by Cora Reilly
Aria’s brows drew together as she looked at me as if she didn’t understand a word I was saying. “You don’t remember?”
“I remember bits and pieces. I remember holding you down.” That was the worst memory of all. Aria bent over the couch, me on top of her.
“You didn’t hurt me,” Aria said softly.
Her body spoke a different language. Why was she trying to protect me? “Don’t lie to me.”
Aria crawled over to me. I regarded her without moving. “You were a bit rougher than usual, but I wanted it. I enjoyed it.”
I had trouble believing it, considering how my rougher side was. “No, really, Luca,” Aria murmured, kissing my cheek. She didn’t look scared or broken. “I came at least four times. I don’t exactly remember everything. I passed out from sensory overload.”
I closed my eyes a moment. Fuck. Not like my father.
“I don’t understand what got into you. You even attacked Romero.”
I put my hand on Aria’s knee, savoring the feel of her soft skin, glad that she didn’t flinch. “My father is dead.”
Aria’s eyes widened. “What? How?”
“Last night. He was having dinner at a small restaurant in Brooklyn when a sniper put a bullet into his head.” Aria didn’t need to know the entire truth. It wouldn’t serve any purpose. The less she knew in this regard, the safer she’d be.
“What about your stepmother?”
“She wasn’t there. He was with his mistress. She was shot too, probably because the Bratva thought she was his wife. Someone must have told them where to find him. Very few people knew he went there. He was in disguise. Nobody could have recognized him. There has to be a traitor among us.”
Nina was probably slurping champagne and dancing on the tables as we spoke. I needed to go see her with Matteo later today. Part of me wondered if maybe she’d been involved in his death. I needed to find out so I could figure out if there was a traitor among our men. I had my suspicions, of course.
“How do you feel?” She touched my chest as if I needed consoling. I hadn’t felt an ounce of sadness over my father’s death. Seeing him lying in his own blood with open, empty eyes, I hadn’t felt a sliver of the emotions the sight of Aria’s bruises had evoked in me. I stroked Aria’s upper arm, then lightly traced the bite marks on her throat. “Relief.”
Aria tilted her head. “Because you’re finally Capo?”
Because Father could never hurt Aria, because I wouldn’t have to kill the man myself to protect her. He was finally gone, and I would rebuild the Famiglia to something stronger and better.
“Yes,” I said. I leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “I really didn’t hurt you?”
Aria kissed me. “You needed me and I needed you, Luca.” The look in Aria’s eyes tore at my last wall. I quickly got up. “I need to handle the situation. The Famiglia needs me to take control and uncover the traitors.”
Aria smiled. “You’re going to be a great Capo.” I didn’t say anything, only regarded my wife’s kind face. She slid out of bed. “Can I help you with anything? Should I keep Nina company?”
I shook my head. “Take a bath and relax. I’ll handle everything.”
Aria nodded, but I could tell that she was disappointed but I didn’t want her involved in this mess as long as I didn’t know exactly what had happened, and Nina didn’t need consolation any more than I did. After a last kiss, I went into the shower. When I was done getting ready, I found her downstairs in a satin bathrobe, sipping coffee. “Shouldn’t Romero be here by now?”
“Fuck,” I breathed. Searching the mess of my bloody clothes on the floor, I finally found my cell. I picked it up. I’d turned it to silent and I’d ten missed calls and countless messages from Romero and Matteo, as well as Dante and Scuderi. I called Matteo as I unlocked the elevator. Matteo picked up after the second ring. “Have you lost your fucking mind? I’ve been trying to call you for hours. What’s your fucking problem?”
“Did something happen?”
“I should ask you that,” Matteo said carefully. The elevator began moving up from his floor. “Romero is here. Where’s Aria?”
Matteo sounded worried.
I glanced at my wife who held her cup against her lips, watching me worriedly. I gave her a tight smile, which she returned at once.
“Luca?”
The elevator doors slid open and Matteo and Romero got out, both moving carefully as if they expected the worst.
