by Cora Reilly
I actually flinched away from Lily. Her eyes went wide, then dilated scarily, her face taking on an expression that scared the shit out of me. All eyes jerked toward us. Matteo released the Russian, narrowed his dark eyes at me, as if I was the one doing something wrong. Lily kept up her screaming, a high-pitched wail that made the hairs on my neck rise.
“Romero!” Matteo snarled, nodding toward my sister. “Take care of Liliana.”
Romero advanced on us. Tall and imposing.
Lily had always fawned over him, but now even she couldn’t see anything but the killer in him. His hands were red. Red from blood, and Lily completely lost her shit. I could only stare. I was unable to move. Somewhere in the back of my mind a voice was telling me to talk to my sister, to try to calm her, to do something, anything, but that voice was drowned out by the terrified static filling my head.
The steel door slammed against the wall above our heads and then Luca was suddenly there. “What the fuck is going on here?”
Nobody replied.
Romero spoke to my sister in a soothing voice. “Calm down, Lily. Everything is okay.”
Really? The scene in front of us told a very different story. Nothing about this was okay.
Of course, Lily wasn’t to be calmed. Romero gripped her arm and Luca went to help him, but she was fighting them like an animal. How could such a skinny girl fight off two men?
Romero slung his arms around her chest, trapping her arms against her sides, but that didn’t stop Lily from kicking out at him and everything around her, and she still didn’t stop screaming at the top of her lungs.
“Shut her up! Aria will hear,” Luca growled. He tried to catch her legs but she lashed out and kicked his chin. He stumbled back, more from surprise than anything else. Of course they could have subdued her easily if they hadn’t been so careful not to hurt her. I took a step in their direction, worried that they might give up the gentle approach soon, but the ground tilted under me and I had to grip the wall again.
“Lily,” I said. “Lily, stop.”
She didn’t even hear me.
The tall, muscled guy took a few steps toward them as if he was going to interfere, but Matteo pushed him back. “No. Stay out of it.”
I’d forgotten about Matteo, but while I had watched Lily, he’d managed to clean his hands. They were still pink but at least not smeared with blood. His eyes settled on me but I had to look away. I couldn’t return his gaze right now. I had a feeling I wasn’t far from pulling a stunt like Lily and going bat-shit crazy on them. The coppery scent of blood hung like fog in the air, clogged my throat and nose, seemed to sink into my skin, bury itself deep in my body with the horrible images.
Lily managed to kick off the wall, causing Romero to stumble back, lose his balance and land on his back with Lily on top of him. He grunted and lost his hold on my sister. She pushed to her feet, a look like a hunted animal on her face. Her gaze passed right through me.
“Lily, calm down,” I tried again.
She tried to storm past Matteo but he was too quick. He grabbed her wrist, and wrapped an arm around her waist. Then she was suddenly on her back and he was kneeling on her legs and had her hands pinned above her head. Luca headed toward them with a syringe in his hand. That was the final straw.
I stumbled toward them despite my wobbly legs. “Don’t hurt her!” I hissed. “Don’t you fucking dare hurting her!”
“I’m trying very hard not to hurt her, but she’s making it difficult. Luca now!” Matteo growled from his spot on top of my sister.
I blocked Luca’s way. “What is that?” I pointed at the syringe.
“Something that will calm her down,” Matteo said.
“Get out of the fucking way.” Luca brushed past me, knelt beside my sister who was still struggling against Matteo’s hold, and pushed the needle into her arm. It didn’t take long for her to grow quiet and stop struggling. Matteo released her wrists and sat up. Lily whimpered before curling into herself and starting to cry silently.
“I hope you all burn in hell,” I whispered harshly as I knelt beside her and stroked her hair. Matteo watched me with unreadable dark eyes. There were a few specks of blood on his throat; they seemed to be all I could see.
One of the Russians started to laugh. For a second I considered punching him in the face. I wasn’t even sure how he was still capable of any sound the way he looked.
