by Reilly, Cora
I stroked Anna’s head and took the piece of paper she held out to me. With my huge bump, I couldn’t lift her into my arms anymore, even if I wanted to do it.
It was a drawing of flowers and four stick figures.
“That’s us! And Leonas!”
“It’s beautiful.”
“Can we draw together?”
I glanced at the clock. It was already past Anna’s bedtime, but I was glad for the distraction. Nodding, I allowed Anna to lead me into the living room.
I kept checking my phone for messages from Dante but only Bibi asked how I was. The later it got, the more worried I was. What was Dante doing to Aria?
I walked into the Santa Fe, spotting Val and Aria. My disappointment and anger toward Val were something I couldn’t focus on now.
Aria spotted me as I walked toward them, shock reflecting on her face. She looked at Val who frantically shook her head.
“I didn’t tell him anything, Aria. I would never—”
I stopped beside their booth. “She didn’t,” I said coldly. I’d discuss this with Val later. After her secrecy about Frank and Antonio at the beginning of our marriage, I’d hoped we’d reached a new level of trust, one that allowed Val to tell me everything, especially crucial information like the presence of Aria in my city. Maybe she didn’t understand how serious this war was.
I met Val’s worried gaze. “But in a time like this, I won’t let you go anywhere without my knowledge.”
“You tracked me,” she said, staring down at her mobile lying flat on the table.
“That, yes, and Enzo recognized a familiar face this morning during your brunch with Bibiana but he wasn’t sure, and when he sent me a photo of Aria and I told him to grab her, she had already disappeared.”
I slid into Aria’s booth, forcing her to make room for me with my body. She sucked in a sharp breath.
Val glanced between Aria and me anxiously. “Dante,” she began. She was going to try and placate me, but this was no longer her business. I’d deal with her later.
“Go outside. Two of my men are waiting for you. They will take you home.”
“Dante,” she tried again, pleading with me.
“Valentina,” I growled. I hadn’t taken that tone with her in a very long time, and certainly didn’t like taking it with her in her pregnant state but she’d betrayed me and that would have to be addressed later.
Cradling her belly, Valentina rose. She searched my eyes but I didn’t allow her to read me.
“Thank you, Val, for coming here,” Aria whispered.
Val walked past me and out of the restaurant.
I turned to Aria. Her fear shone brightly in her eyes. She’d never been good at hiding her emotions, especially to someone who was used to reading others. Even on her wedding day, her terror had been clear as day. Now her fear was directed at me. “I will call the waiter over now and pay for dinner. We will get up together, you will stay at my side, and we will go to my car and you will get in.”
Aria nodded. She was more complacent than Gianna, but I was still wary of her submittal. After I’d paid, I grabbed Aria’s coat and helped her into it. I touched her shoulders, my body close to hers. It was a too intimate gesture. One I usually would have avoided because it was disrespectful toward Aria but it was necessary. My eyes sought the outside of the restaurant but I couldn’t see the photographer from my vantage point.
I leaned even closer, bringing my mouth close to her ear. “Don’t try to run or do anything stupid, Aria. I’d hate having to hurt you.”
Aria trembled in my hold and nodded again. I led her to my car, holding her hand tightly, and finally noticed the photographer hidden behind two buildings. The lens was directed toward us.
Aria got into the car and I slipped behind the steering wheel.
“I assume you are alone,” I said as I steered us away from the restaurant. I wasn’t in a hurry. The photographer needed to catch up with us.
“I am.”
It’s what I’d suspected. Aria wasn’t the type to risk her sisters’ lives like she did her own, and none of Luca’s men, much less Luca, would have supported her in this foolish endeavor.
“You shouldn’t have come to Chicago.” The photographer was three cars behind us. Aria was quiet beside me. I wasn’t surprised she didn’t ask about her father. There was only bad blood between them.
I pulled off the main road and parked near train tracks. For the following photos, this was the more likely place. If our affair were true, a more deserted place would be a good choice to engage in more entertaining activities.
