by L A Cotton
“He gave me to Scott, Nor. My own father handed me over like a baton, and I’m terrified that if I don’t comply, if I don’t follow the rules, something bad will happen.” Because a tiny part of me had to believe there was more to this, that my father wasn’t as cruel and callous as he seemed.
Angry tears streamed down my cheeks as I inhaled a ragged breath. “So no, I don’t want to talk. I don’t want to try to explore my feelings about what happened. I want to carry on as normal and pretend that I still have the power to make choices about my own life. I want to pretend that I’m not just waiting for the next bomb to drop. I want—”
Nora rushed over, pulling me into her arms. “I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry. Whatever you need, I’m here. I just... I was so worried when Luis texted to tell me what happened.”
“He did that?” I pulled back, swallowing the lump in my throat.
“He cares about you, Ari. We both do.” She smiled weakly. “He also told me you made him promise not to tell Nicco.”
“He can’t know, Nor.” Pain splintered through me. “He just can’t.”
“That’s not... yeah, okay.”
“I just need to be more aware of my emotions around Scott. He deliberately pushed my buttons most of the night. He wants to see me crack.”
“Piece of shit,” she sneered. “I can’t wait for the day he gets what’s coming to him.”
“Nora.” I wanted Scott to pay, I did. But I wasn’t sure I wanted Nicco to spill any more blood.
Not for me.
She shrugged. “He deserves everything he has coming. I won’t apologize for that.”
“Who are you right now?”
“A girl who would do anything for her best friend.”
“You’re a little scary,” I admitted around a weak smile.
“I just... God, he makes my blood boil. And don’t even get me started on your dad.”
“My life was never my own, I realize that now. I will always and forever be the Capizola heir.”
“No. No way. I refuse to accept that.” Nora shook her head. “You are so much more, Arianne. You are kind and compassionate and humble. And strong... you’re so fucking strong. And what you’ve found with Nicco is rare. It’s worth fighting for. It’s worth hurting for.
“Nicco and his father will come through, babe. I don’t doubt that. Because family is everything to Antonio, and you are everything to Nicco. So we’ll do it. We’ll keep on pretending everything is fine while we figure this out.”
“Thank you,” I breathed, relief spreading through me. Maybe one day, I would stop and take stock of everything that happened to me. But today was not that day.
It couldn’t be.
Because if I stopped, my control on things would slip. And if I slipped, if I lowered my guard for even a second, that’s when Scott would strike.
If I’d learned anything since arriving at Montague it was that the good guys weren’t always good, and the bad guys weren’t always bad.
“Okay, let’s go,” she said, “We can stop at the coffee shop on the way.”
“We already ate.”
Nora shrugged. “I can always make room for a blueberry muffin. Luis,” she called, and he slipped into the room. “We’re going to walk to the coffee shop and then head downtown.”
“It’s a nice morning for it.” He gave her a tight nod, his gaze flicking to mine. “How are you?”
“I’m okay, thank you.”
He nodded again.
I had just grabbed my bag when my cell started ringing. “Mia cara,” Mom’s voice filled the line. “How are you? How was...?” She trailed off.
“It was okay.” Nora caught my eye and gave me a reassuring smile. “Something happened though. I fainted.”
“Oh gosh, Arianne.” She smothered a cry. “I am so sorry, sweetheart. I wish things were different, I wish I could... But your father, he’s withdrawn. He won’t even talk to me about it. Something is happening, but I don’t know how to—”
“It’s okay, Mamma.” It wasn’t but I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t carry her guilt as well. “I’m just about to go out with Nora. Can we talk later?”
“Of course. Your father has asked... he wants you to come to the estate later to talk about the...” She inhaled a shaky breath. “There are arrangements to make, for the party.”
The permanent knot in my stomach tightened. “Very well,” I said flatly. “I will see you later.”
“Wait,” she rushed out. “I love you, figlia mia. I love you so much. And we’ll get through this, I promise.”