Matteo shot to his feet and got right into his face. “Shut the fuck up, or I swear I’ll cut your dick into pieces while you watch.”
“Romero take Liliana into her room and tell the Doc to check on her,” Luca ordered, his voice already back to business.
Romero lifted Lily into his arms, and she actually pressed her face into his chest and sobbed. He was the last person she should seek out for comfort. He was one of the fucking reasons why she’d freaked out in the first place. Maybe she didn’t even realize who held her.
I stood as well to follow after them. I wouldn’t leave my sister alone with any of them. Luca gripped my wrist. “I want to have a word with you first.”
“Let me go!” I snarled but he didn’t budge.
Matteo grasped Luca’s forearm. “Let her go.”
Luca and he stared at each other for a moment, then I was finally free but now Matteo was blocking the stairs. I still couldn’t look at his face. I glared at Luca instead. “I need to go to Lily. Maybe you didn’t notice but she had a breakdown because of you sick fucks.”
“She’ll get over it,” Luca said dismissively.
“Do you hear yourself? You make me sick. Lily won’t ever get over what she saw today. She’ll probably have fucking nightmares for years, only because of you.”
Luca smiled coldly. “If you want to blame someone, blame yourself, because I have a feeling she was only down here because she followed you.”
“Luca,” Matteo said in warning. “It wasn’t Gianna’s fault.”
It was my fault, at least partly, but I would never admit it in front of them. If it weren’t for their sick business, nothing of this would have happened. I decided to switch to attack-mode. “I wonder what Aria will say when she finds out what happened.”
Luca narrowed his eyes. “You won’t tell her.”
“Oh, I won’t?” I asked. I had absolutely no intention of telling her. She didn’t need the extra baggage, but Luca didn’t need to know that. Matteo stepped between his brother and me, and touched my arms. I jerked back as if he’d burnt me. “Don’t touch me ever again.”
“I really don’t get what you see in her,” Luca said.
“Luca, stop provoking her,” Matteo hissed, then he turned his dark eyes on me. “You can’t tell Aria. It won’t serve any purpose, only make her miserable.”
“Maybe she’ll decide to leave him.” I nodded toward Luca.
“Aria won’t ever leave me,” Luca said quietly. “She took a fucking bullet for me today. I almost lost her. I won’t ever lose her again. And I won’t let you ruin things between us.”
The worst thing was that I knew he was right when he said Aria wouldn’t leave him, not even when I told her what I’d seen today. It wasn’t as if she didn’t know what kind of man Luca was and what kind of things his men did on his orders. He’d killed and tortured for her before, and she still loved him. Somehow she could forget the monster and only see the man when she was with Luca. I was pretty sure I couldn’t do it. I could hardly meet Matteo’s gaze.
“I won’t tell her,” I said eventually. “But not for you. I’m doing it for her. I want to see her happy.” And for some fucked up reason Luca was making her happy, happier than I’d ever seen her. For her sake, I would pretend.
Luca turned to Matteo. “Take her to her room and make sure she stays there until Scuderi comes to pick them up. I don’t want her to make another scene.”
I bit back a snarky comment. “I want to see Aria. She needs me.”
I could tell that Luca wanted to tell me ‘no’ but he surprised me when he sa
id, “You can stay with her when I’m not around.”
“It’s not like I’m eager to be in a room with you.”
“Come on, Gianna,” Matteo gripped my arm and didn’t even release me when I protested. He led me up the basement stairs, then along the long hallway and up the stairs. We didn’t speak until we reached my room and I jerked free of his grip.
My eyes darted to his pink hands and blood-covered shirt. Matteo followed my gaze, grimacing. “I’ll go change.”
“Don’t bother. I won’t ever forget what I saw.”
Matteo walked up to me and I stood my ground, despite my body’s desire to flee. “You are clever Gianna. Don’t tell me you didn’t know what we were doing behind closed doors. Believe me, the Outfit doesn’t handle enemies with kid gloves either.”
