by Reilly, Cora
“I don’t get it. She’s younger than two of his daughters,” I said with a nod toward Scuderi and his too young wife. He was grinning all over his face. No wonder. He’d get to pop a girl’s cherry thirty years his junior.
“Some traditions are harder to change than others,” Dante said, but I caught the hint of disapproval for his Consigliere’s choice. We’d returned to being civil, at least in front of our gathered men. It wouldn’t do to send them the wrong message. Brasci and Scuderi had made the arrangement and as I knew very well, the influence of a Capo regarding family matters was very limited.
“I’m glad that Valentina is close to my age. It makes it easier to find topics to discuss,” Dante said.
I nodded. He had married a woman who had been married before. That had broken with tradition, but it was his choice. He couldn’t force the same choice on others. If it were my choice alone, I’d have stopped the tradition of bloody sheets long ago, but I had a family I needed to appease. Capo or not, I needed their support. Ruling over the East Coast wasn’t a one-man show.
His attention shifted past me toward a young girl, perhaps twelve or thirteen, with the same blonde hair as Dante. I’d often wondered why the Outfit had so many blondes. Perhaps it was because many of the families were originally from Genoa and Bologna in the north of Italy. The girl approached us. She held herself with surprising pride for someone that young, but she didn’t meet my gaze, only curtsied briefly before she turned to Dante.
“Mom told me to find you for a dance,” she said in a lilting voice. Her eyes darted up to me, cheeks flushing. This must have been one of her first social events. It was obvious that she was unaccustomed to males that didn’t belong to her family. And I knew why she had been sent over, Dante’s sister had probably picked up on the underlying tension between her brother and me.
Dante put a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “This is my niece, Serafina,” he introduced her. His voice held obvious protectiveness. She squared her shoulders and met my gaze. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
I shook my head. “I’m not that old.”
Dante narrowed his eyes, and I had to stop a smirk. His family was a stickler for proper behavior, but that proper exterior was a façade and we both knew it. Dante harbored the same demons I did. “If you’ll excuse us.” He didn’t wait for my reply; instead he led the girl away and set out to dance with her.
I turned my back to them, and spotted Romero making his way toward Lily. Hadn’t he done enough? If they both disappeared from the wedding twice together, things would look really fucking bad. That was an encounter I couldn’t let happen, not in front of the gathered Outfit. I pushed forward and reached Lily first.
“Dance with me,” I ordered. It wasn’t how I usually asked a woman to dance, but I was already losing my fucking patience again. Her eyes widened but she took my hand. I led her to a less crowded part of the dance floor before I pulled her against me, closer than was proper, but I didn’t want people to overhear our conversation.
She was tense in my hold, and a faint blush covered her cheeks. Was she embarrassed because I knew what she’d done? I wouldn’t have cared that she’d fucked around before her wedding if it wasn’t one of my soldiers she’d chosen to dishonor her. That was a fucking problem, my fucking problem. “You are still going through with this marriage? You and Romero were gone for a while.”
“Yes. I will marry Benito, don’t worry,” she said quietly, but her body became stiff in my hold. She was scared. Her face resembled Aria’s in some aspect, and they both worried their lower lip the same way when they were anxious. Damn it.
“You don’t have to stay married to him forever,” I said because I knew Aria wouldn’t stop worrying for one second as long as Lily was married to Brasci.
Lily gave a small shake of her head, her eyes meeting mine. “Father would never agree to a divorce.”
She was right. Scuderi had never given a shit about his daughters’ happiness. For him they were something he could bargain with, an asset to use to his advantage. If he were a decent father, he would have never agreed to marry Aria off to me. My reputation preceded me and couldn’t have given him any doubt that I’d break his daughter.
“There are other ways out of a marriage than divorce. Sometimes people die,” I said, but Lily’s reply made it clear that she didn’t catch my drift.
“He’s not that old.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Sometimes people die anyway.”