I mumbled goodbye and hung up.
“Everything okay?” Nora asked from the door.
“My father has summoned me. He wants to see me at the estate later.”
Her expression faltered. “Did she say why?”
“The party...”
“Oh.”
“Arianne?” Luis appeared over Nora’s shoulder. The second his eyes landed on me he paled. “What is it?”
“Nothing.”
Nothing I said right now would change anything. Not unless I asked him to take me away from here. And I couldn’t do that to Nora or my mom, despite her misguided loyalty to my father.
For now, I was stuck here.
So I did the only thing within my power.
I held my head high, steeled myself, and said, “Let’s go.”
Chapter 7
Nicco
I padded into my room, shutting the door behind me. It had been a long fucking day. My aunt had tried to keep me company, but I was like a bear with a sore head. Only four days in exile and I was already starting to feel like a caged animal.
My father had no updates. Tommy, our investigator, and Stefan, the Family’s consigliere, were working around the clock to dig up dirt on Mike Fascini, but there was nothing new to report. And to make matters worse, Arianne had texted earlier to say she needed to talk to me.
Dropping onto the bed, I ran a hand through my hair. It was still damp from my workout. Dane and Uncle Alonso had a fully equipped gym in the house, so I’d spent a couple of hours burning off some steam. But it wasn’t enough. Restless energy coursed through my veins like lava. The whole time, I’d only been able to picture that fucker with his hands on Arianne.
My girl.
My life.
Luis had said everything had gone fine; that after dinner and drinks with Fascini’s friends, he had driven Arianne home and called Scott a cab. But my mind was the enemy, working against me to concoct all kinds of nightmarish endings.
And now she wanted to talk to me about something.
I was ready to detonate.
My cell started vibrating and I scooped it up, bringing it to my ear. “Nicco?” Her voice was small, and my chest tightened.
“Bambolina.”
A beat passed.
Another.
Neither of us spoke but the silence was deafening. This was our life now. Pained silence and bittersweet memories.
“How are you?” Arianne finally spoke.
“I thought it would be okay. I thought I’d come here, and knowing you were safe would be enough... but it’s killing me. It’s only been four days and it’s killing me.”
“I know,” she whispered. “I looked for you today. I wandered around downtown with Nora, expecting you to appear. What are we going to do, Nicco? How are we going to survive this?”
Letting myself fall backward, I inhaled a shuddering breath. “We keep going, Bambolina. We have to keep going.”
“I...” Arianne hesitated.
“What is it, amore mio?”
“My father wants to see me tonight... It’s about the party.”
My blood boiled. “Do you know when it is?”
“Soon, I think.”
I rubbed my temples. I wanted to comfort her, to tell her everything was going to be okay. But I couldn’t find the words.
The thought of Arianne being paraded in front of everyone, introduced as Scott’s fiancée, tore
me up inside.
She wasn’t his.
She would never be his.
Yet, he was there, and I was here and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.
“There’s still time. Your birthday isn’t until February. That’s still five months away. My father will have a plan before then. He will—”
“Nicco, stop. Please. I don’t want to keep doing this. It hurts too much.”
“Bambolina,” I breathed, her pain palpable even over the phone.
“Just talk to me, tell me about your day.”
“There isn’t much to tell,” I confessed.
“Humor me.”
“I had breakfast with my aunt, uncle, and Dane this morning. Then when he finally left to meet his friends, I helped my aunt around the house, then—”
“Wait, you did chores?”
I chuckled. “Surprised?”
“A little.” I heard the smile in her answer. “I can’t imagine big bad Niccolò Marchetti helping with the dishes.”
“You think I’m big and bad?” The corner of my mouth tipped. I liked hearing Arianne like this: playful and happy.
“Well, aren’t you?”
“Sometimes,” I lowered my voice. “When I need to be.”
There was a beat of silence, the slight ruffle of material. “What are you doing?” I asked.
“My towel slipped.”