“I know. That’s why I despise everything about the fucking mob. And you are right, I wasn’t surprised about what I saw today. It only confirmed what I’d known all along.”
“And what is that?”
“That you’re a sick fuck and that I’d rather die than marry you.”
Matteo pulled me against him, his dark eyes practically scorching me with their intensity. “Maybe you think you could live in the normal world, maybe you think you could date a normal guy, but you’d get bored Gianna. Maybe you don’t want to admit it, but it excites you to be with someone like me. If a normal guy tells you he’d kill and torture to protect you, they’ll be lying, exaggerating at best, but I’m making a promise I can keep.”
“Let me go,” I gritted out.
He did, then gave me his fucking shark-smile and headed for the door. “I’ll lock the door. Luca will unlock it when he takes you to Aria.”
“So you’re going back to torturing that guy?”
Matteo’s gaze flickered with an emotion I couldn’t place. “Maybe. I’m a sick fuck, remember?” He slipped out. “But maybe I’ll let Luca have some fun with the Russians first.” His gaze lingered on me for another moment before he closed the door and locked it. I reached for a vase on the sideboard and flung it at the door where it shattered and tumbled to the floor.
I squeezed my eyes shut, making a promise I was determined to keep. I would escape before my wedding to Matteo. I would leave this life behind and never return. I would try to live a decent, an honest, an ordinary life.
Afterward I felt calmer, even if I knew it would be close to impossible to escape from the mob. It would take a plan and help, but I still had ten months until my wedding. Plenty of time.
Later when Luca picked me up and took me to Aria, I didn’t even provoke him. I ignored him, even when he warned me again not to tell Aria about the basement. He didn’t have to worry. I couldn’t burden Aria with the truth, not when she still had to live in this world and with Luca.
CHAPTER FIVE
Gianna
“You look so pretty,” Lily said from her spot on my bed in the guestroom of the Vitiello mansion in the Hamptons. At least, it wasn’t the same room I’d had last time. I had to suppress a shiver when I thought of that day and all the blood I’d seen.
I glared at my reflection. Mother had chosen the dress for me because I’d refused to go shopping with her for my engagement party. It was a surprisingly nice dress, which didn’t make me look like a tramp. I still shuddered when I remembered the slutty dress they’d chosen for Aria when she’d gotten engaged to Luca.
My dress was dark green, my favorite color. I was surprised Mother knew that much about me, or maybe Lily had helped secretly. The skirt was flared and reached my knees. Definitely modest. Maybe Father thought I was bad girl enough and didn’t need a slutty outfit to emphasize that further.
“I don’t know why they bother,” I said. “They know I don’t want to celebrate my engagement to Matteo. I don’t want to marry him.”
“It’s tradition.”
Lily was wringing her hands nervously in her lap. Pushing my own feelings aside, I walked toward her and sat down. She didn’t even look up but her lower lip was trembling.
“Hey, are you okay?”
She gave a small shake of her head. “I know it’s stupid but I’m kind of scared.”
“Of Luca, Matteo and Romero?”
“I’m sorry.”
I wrapped my arm around her. “Why are you apologizing? It’s perfectly natural for you to be afraid of them after what you saw in September.”
She shuddered. “I can’t get it out of my head. I dream about it almost every night.”
Two months since that day, and almost every night she woke me with her screams before she slipped into my bed. “They would never hurt you, Lily. We are girls, they will always want to protect us from harm.” It was laughable that I was singing their praise, but I would have done anything to calm Lily down.
“I know.” She took a deep breath. “I hope I don’t freak out like last time. Father would be so mad if I made a scene.”
I kissed her cheek. “You won’t. I’ll be at your side. And Aria will be there too. Everything will be okay.”
Someone knocked at the door but before I could reply, Fabi poked his head in, his eyes darting between Lily and me. “Are you having a girl talk?”
“Yes,” Lily said at the same time as I said, “No.”