Their eyes found me then moved behind me. Disapproval flashed across Romero’s face and his mouth tightened but he didn’t say anything. I could imagine what he thought, seeing the marks on Aria’s throat. A bruise circled his own throat where I’d held him in a chokehold.
“That shouldn’t have happened,” I said, trying to ignore the way Matteo was x-raying me with his gaze.
Romero’s angry eyes hit me. “I can handle it.”
I straightened. I’d have despised myself forever if I’d hurt Aria the way I’d first thought but Romero had no right to criticize me, not now, not ever. “I am your Capo,” I said in a low voice, and those words filled me with a new purpose, a strange sense of arriving. “If there’s something you want to say to me, then do it.”
Romero looked away eventually, but I could tell that he was still pissed on Aria’s behalf.
“Would you like a coffee?” Aria piped up, as usual saving the day.
“Yes,” Romero said without hesitation and walked over to her. I narrowed my eyes at his antics, even if I had to admit that his protectiveness over Aria was a good thing.
Aria hopped off the bar stool and headed for the coffee maker. “What about you, Matteo?”
My brother shook his head, his eyes still focused on me.
Aria prepared coffee as Romero stood close beside her, his eyes lingering on the bruises. Aria gave him a smile and said something I didn’t catch, and he relaxed.
“What happened?” Matteo asked as he stepped close to me. “Is Aria all right?”
“What do you think?” I muttered.
He searched my eyes. “I think that even in a blind rage, you wouldn’t hurt your wife.”
I gave a terse nod. “We should head out to Nina and set up a meeting with the Underbosses and Captains as soon as possible. And someone needs to organize the funeral.”
“It won’t be me. For all I care we can dump the body in the Hudson.”
“We’ll give the task to Nina. She’ll make a spectacle out of it for appearance’s sake,” I said. Then I remembered something. “Did you tell Dante or Scuderi about our father’s death?”
Matteo shook his head. “You’re Capo. It’s your job.”
We stepped into the elevator and I showed Matteo my list of missed calls. “I have a feeling someone else told them.”
“Then we should find out who it was and have a long talk with them.” His lips twitched.
I gave a nod. The weight that had been lifted when my father died was replaced by a new weight of responsibility. The Famiglia needed a strong Capo.
“You’ll be a better Capo than our father,” Matteo said.
Matteo and I stepped into the Vitiello townhouse. It was oddly quiet. I’d have thought Nina was dancing on the tables by now. Matteo sent me a questioning look.
“Nina?” I called.
No reply. We pulled our guns and slowly made our way upstairs.
“Where are the guards?” Matteo muttered.
That was what I’d asked myself as well. Nina could still be the target of possible attacks unless she was involved in Father’s death.
We didn’t find her in her bedroom when a choked laugh came from down the corridor. Matteo and I followed the sound toward Father’s bedroom and found Nina on the ground amidst shredded clothes. In one hand she was clutching scissors and, in the other, an almost empty bottle of Father’s most expensive scotch. Her flimsy nightgown was splattered with blood from wounds in her hands and forearms. She must have cut herself in her drunken stupor
while destroying Father’s suits and dress shirts.
She peered up at us with teary unfocused eyes. “He’s dead?”
“He died in agony,” I told her.
Nina threw her head back and let out another choked laugh that turned into a sob. She lifted the hand with the scissors to wipe a strand of hair from her forehead. I quickly grabbed her wrist and pried the scissors from her fingers before she lost an eye by accident. She clutched at my shirt when I helped her to her feet. “What happens to me now?” she slurred.
“What do you mean?” I asked, trying to loosen her grip without breaking her fingers, but it became clear pretty quickly that she couldn’t stand on her own.
“I have nothing…nothing. Your father disinherited me. He didn’t want me to be happy when he was dead.”
He didn’t want anyone to be happy. Matteo gave me a look. I’d suspected that Father would find a way to make Nina’s life hell even after his death.
“Take a shower, Nina,” I ordered. “We’ll talk when you’re sober.”