She faltered in her steps but I moved her along. She had to work on her poker face. “Why can’t he die before my wedding?” she asked, her eyes begging me, but even for Aria I couldn’t make that happen. If I let Romero kill Brasci, which he’d gladly do, as became apparent from the death glares he sent the old fucker whenever he felt unobserved, there would be war.
“That would look suspicious. Wait a few months. The time will pass quickly, trust me.”
She shuddered against me. “Romero won’t want me anymore then.”
I couldn’t argue with that. I wasn’t sure if Romero would want Lily after Brasci had fucked her for months. It was a hard thing to stomach. If he loved her, he might be able to ignore it, but I didn’t know the extent of his feelings. I doubted he would have taken Lily’s virginity if he didn’t harbor feelings for her. Romero was too honorable for that, but sometimes feelings changed. “There are good men in the Outfit too. You’ll find new happiness. You’re doing the right thing by marrying Benito. You’re preventing war and you’re protecting Romero from himself. That’s a brave thing to do,” I told her.
It wasn’t any kind of consolation for her, and I knew that, but I was Capo of the Famiglia, and Lily wasn’t mine to protect, even if the thought didn’t sit well with me. She didn’t deserve that fate, but in our life we were often dealt shitty cards.
I returned her to her table. Aria caught my eyes from where she stood against the wall, deep in conversation with Valentina.
Something in my expression must have showed Aria that I hadn’t changed my mind about her sister and Romero. I couldn’t risk everything for their feelings.
Romero had gone against my direct orders by pursuing Lily. That I hadn’t punished him harshly was already more than others would have received from me in return. Aria’s face filled with resignation and disappointment. She wouldn’t try to argue with me again, but I knew she didn’t like my decision. After her first apology for keeping everything from me, she’d tried to convince me to help her sister, but when I’d refused she’d retreated. She was drawn back, and I hadn’t made a move to smooth things between us. I was the one who had reason to be angry, after all.
“You and Aria have been married for longer than Dante and Valentina, and yet they are onto their second child and Aria isn’t even pregnant yet,” Scuderi said sharply as he walked up to me. We had been married for more than four years, and I knew people in the Famiglia were wondering when Aria would finally get pregnant, but I had no intention of becoming a father anytime soon. I enjoyed having Aria to myself, and she was still young, only twenty-two. We had plenty of time.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “That’s none of your business. You should worry about your new wife now.”
“She will be pregnant before Aria, I can guarantee you that,” Scuderi said with a disgusting leer at his wife, who stood amidst girls her age.
Soldiers from the Outfit I didn’t know joined us, and I used the excuse to leave. I would have cut Scuderi’s tongue out if I’d talked to him a moment longer. It was none of his or anyone’s business when, and if, Aria and I decided it was time to start a family. My father had been a fucking nightmare, and I wasn’t sure that he hadn’t rubbed off on me. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to subject children to that kind of thing. Eventually, I might need to produce an heir, but definitely not anytime soon.
ARIA
Lily was a sight to behold in her wedding dress, a sight that broke my heart to pieces because she wasn’t allowed to marry the man she loved. “You l
ook beautiful,” I told her as I arranged her veil over her shoulders. Her face reflected misery as she met my gaze in the mirror. I’d felt the same way on my wedding day, had been terrified and hopeless, but unlike Lily I didn’t have someone I wanted to marry instead. Lily’s marriage wouldn’t turn out to be a blessing in disguise like my marriage to Luca had. There were no consoling words I could offer my sister that wouldn’t have sounded false.
“This is crap,” Gianna muttered. She touched Lily’s shoulder. “Lily, get the hell away from here. Let us help you. What’s the use of being married to the Capo and the Consigliere of the Famiglia if we can’t force them to start a war for our little sister? You’re going to be miserable.”
Gianna knew I had tried everything I could to convince Luca, and she hadn’t stopped bugging Matteo about it either, but to no avail. I couldn’t go behind Luca’s back again, not when he was still hurt because I’d kept Lily’s relationship with Romero a secret. It was so very difficult to take care of my family like I wanted and not go against Luca.