Heat flooded me, zipping straight to my dick. “Don’t tell me you just got out of the shower?”
“Well, yeah...”
“Fuck, Bambolina. Do you have any idea how crazy that drives me, knowing you’re there, naked—”
“I’m not naked, I have a towel wrapped around me.” Arianne’s soft laughter was music to my ears, but it only fueled the blood pumping through me.
“I wish I was there.” It came out strained.
“Why?” Her voice was barely a whisper. “What would you do?”
“You really want to know?”
I waited with bated breath, my heart crashing against my ribcage. I hadn’t planned on this, but I’d take it. I’d take anything I could get where Arianne was concerned.
“Yes, I want to imagine you’re here, Nicco. I want to imagine you touching me.”
“I’m right there, trailing my lips all over your damp skin. Can you feel it, can you feel my kisses?”
“Y- yes.” It was a soft moan.
“Are you alone?”
“Yes, Luis is out in the hall.”
Thank fuck.
“Do you trust me?”
“You know I do.”
“Lie down on your bed.” There was a brief pause. “Good?” I asked.
“Good.” Her voice was thick with desire.
“Undo your towel, Bambolina.” I heard the slight hitch in her breath. “Now trail your hand down your stomach slowly.”
“It tickles.”
“It’s supposed to.” I smiled. Jesus, I wanted to be there. I wanted to worship her. “I can picture you lying there. The swell of your breasts, the soft curve of your hips. I want to trace my tongue over every single inch of you until you beg me for more.”
“God, I want that... so much.” Her voice was breathy.
“See how good you feel?”
“Hmm-mm.”
I was rock solid, my dick pulsing with need. Without hesitation, I worked my shorts down my hips and slid my hand around my shaft, stroking myself. I let out a long hiss.
“Nicco?”
“Touch yourself, Arianne. Imagine it’s my fingers, my lips. Remember how it was when I took you to the Country Club?”
“It feels so good,” she smothered a moan, inhaling a shaky breath.
“What does it feel like? Tell me...” I jacked myself harder, thrusting up into my hand, imagining it was her.
“It’s soft and warm... and wet.”
“Jesus, Bambolina. I wish it was me. I wish I was buried deep inside of you.”
“Yes... yes.” Her cries were my undoing, beads of sweat trailing down my abs as I chased my release.
“Are you close?” I groaned the words.
“It feels good... but it’s not like when you touch me,” she admitted.
“I’m right there, Arianne. I can hear your tiny moans, feel the way your body trembles beneath me. Come for me, Bambolina, I need you to come for me.”
A tingling sensation started at the base of my spine as I let myself drown in memories of Arianne. The way it had felt when I’d made love to her. It had been the single most intense experience of my life. Two bodies fitting as one, two souls binding together.
“Nicco, oh God...” she cried. “I’m going to...”
“That’s it, amore mio. Let go. Just let go.... fuck.” White hot pleasure shot down my spine as I jerked into my hand. My chest heaved with exertion, my body spent and sated.
“You still there?” I asked, grabbing a tissue off the nightstand and cleaning myself up.
There was a slight pause, and then she said, “I can’t believe we just did that.”
“I want to do everything with you, Arianne. I want to give you everything.”
“Can I ask you something?” The hesitation in her voice had my attention.
“Anything.”
“Do your feelings for me ever scare you?”
“Every second of every day. I wasn’t lying when I said I knew that if I stayed that morning, I wouldn’t have been able to say goodbye to you. I would have betrayed everything I am... for you.”
“I keep thinking about running away. Just the two of us. Going somewhere no one knows us. But then I think of Nora and my mom and Alessia and your family, and I know we can’t do it.”
Silence followed. Thick, ominous silence. Then Arianne let out a small sigh. “It isn’t supposed to be this hard, is it?”
Fuck. Her words gutted me. Slid into me like a jagged knife and tore up my insides.