I led her into the bathroom, turned the shower on cold and sat her down beneath it. She gasped sharply.
“We’ll be waiting downstairs. Hurry. We’ve got a lot to discuss,” I said then turned and left with Matteo at my side.
Nina’s family consisted of low soldiers. Father had chosen her for that very reason because it guaranteed he could torture her without an influential family getting in the way. Nina had nothing. “What are you going to do? I assume you won’t marry her off again?”
“No,” I said immediately. “Call Cesare and tell him to send over a couple of trustworthy men to become Nina’s new guards. I don’t want Father’s men around her.”
We headed into the kitchen, which was also deserted. Had everyone left the moment they’d found out about Father’s death? I turned on the coffee maker as I called Bardoni. He picked up immediately. “Luca, what a pleasure.”
I grimaced. “Why’s Nina all alone in the house?”
“Your father gave me orders in case of his death. The personnel weren’t supposed to work for Nina, and she’s supposed to move out of the house.”
“My father is dead. I’m Capo now. Everything belongs to me, and I decide what happens. You won’t ever give a single order without consulting with me first, understood?” I hung up, seething.
Matteo leaned beside me. “Cesare sent two men.”
I prepared coffee, trying to control my anger. Steps rang out and Nina walked in. She was pale and didn’t wear make-up. She looked younger than thirty-three in that moment, reminding me of the girl at my father’s mercy many years ago. She’d gone through hell with him, which was why I didn’t hate her as much as I should for how she’d treated us when we were only boys.
She wore a black sleeveless dress that revealed the bruises on her wrists and forearms and her ankles. She regarded Matteo and me as she often had my father then wrapped her arms around her middle. “You’ll throw me on the street, won’t you?”
I filled a cup with coffee and walked over to her. “Drink.”
She took it with shaking hands, regarding me like a beaten dog waiting for his master to punish him. Fuck. I preferred Nina’s bitchiness to this. She swallowed then looked at Matteo. “I could…maybe you…I…”
Matteo grimaced. She was offering herself to him for whatever she thought he might want with her.
“Nina,” I said firmly, and her eyes darted up to me. Father had done a marvelous job breaking her. “I’ll give you this house. Do with it whatever you want. Sell it or burn it, I don’t give a fuck.”
Her eyes grew wide. The house had a market worth of around fifteen million dollars.
“I chose two new bodyguards for you. They’ll guard you from now on. As the stepmother of the new Capo, you need protection.”
She didn’t say anything, only stared at me.
“Keep your credit card. I’ll give you ten thousand dollars per month so you can live comfortably. You are free to live your life within the confines of our rules.”
She set the cup down on the counter and took a step toward me then stopped. “What do you want in return?”
“The truth about my father’s death and for you to tell me if someone tries to conspire behind my back.”
She raised her chin. “I don’t know who killed Salvatore, but I wish I could thank them.”
I nodded. “And?”
“You know your uncles want you and your brother gone, but I don’t know anything. They don’t talk to me. I’m only a woman.”
“One last thing,” I said. Nina tensed, but her face wasn’t as submissive anymore. “Organize a splendid funeral. We want everyone to believe we’re inconsolable about Father’s demise. Spend as much money as you need.”
With that I left. There was no sense in pretending we were a family or cared about each other. I’d done what honor dictated, and now Nina wasn’t my problem anymore.
I had more than enough to do, most importantly talk to Fiore Cavallaro and make it clear that my father’s death didn’t weaken the Famiglia. I’d make sure the Famiglia got through this and emerged stronger.
CHAPTER 24
Nina had outdone herself. My father was buried in the most expensive mahogany casket money could buy. Everyone who mattered from the Famiglia and the Chicago Outfit gathered at the cemetery, as well as many high-ranking politicians.
They had all sought me out in the last few days, wanting to make sure the Famiglia would keep paying for their campaigns now that I was in power. The same could be said for the Captains and Underbosses, even my uncles—they’d all come to me to offer their condolences and confirm their positions. This morning I’d officially taken over as Capo, had spoken the oath in front of the Captains and Underbosses, but I knew that didn’t mean they’d all accept me without reservations.