“Luca said I could get rid of Benito in a few months when it won’t look suspicious anymore,” Lily whispered. A few months? The mere idea of having to bear Brasci’s touch sent shivers of disgust down my back, and I knew Lily felt the same way.
Gianna snorted. “Oh sure, and what until then? My God, could Luca be any more of a jerk?”
Luca was Capo. He was willing to put me before the Famiglia, but that was all. He wouldn’t help Lily, no matter how much I begged.
“Are you and Luca still fighting?” Lily asked.
“I wouldn’t call it fighting. We’re basically ignoring each other. He’s angry at me for keeping you and Romero a secret from him, and I’m mad at him for making you marry Brasci.” Though ignoring wasn’t quite right either. We talked and we slept with each other but there was a barrier between us, an invisible wall of disappointment and hurt.
“He isn’t making me, Aria. Father is. Luca’s acting like a Capo should. I’m not his responsibility, but the Famiglia is.”
I knew she was right but I didn’t like it. I didn’t like that we women always had to pay the price so the men could stay in power.
“Good God, Romero has really rubbed off on you. Please tell me you don’t really believe what you just said,” Gianna said.
“I won’t have you all risk everything for me.”
Gianna smacked her forehead in exasperation. “We want to risk it for you. But you have to let us.”
I wasn’t sure what to do if Lily said yes. I had to tell Luca about it if we helped Lily escape. I was too scared to lose him completely.
Someone knocked and a moment later, Maria, the girl my father had married, poked her head in. “You need to come out now.”
She disappeared without another word. I shuddered when I thought of Father being married to a girl Lily’s age. It was wrong.
“I can’t believe Father is married to her,” Gianna said, echoing my thoughts. “I don’t like her but I still feel sorry for her. Father is a bastard.”
Lily lowered her veil over her face. “We should go now.”
“Lily,” I began, not even sure what I wanted to tell her, how to make this situation better; but before I could utter another word, she straightened her spine, blinked, and headed for the door. Outside our father was already waiting to lead her down the aisle. I sent him a glower. The days when I’d felt respect or even fear toward him were gone. He was the root of our misery, and for that I’d never forgive him.
chapter 13
ARIA
The wedding celebrations passed in a blur and when the first shouts rang out that asked for the groom to bed the bride, I felt sick. Lily tried to appear strong, but I could see behind her mask, could see the terror and fear, and it broke me apart. Matteo practically had to hold Gianna in place to stop her from going after our sister, but I was frozen.
Helplessness. It wasn’t the first time I’d felt it, but today it reached new levels.
“Come on,” Luca said quietly when Brasci and Lily had disappeared in their shared bedroom. His hand was warm as it closed around mine, and I allowed him to lead me toward our own bedroom in the Brasci mansion. We shouldn’t have agreed to my father’s suggestion to spend the night there. The door fell shut behind us, and my throat closed up. I turned away from Luca and walked toward the bed. I remembered our first night in a room together, our wedding night.
I’d been terrified of Luca, of consummating our marriage, but Luca had showed kindness, had treated me with respect, and had continued to do so since we were married. I had been lucky.
Lily wouldn’t be that lucky. Brasci was a nasty piece of shit, or that was how Matteo had put it. I had seen it in his eyes. I knew rape was still common in some marriages in our world. It wasn’t called by that name because our old-fashioned traditions still viewed the woman’s body as the husband’s possession, but it was a dark presence in many women’s lives. Gianna and I had been lucky. I’d always thought Lily would be too. I had been wrong.
I began to cry for Lily, and for Romero. For their impossible love. I didn’t let my mind wander to what could be happening in the bedroom down the hall. I couldn’t bear it. Luca came up behind me and put his hands on my shoulders like he’d done on our wedding night more than four years ago. Back then his touch hadn’t brought me comfort, but now it did.
