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I perched on the rail beside her again.
“This is how you impress a man,” she murmured and nudged my shoulder.
“Because you know so much about men,” I muttered with a small laugh.
But she had a guy watching her with rapt attention all the time. Like now. Massimo’s gaze was attached to her. He didn’t look like he was fawning over her or madly in love, but really I doubted Massimo was even capable of that expression, but his intent observation spoke volumes. Carlotta had never even flirted with him. They talked a lot, or rather argued about pretty much every topic under the sun because their viewpoints were on opposite ends of the spectrum, but that seemed to have done the trick.
Maybe showing Nevio the cold shoulder or even fighting with him on occasion would do the trick for me too, but so far I hadn’t managed the necessary composure around him. It wasn’t even that I was throwing myself at him or flirting, I was just being an embarrassing klutz.
It wasn’t really surprising that Nevio wasn’t into that. Few people were attracted by clumsiness I assumed.
I wasn’t sure what Nevio’s type was. I’d never seen him with a girl, but word of mouth said he hooked up with them frequently at parties. Carlotta and I hadn’t been to one yet. Nothing had really made me want to go.
It was a warm summer evening about two weeks after the attack in New York and war had broken out between the Camorra and the Famiglia.
The atmosphere was strange at home and it was even worse at the Falcone mansion.
I packed my sunglasses and a spare bathing suit into my beach bag. I’d spend the evening at the pool with the Falcones. Davide had already gone over there an hour ago to hang out with Giulio. Except for Greta I’d be the only girl there today, and she and I had never been close friends. Now that things with Amo had gone downhill, she was even more closed off. I hadn’t even managed to talk to her yet. Not to mention that she wasn’t fond of water.
When I entered the kitchen, Mom ate sushi with a fork, still not having gotten the hang of sticks yet, spearing every roll as if it had offended her while she read over a police report about the arrest of one of her clients. Dad would be working all evening and I would eat pizza over at the Falcones so she had the evening to herself, which usually involved work if she wasn’t having a girls’ night with Serafina, Gemma and Kiara.
A perpetual worry line had taken habitat on Mom’s forehead since the war declaration.
I sank down across from her and put my bag on the ground. I’d overheard Mom and Dad talking in hushed voices in the living room almost every evening in the last two weeks, but neither of them had shared their concerns with me.
Maybe I wasn’t an adult but I was a good listener.
Mom looked up from the report and glanced at her watch, a beautiful Cartier piece Dad had gifted her for Christmas. “Aren’t you meeting the other kids?”
“They won’t care if I’m late.” I cringed inwardly at how bitter I sounded. I loved hanging out with the Unholy Trinity and the other Falcones, but I always felt a bit like the fifth wheel if Carlotta didn’t join me. Giulio and Davide hung out together even if they weren’t the same age, and the Unholy Trinity was a tight unit anyway. Then there was Greta. We chatted when I was over there but I could feel that she felt comfortable on her own and so I always worried she only hung with me because I’d be lonely otherwise.
Mom pursed her lips. “Do you want me to call your Dad and ask him to talk to Diego about allowing Carlotta to come?” Dad was Diego’s boss, who worked as an Enforcer under him.
“No, don’t. Diego is having an overprotective streak because of the war. He’ll calm down in a week or two. I’m fine.”
Mom nodded slowly but I could see her concern. I hadn’t sat down to talk about myself and so I quickly changed the subject. “What about Dad, is it hard for him that he won’t be able to see his sisters again?”
When Dad had first joined the Camorra, he hadn’t been on speaking terms with his sisters, because all three had married into the Famiglia. The rest of his family, the Scuderis, were still in Chicago where Dad had been born but he never spoke of them. It made me sad that our family was so tiny, even if the Falcones felt a bit like an extended family. It was different. I’d always loved seeing my aunts and cousins in New York. Now that wouldn’t be possible anymore.
“Your father is very focused on guaranteeing our safety at the moment. He and the Falcones have to put new security measures in place now that attacks could happen at any time.”
I didn’t feel in danger. Las Vegas had always been a fort, the ultimate safe place, and I still couldn’t imagine that the Famiglia would attack us here. “He doesn’t have time to think about what that means for him and his sisters.”
I gave her a doubtful look.
She smiled. “I always forget how grown up you are. Your father has high guards around his heart, like most men in this world, and he has never fully lowered them for his sisters after their reunion. I think that makes it easier for him to handle the situation but it’s still not easy.”
I nodded. “Sometimes I wish I was like Dad in that regard, that I could shield my heart so easily.”
“It’s not just bad if you have a big heart, Aurora. You’re a very loving person, don’t let anyone take that from you. I love that about you.”
I rolled my eyes but at the same time my heart swelled.
Mom watched me closely. “Are you sad because you can’t see your aunts and cousins anymore?”
I gave a one shoulder shrug, suddenly emotional. “Are you?”
Mom had gotten along really well with my aunts Aria, Liliana and Gianna, and considering she had no more family of her own, I could only imagine how hard this must be for her.