Rocco’s advice was one I couldn’t follow. For one, I considered it cheating even if it was just for show, and second my stance on sexual violence against women hadn’t changed. I wouldn’t violate Aria even if it would lead to better photos and consequentially a stronger reaction from Luca. As jealous as he was, even less explicit photos would make him draw the wrong conclusions and cause the wanted damage.
Aria looked down to the bag in the legroom between her feet. The contemplative expression told me there was something inside she debated using against me. Before she could force me to hurt her in self-defense, I reached for the bag.
Aria flinched, her head colliding hard with the window. “No!”
I searched her face and the horror in her eyes told me all I needed to know. She thought I was coming on to her, would force myself on her in this deserted place to break her and Luca. And while that would certainly crush Luca like Rocco had predicted, which was why mass-rapes were such a common practice in wars of the past and even sometimes today, the mere idea disgusted me deeply. I grasped the bag like I’d intended to do and returned to my side.
Aria released a shuddering breath, not moving away from her position pressed against the window.
“Aria, you are Luca’s wife; a war won’t change that. And even if you weren’t his wife, you wouldn’t have to fear that from me, or from anyone else in Chicago. I swear it.”
“Thank you, Dante.” She finally sat up, but the tension remained in her body.
“There’s no need to thank me for respecting your body.”
“What will you do with me then?”
Aria was my unknowing pawn. She’d find out about this trap, about the photos later, probably from Luca. “That is the question, I suppose. I should use you to punish Luca and the Famiglia. Or at the very least use you as leverage to blackmail him.”
Fear flashed across Aria’s face. I didn’t think it was yet for her own fate. She loved Luca. I’d witnessed their feelings for each other in our encounters over the years. It seemed impossible considering my assessment of Luca’s personality but it was the indisputable truth.
“Luca is Capo. He won’t risk the Famiglia.”
Of course, she’d say that. “But you are his wife, and I saw the way he looks at you. There’s only one thing Luca would risk his position as Capo over, and that’s you.”
“I think you are overestimating my worth. Luca’s first choice will always be the Famiglia.”
Aria’s lying skills had improved but they weren’t convincing enough for me. “And I think you are underestimating your worth for good reason.”
“I’m not. Luca won’t risk his territory. You don’t know him as well as I do.”
“And that’s the problem. If Luca didn’t comply with our requests, I’d have to try to convince him.” Rocco had suggested this. Arturo wouldn’t have trouble causing a woman pain. He didn’t have trouble causing anyone pain. My father would have chosen this option and many of my men would have been in favor of it as well. Maybe it was the best for the Outfit, but hurting Aria, an innocent woman, in any way was out of the question.
“By hurting me.”
“By hurting you. I’m not very fond of inflicting pain on women. Yet, the Outfit is where my concern lies.” Aria couldn’t read me, couldn’t know that I’d already made my choice. I’d never hurt her the way blackmailing Luca required. Not only because I’d kn
own her as a young girl and felt obligated to her but because Val would never forgive me if I hurt Aria. She and I had often talked about how women in our world often suffered either through their husbands or for their husbands’ faults, and she hated it fiercely. If I became a man who tortured a woman, even if it was through Arturo’s hand, she’d resent me.
Val’s feelings toward my actions shouldn’t be of concern for me. She was only a woman, not of concern in the eyes of so many of my men, but I valued her opinion, and even more than that, I needed her support, her love.
“There’s still Matteo, and the rest of the Famiglia. Luca has to consider their wishes.”
“Luca knows how to make people see things how he wants them to see them. Luca is the strongest Capo New York has seen in a long time. His men look up to him, but they don’t know his weakness.”
Luca had almost everyone fooled about his invulnerability, about the fact that he didn’t care for anyone. Aria was the exemption though.
“Luca will do anything to stay Capo. It’s in his blood. Ultimately if he has to choose between me and power, he will choose power, believe me.”