“Arianne—”
“Don’t,” she let out a soft sigh. “It’s okay. I didn’t mean to ruin the moment.”
“Bambolina, never think like that. Not with me. I want all your moments. The happy ones, the sad too. Even the angry, frustrated ones. I won’t lie to you and say that I know how this will all work out. But I will tell you that I will always love you, Arianne. And I will always fight for you, no matter what. I promise.
“Ti amo più oggi di ieri ma meno di domani,” I whispered.
“I love you too. I should probably go and get ready. Luis wants to leave soon.”
“Okay. Text me later?”
“I will. Bye, Nicco.” She hung up, the sudden loss like a bucket of ice water.
I got cleaned up and found some clean sweats, before grabbing my cell phone again.
“Niccolò?” My father answered on the first ring.
“Any word from Tommy?”
“I was going to call you. He’s on his way to Boston.”
“He is?” Dread snaked through me.
“It was as I suspected. Mike Fascini is, in fact, son of Michael Ricci. He and his wife, Miranda Fascini, came from Vermont in the seventies. Tommy found records of a living relative in Montpelier.”
“So you really think Mike and Scott are Elena Ricci’s descendants?”
“It’s too much of a coincidence, Son. The Ricci were going to be brought into the Family. When Elena and Emilio fled it bought great shame to her family, and they left Verona County. They never returned and it was always assumed that after Emilio’s death, Elena killed herself. But what if she didn’t... what if she escaped with Emilio’s child?”
“Hold up, are you saying that Scott Fascini is really a Marchetti?”
“It’s a possibility, Son. Tommy hit a few snags with the records, so he’s going straight to the source and I want you to go with him.”
“You want me to go to Vermont?”
“It’ll keep you busy. Besides, Tommy could use the back up.”
“Do I get any choice in the matter?” Vermont was a four-hour ride North.
Another four hours away from Arianne. I didn’t like it, but from my father’s heavy sigh, I knew it was non-negotiable. “Fine, I’ll go.”
“Good, he’ll be there in less than an hour.”
“There’s a party,” I said. “An engagement party.”
“I know, Son.”
“You do?”
“I told you I’d keep my eye on Arianne, and I intend on keeping that promise. But we have to tread carefully if we want to avoid war.”
“Then tell me how to do this? Tell me how to sit here, while her father gives her to the piece of shit who...” I couldn’t say it.
“I understand your pain, Niccolò, but you have to keep your mind on the bigger picture. The Family must come first. Always. Arianne is your woman now, which means she has my protection. But we must get to the bottom of this thing with Fascini.”
“I understand.” I forced the words out. He kept talking about the Family and responsibility, but my head and heart were divided.
“Good. Go to Vermont and get answers and then we can figure out how to proceed." There was a pause and then he sighed. "Porca miseria. Your sister is outside hovering. Alessia, get in here,” he grumbled.
I heard her voice in the background. “Sorry, Daddy. I swear I wasn’t eavesdropping.”
I smiled. She was too smart for her own good sometimes.
“I’ll speak to you soon.” There was some muffled noise and then my sister’s voice filled the line.
“Nicco?”
“Hey, Sia.”
“How are you? How’s Boston? Tell me everything.”
“Whoa, take a breath.”
“Sorry.” She chuckled. “I was just waiting for Dad to leave.”
“Sia?” My spine went rigid.
“So... I was thinking...” I didn’t like the hesitation in her voice. “What if I invited Arianne to hang out? Maybe that would help.”
My heart swelled. “Shit, Sia, that’s what you wanted to talk about?”
“Well, yeah. You didn’t think I really give a shit ab—”
“Language!”
“Chill, big brother. I like Arianne and I keep thinking about what she’s having to do... he hurt her, Nicco, he hurt and—”
“I know,” I let out a pained breath, “I know.”
“But maybe if I offered to hang out with her, she’d know she wasn’t alone. Not that she’s alone, I know she has Nora, and she seems cool and all, but I thought—”