’s dying,” Gianna said. I stopped short.
“What are you talking about? Give me Matteo.” My breath came out of my mouth in clouds from the scorching cold, and Aria shivered beside me.
“I can’t. The Russians attacked us. There is so much blood, Luca, so much blood.” My throat tightened. “Is Matteo alive?” Aria gasped and pressed herself against me. “Luca?” I shook my head and her eyes filled with tears. “Call Romero and tell him to bring Sandro.” Aria pulled out her cell phone, carrying out my orders. “He’s not breathing. A moment ago he was breathing, but not anymore ,” Gianna whispered. If he had been breathing again not long before, he might have survived. Matteo was a fighter. Aria nodded to me and lowered the phone. “Gianna, you need to do CPR . I will be there soon. I have your GPS coordinates. But you will have to get him breathing or it will be too late.”
I signaled Aria to follow me as I ran to my car. She was right on my heels and we both climbed into my Aston Martin.
“Give me your phone. I need to track Matteo’s cell phone,” I told her, continuing to press my cell phone against my ear, but Gianna had been silent on the other end for a while. “Gianna?” I said as I revved the engine. A static crackled in my ear, and for a heart-stopping moment I thought Gianna had hung up. This was her fucking chance to get away once and for all. If Matthew had died, she would have been free. But if she had let him die to be free, not even my love for Aria would stop me from hunting her down. “I know you feel like Matteo trapped you, that he ruined your life, but no matter what you think, he didn’t do it to make you miserable. For some inexplicable reason Matteo loves you. You don’t have to believe me. You can continue to hate him but don’t leave him alone, not now. If you help me save his life, I will grant you freedom. I swear it on my honor and on my life. Aria is here. She is my witness. You will get money, a new identity and even protection from the Outfit if you want. It’s all yours if you save his life.”
Aria’s lips parted in shock, her eyes wide and disbelieving, but I kept my eyes on the road, following the directions on Aria’s phone. “Okay,” was Gianna’s response. That fucking bitch. I stifled my fury and focused on saving my brother’s life. “You need to do chest compressions. Strong and fast. Don’t worry about breaking his ribs. Thirty thrusts, two breaths. Fast.”
I could feel Aria’s eyes on me the whole time. “He’s not responding!” cried Gianna. “Keep doing it,” I ordered. There was silence on the other side and my throat tightened even more. Aria touched my leg but said nothing. “We’ll be there in ten minutes,” I managed to overcome the knot in my throat. “How is Matteo?” More silence and I stiffened. “Gianna? Are you still there ?” “Yes. Matteo is breathing again.” A sense of relief went through me and Aria squeezed my thigh tightly. She let out a shuddering sigh. “Good. Stay where you are,” I said softly. My eyes were drawn to the rearview mirror where I could see Romero’s car approaching. “Don’t worry,” Gianna said. The moment we arrived, I saw Matteo’s wrecked car. I braked , opened the door wide and ran toward Matteo. I fell to my knees beside him and did a quick scan of his wounds. His head was covered in blood, but as Gianna had said he was breathing. Romero and Sandro joined me. “I called the doctor,” Romero informed me as he slumped to the ground beside me. Aria was talking to Gianna, who was still hovering beside Matteo as if she really cared whether he lived or died. Since we were little Matteo and I had protected each other; it had been us against the rest of the world, against a sadistic father, against a mother who let her despair over us, against enemies who wanted to see us dead.
I looked up from my brother to Gianna. Just seeing her face made me want to kill her. To think that I had to convince her to save Matthew’s life…. “Take her away. Take my car and bring her to our apartment.”
“Where are you taking Matteo?” she dared to ask.
“To the hospital. It’s too serious for our doctor,” I said, trying to restrain myself in front of Aria, but I turned my coldest smile on Gianna. “Don’t worry. I will honor my promise. When I return to the apartment, we will make the necessary arrangements to ensure your freedom.”
“Maybe Gianna wants to go to the hospital with Matteo,” Aria suggested softly as Sandro and I lifted Matteo off the floor.
“She doesn’t want that. Help her gather her things from Matteo’s apartment , so we can get her settled in her new life before my brother comes home.” I didn’t want her near my brother anymore.