I didn’t doubt Luca’s absolute determination to stay in power. He was born to be Capo, just like me. It was in our blood. “Perhaps. But perhaps you are only trying to save yourself and Luca. Perhaps you realize that you being here could mean the end of the Famiglia.”
“No matter what you do to me, Luca won’t give up his territory. Luca won’t bow down to anyone.”
“But he won’t stand back and have you tortured.”
Aria flinched. I smiled coldly. “He won’t. He will attack Chicago and kill every man. He will show strength, not weakness. Luca is the most ruthless man I know, Dante, and I’ve grown up knowing you. Don’t mistake his possessiveness for anything else. I’m his possession, and he will tear down your city and your home to get it back.”
“And I will do the same with New York. You grew up seeing my civilized mask, Aria. Don’t mistake it for my true nature. Luca carries his monster on the outside; I keep mine buried until I need it.”
Aria reached for the door, trying to escape.
“Aria,” I warned. Did she really think she could escape? We were in an area where Aria would be in more danger outside the car than with me.
“I’m going to be sick,” she said, and one look at her face told me she said the truth.
I lifted the locks and Aria stormed out. I followed her and found her bent over behind the car, throwing up.
I held out a tissue. “Here.”
Aria was trembling as she straightened. “Thanks.” Tears stained her face and she looked close to losing consciousness. I hardly ever dealt with women, except for the few times we had to deal with Bratva whores.
Aria met my gaze. “Is this fear or something else?” I asked. I wanted to scare her, but this open terror was more than I’d anticipated.
“Both. I’ve never been more scared of you than I am today.” If she hoped for me to become soft, she would be disappointed. “But that’s not it. I am pregnant.”
A pregnancy test confirmed Aria’s claim. Her pregnancy gave me another advantage over Luca. I should have consulted with Rocco immediately, but given these new circumstances, I was fairly sure he’d have advised me to keep Aria, to blackmail Luca with the unborn child.
Thinking of Val and how worried I was for her because she was so vulnerable being pregnant, I knew without a doubt that Luca would go completely crazy. He’d lose his mind, and he would attack.
Keeping Aria as a captive would only put Val and Anna in danger, because if I targeted his wife and child like that, Luca would do the same with my family. And if Val found out I kept a pregnant woman as bait, she’d definitely not forgive me. I had few morals but not hurting a pregnant woman was definitely one of them. Aria wouldn’t suffer in my territory.
Of course, as I watched Aria head toward the airport to fly back to New York, I knew I was leading her and Luca into a trap. The photos the photographer had taken would confirm Luca’s distrustful nature. He’d eagerly eat up the lie because this fake truth made more sense in his twisted brain than the reality of Aria’s love and faithfulness.
It was a devious plan, but one that could possibly destroy Luca and with him the Famiglia, or at least shake them up so badly that they were vulnerable. It also made me look bad, but would make Val look like another victim and thus didn’t give Luca reason to target her or Anna.
Many of my men would be unhappy with this tactic, would say I should have kept Aria to control Luca. Some might even say I didn’t make the necessary choice for the Outfit. We were at war. Mercy toward a woman, especially Aria Vitiello, would be seen as unnecessary, maybe even weakness. Yet, my conscience had forced me to choose an innocent woman over the Outfit.
I pulled away from the airport and called Rocco, giving him an update on the situation minus Aria’s pregnancy. The photographer would forward the photos to us tonight and then we’d choose the most compromising and send them to several of New York’s magazines and newspapers, hoping they’d make headline in their online presences tomorrow and in their actual prints the day after. It would cause a major scandal, one that would give the conservatives in Luca’s Famiglia ammunition against him. Rocco tried to convince me of a cooperation with a couple of Luca’s uncles who’d approached us before, but I mistrusted those old Vitiello men even more than Luca.
I didn’t need their help.
Now I needed to talk to Val. About trust. About betrayal.