“Aria,” he murmured.
His gentle tone made me cry even harder, and he slid an arm around my waist and pulled me against him. He was warm and strong. His lips brushed my cheek, which was wet with tears. “It’s unfair,” I whispered through my clogged-up throat. “It’s almost like all the good luck was granted to me and Gianna, and now nothing is left for Lily.”
Luca turned me around to face him and tilted my head up. His face was kind. “Don’t blame yourself, Aria. It’s got nothing to do with luck or fate. Life’s unfair, that’s how it is.”
“No,” I said harshly. “That’s not how it is for everyone. That’s not how it is for men. Were you terrified before our wedding night? No. You were probably excited because you wanted to claim me.”
Luca sighed and wiped tears off my cheek. “Yes, I was excited, Aria, up until the point when I realized you were terrified, and you know that.”
“I know,” I said. “But Brasci won’t care that Lily is terrified. Nothing will stop him from raping her.”
Luca bent low until our foreheads touched. “Fuck, Aria. What do you want me to do? Do you want me to drag the asshole out of that bedroom and cut his throat? Because right this second, I want to fucking do it because I hate to see you so broken up. The only thing stopping me is the knowledge that I’d risk your life. If I kill Brasci or if Romero kills him, then we are at war with the Outfit.”
“Perhaps we won’t have to kill him…” I trailed off, realizing how foolish it was. Brasci wouldn’t let Lily leave the bedroom. We’d have to knock him out at the very least, and that would lead to war, too.
I tipped my head up and brushed my lips across Luca’s. His brows pulled together. “What’s that for?”
I forced a shaky smile. “For wanting to risk everything because of me. I don’t deserve you.”
He shook his head, but the ring of his mobile stopped him from saying anything. He raised the mobile to his ear and his face transformed into a mask of shock, then fury.
“Damn it, Romero!” he snarled. I stepped back, my pulse racing. “So let me get this straight—you are in a room with Lily and Benito?”
There was an answer on the other end.
“Damn it!” Luca growled. He hung up and lowered the phone.
Then he turned to me. “Did anything happen to Lily?” I whispered.
He glared. “She and Romero started war with the Outfit!”
LUCA
Aria stared at me uncomprehendingly. “What do you mean?” She sounded scared but probably for the wrong reasons. I bet her all her worry was for her sister.
“Romero killed Brasci. He’
s with your sister now.”
Aria didn’t say anything, but relief showed on her face. I didn’t blame her. She only cared about her sister’s safety. She didn’t know what that meant, didn’t know that Romero had forced me to make a decision I’d never wanted to make.
“We’ll have to go to them now,” I told her as I gathered my guns and knives and arranged them in the holsters on my chest, back and calves.
Aria watched me with dawning worry. “We’ll have to run, right? If Brasci is dead, Dante will declare war on us.”
I gave a terse nod then I held out my hand for her to take. That was one option. The other was to show Dante I didn’t approve of Romero’s actions. “Come on. We need to hurry.”
She slipped her small hand in mine, and I led her out of our bedroom and down the hallway where Liliana and Brasci were supposed to spend their wedding night.
I scanned our surroundings and listened for suspicious noises, but only the sound of music and distant laughter carried over. The party was still going strong. My mouth tightened. Seven years. That’s how long we’d managed to keep peace between the Outfit and the Famiglia, and tonight the feud would break open again, probably worse than before. Dante was a proud man, and he would have to retaliate. If someone killed one of my men in my territory, I would hunt them down and slice them into tiny pieces.
Aria was surprisingly quiet at my side. Perhaps she’d realized the danger of the situation.
I knocked at the bedroom door and Romero opened it a moment later. Aria unfastened her hand and slipped in, hurrying toward her sister who perched on the edge of the bed.
Romero met my gaze, and he didn’t try to look like he felt sorry. At least he was being honest. I walked past him into the bedroom.