Fabi narrowed his eyes and slipped into the room. He looked too cute in his tuxedo. “Father sent me to tell you everyone’s waiting.” He straightened his shoulders, his little chin lifting a little higher. Fabi had turned ten a couple of days ago and in a few years, he would already start his initiation process. I was glad that I probably wouldn’t get the chance to see my sweet, good-natured brother become a killer.
“You ready?” I asked Lily, who nodded quickly but her eyes told a different story. I understood her only too well.
Fabi tugged at his collar, which looked tight even from afar. “Lily is supposed to come with me, so you can enter alone.”
Lily stiffened beside me. She had clung to me when we’d first stepped foot into the mansion this morning. I wasn’t sure why Luca and Matteo had insisted on celebrating in New York, and worse in the very place where Lily had seen Romero and Matteo torture a Russian, but it was too late now. So far we’d managed to avoid them all. I hadn’t even seen Aria yet.
“No. I don’t care what Father wants. Lily and I will go down together.”
Fabi gnawed on his lip. “Father will be angry.”
I stood, pulling Lily with me. “He’ll get over it.” He wouldn’t make a scene in front of New York. He’d wait with his punishment until we were back in Chicago. Lily, Fabi and I headed downstairs together and Lily’s grip on my hand tightened with every step we took. As we passed the front hall her eyes darted to the back where the entrance to the basement was. She shivered. Voices were coming from the living room and we headed toward the door, our shoes clicking on the marble floor; a floor that had been slick with blood two months ago. I tried to forget what I’d seen that day. I needed to focus on today if I didn’t want things to end badly.
It wasn’t a big celebration, but the most important members of the New York Familia and the Outfit had been invited. I was determined to be on my best behavior today. I didn’t want Father to think I was thinking of ways to escape and up the number of my bodyguards.
The moment we entered the living room, I knew I could kiss that plan good-bye. Lily let out a small sound in the back of her throat, her nails digging into my palm. Father was talking to Dante Cavallaro, Luca and Matteo, while the other men, as well as Aria, my mother and Matteo’s stepmother, Nina Vitiello, stood around them. Father’s eyes narrowed immediately when he saw me with Lily. Fabi quickly rushed toward him and Father scowled at him, probably giving Fabi a lecture under his breath.
Matteo’s gaze captured me with its intensity. He was dressed in black pants and a white shirt.
“Gianna,” Father said in a tight voice. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
Everyone expected me to walk over to my Father, so he could hand me over to Matteo,
and I would have if Lily hadn’t started shaking beside me at the sight of Matteo, Romero and Luca.
Her eyes darted to me. There was a flicker of fear on her face. I didn’t want Father, much less anyone else, to know that she was terrified. Father would be furious. Maybe he’d even hit her, and Lily really didn’t need another bad experience. She’d been struggling enough in the last few months.
She was frozen beside me.
“Gianna, stop the nonsense and come over here,” Father growled.
Aria came toward me. “What’s wrong?”
Lily and I exchanged a look. So far we hadn’t told Aria anything, but it would be hard to explain Lily’s strange behavior.
“Long story,” I said. “Can you take Lily’s hand?”
But Father had had enough. He stalked toward me and grabbed my wrist in a crushing grip before dragging me toward Matteo. “I’ve had enough of your insolence.” I almost stumbled on my heels.
Matteo pulled me against him, forcing Father to release me. The look on Matteo’s face bore a remarkable resemblance to the one he’d had when the Russian had kicked me. I was glad to escape Father’s wrath for now and didn’t pull away from Matteo. Aria was hugging Lily to her side and both were whispering quietly. I hoped Aria could calm our sister down. I hated seeing Lily so distressed.
“I know what you did there,” Matteo murmured in my ear once he’d put the engagement ring on my finger.
“And what would that be?”
“You helped your sister.”
I slipped out from under his arm. “I wouldn’t have had to help her if she wasn’t terrified of you.”
Matteo didn’t look sorry. Maybe he wasn’t capable of guilt. “I’ll have a word with her.”