None of them were sad my father was gone, except for Bardoni, and that was only because he’d lost his position as Consigliere. Every pair of eyes rested on me and Matteo, considering us, looking for a flicker of weakness. We were both young, and many would try to weaken us. I doubted they’d wait until the first official meeting of the Famiglia with me as Capo to do so. My uncles had probably already started behind my back.
I peered down to Aria when I felt her eyes on me. She regarded me with a hint of worry as she’d often done these last few days. I resisted the urge to grab her hand or kiss her and kept my expression cold and hard. She dropped her gaze back down to the casket that was lowered into the ground by six Made Men. Aria thought that, deep down, part of me felt saddened by my father’s death. She didn’t know I’d planned on killing him myself to protect her, and she never would. He was dead now. That was all that mattered.
My uncles kept giving me fake empathetic smiles as if any of us would miss him.
Afterwards, everyone came to Matteo, me and Nina to offer their condolences and congratulate me on becoming Capo. Nina had perfected her fake tears as she clung to Aunt Criminella. I tried to keep an eye on the area despite the many guards surrounding the perimeter. I had a feeling the Bratva would try to eliminate Matteo and me again soon. Today was the perfect opportunity to get rid of many important members of the Italian mafia.
I pulled Romero aside during the wake. “Take Aria and her siblings to the Hamptons. I don’t want them in New York for the meeting tonight.”
Romero nodded. “I assume Umberto will be coming with us.”
“Yes, and Cesare as well,” I said. Scuderi wanted his own bodyguards around when his children were in my mansion, and I didn’t mind the additional protection.
Several hours later, the Cavallaros as well as Scuderi had gathered around the meeting table in the Sphere with Matteo and me to discuss the rising Russian threat but, as usual, they weren’t very forthcoming with information about the Bratva in their territory. From the start of our cooperation, we’d always only exchanged the bare minimum of information. After a tense dinner together, Matteo and I were on our way to my car to head home wh
en Cesare called.
A feeling of dread settled in my stomach. “Cesare?”
Gunfire sounded in the background. “We’re under attack. The Bratva’s trying to enter the premises.”
“Take Aria to the panic room. Don’t let the Russians get her! We’ll take the helicopter!” I shouted, already running toward the car.
“What’s the matter?” Matteo asked as he flung himself into the seat beside me.
“The Bratva attacks the mansion,” I got out past my tight throat then called our pilot to get the helicopter ready. Matteo was on the phone with our Captains to organize reinforcement.
The second we were in the helicopter, I called Aria’s cell. It took almost a minute before she finally picked up, moments that felt like eternity. “Aria? Are you safe?”
“They killed Umberto,” Aria whispered.
I didn’t give a fuck who died as long as Aria was safe. I’d kill them all with my own hands if that meant she’d return to me. “Where are you?”
Aria’s breathing was quick. “Searching for Gianna.”
My stomach hollowed out. “Aria, where’s Romero? Why isn’t he taking you to the panic room?”
“I have to find Gianna.”
“Aria, the Bratva wants you. Get into the panic room. I’m taking the helicopter. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. I’m already on the way.” There could be only one reason why the Bratva attacked the mansion when every member of the mob was in New York. They wanted Aria because they’d figured out she was the only way to get to me.
“I can’t talk anymore,” Aria said.
“Aria—” I didn’t get further before the call was cut off. For a second, I could do nothing but stare at my phone.
“Luca? What did she say? Is Gianna with her?” Matteo asked, but I ignored him. If we’d been alone, maybe I would have talked to him, but as it was there were three more men in the helicopter and I didn’t want them to realize how worried I was about my wife. I’d never felt this helpless. I reached for my gun and began checking it to make sure everything was working. I couldn’t allow myself to consider what might happen in case the Bratva got their hands on Aria. I’d be there in time.