Val was still up when I returned home. My anger had built during the drive to the mansion but when I entered the bedroom and spotted my heavily pregnant wife perching on the edge of the bed, kneading her hands anxiously, it was difficult to hold on to my fury. She pushed slowly to her feet, her eyes swimming with worry. Her red silk nightgown stretched over her belly. “What did you do to Aria?”
For some reason, her worry over Aria kindled my anger anew. I undid my cuffs and headed toward the walk-in closet and not Val.
“You went to a meeting with the wife of the Famiglia Capo without telling me, without protection, Val,” I said. I shrugged off my jacket and tossed it over a chair as Val appeared in the doorway.
“Aria isn’t a danger to me. I’ve known her all my life. We are cousins.”
I shook my head, my fingers steady as I removed my tie and unbuttoned my shirt, despite the emotions shaking me up.
I narrowed my eyes at her. “We are at war.” It wasn’t just anger over her betrayal I felt. I was also worried. She risked too much. This could have been a trap.
Cradling her belly, Val leaned against the doorframe. “You are at war, Dante. The Outfit is. But Aria and I, we aren’t.”
I gritted my teeth at her refusal to accept the sad truth. This war was all-encompassing. “It could have been a trick. Luca could have set her up to it. You risked too much.”
Val raised her brows. “You really think Aria would have led me into a trap so Luca could capture me? And then what?”
“It’s a good thing that we’ll never find out.” Left in my briefs, I moved to walk out but Val stepped in the way.
“Where’s Aria?” Val asked again, touching my bare chest. “What did you do to her?”
Grabbing her shoulders, I gently pushed her out of my way and headed for the bathroom. Of course, Val followed me. “Dante, don’t ignore me now. Tell me what you did to Aria. I deserve to know.”
I slammed my palm down on the sink. “Didn’t I deserve to know that Aria Vitiello was in my territory? That she intended to meet my wife? What did she want here? Why did she want to meet you?”
Val paled at my open wrath. “She wanted to talk about Fabiano. She’s worried about him because of this war, because of Rocco.”
I shook my head. “Fabiano is part of the Outfit. He isn’t her concern.”
“If Leonas was part of another famiglia, would he no longer be your concern?”
“Leonas is born into the Outfit and he’l
l rule over the Outfit. There won’t ever be anything else for him.”
Val looked down at her belly with a small frown. “But what if he doesn’t want to be.”
“Valentina, this discussion is moot. Leonas will be raised to be Capo. He’ll know nothing else. He’ll want nothing else. This discussion is over.”
Val turned around but her soft intake of breath told me she was going to cry. I clutched the edge of the sink, counting to three and trying to calm myself. I straightened and followed Val. She looked out of the window, her shoulders trembling. She was close to her due date and emotionally vulnerable.
I sighed. I didn’t want to fight with her, not in the state she was in. I walked closer and touched Val’s bare shoulders then pressed a gentle kiss to her neck. “Dante,” she whispered. Our eyes met in the reflection of the window and as usual, I had a hard time staying mad at her when she looked at me.
“I sent her back to New York.”
Val’s lips parted with surprise. “Really?” She turned in my hold, causing her belly to bump into my abs.
I brushed the tears away from her pale cheeks. “Really.”
Her brows puckered. “Why? Having her in your hands would have given you an advantage over Luca.”
Luca would have lost his mind. He would have orchestrated an attack on Chicago. It was an idea I’d entertained often, but my decision was made and I was still certain it had been the right one.
“Aria is pregnant.”
Val looked thoughtful for a moment then she wrapped her arms around me. “I thought I saw her touch her belly twice but I didn’t really think much of it. I’m so happy for them.” She fell silent, seeing my expression. I didn’t give a fuck if Luca became a father. It only meant Leonas would have future Vitiellos to deal with. They wouldn’t remain innocent children forever.
Val smiled then kissed me. “That was the right thing to do.”
Val thought I’d acted out of the goodness of my heart. She didn’t know what I’d sent Aria back to. I wouldn’t be able to hide it from her forever.
“You should get some rest. I still have work to do,” I said, and led her over to the bed.