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I read over the text message again. It was risky sending texts, and I wanted to be sure I’d left nothing out. Ugo assured me my phone was protected by something he’d installed, but it still worried me. My gaze slipped over to Elio’s name once more, and I felt a jolt of loneliness.Focus. Maybe in our next life we would get this love thing right, but for now we had many obstacles to get over first. I cleared the emotion from my throat as I felt the phone vibrate in my hand.
Wyatt: We will have the best story, but just don’t make it cost you time that you can’t get back. Dinner sounds interesting. I’ll be looking for a message about that. Keep in touch. I’ll see you soon.
I powered down my phone and leaned back, letting the cool evening air brush over my face. Maybe I needed to set an end date here. Ugo and I had discussed this a little, but I needed one for myself. Wyatt was right. How long was I going to play this game? How long should I put my life on hold again? Deep down, I wondered if there was a part of me that was unsure if I could handle my old life anymore. Maybe I just needed to see this for what it was, a chance to gain some power back, wipe the slate clean, and start embracing who I really was, the daughter of a mafia Don. Yes, I was done with running, with trying to guess my past. I needed to focus on the future. If I wanted to be free of all things dark, this was the only way to do it.
“Have you seen Alessia?” Nonna Rosa’s weathered voice broke through my thoughts, and I leaned over the balcony to see her talking to one of the soldiers. “What do you mean, no? She should be dressed and ready for dinner by now. It’s your job to keep an eye on her.”
Oh! I pushed back and scrambled to my feet. I raced through the room, out the door, and down the long hallway toward my room. I was quite sure no one had seen me. The click of the cane on the stairs told me I had maybe a minute before she’d be walking in, without even so much as a courtesy knock. I hid my phone behind the dresser, stripped down, and shimmied into the dress I’d planned on wearing for dinner. I slid my feet into my leather heels and quickly sat at the vanity. I had just reached for my earrings as the door opened.
“Good evening, Nonna Rosa.” My image smiled at her from the mirror, and I begged my flushed face to settle. “How was your day?”
“Good.” She looked around like she expected there to be someone else in the room with me. “Have you been up here all day?”
“Mostly, yes.” I threaded my earring through the tiny hole in my ear. The dark blue beads matched my dress. “I’m terribly sorry. Am I late for dinner? I found a book and got caught up in the story.” I prattled on as I waved at the book I had found in the living room earlier.
“Yes. You are late. Come downstairs the moment you are ready, and don’t dally.” She closed the door behind her, and I sagged with relief.
I stalled for as long as I dared, but when I heard voices I didn’t recognize, I knew it was time to go down.
“Excuse me,” I stopped a housekeeper on the stairs, “have you seen Ugo?”
“I believe he’s downstairs, where you should be,” she whispered sharply and stepped toward me. Her jet-black hair swung at her waist. “The elders are here, so tread very carefully.”
“Oh, yes, the threerhymers.” I grimaced and wanted to ask about who else was here, but she stepped back and hurried away.No small talk there.
The very long staircase had a slight curve to it. As I made my way down, I saw a few people mingling. Suddenly, something strange passed through me. I should have listened to my body and not kept walking. Ugo caught my gaze from across the room and made a point of nodding at the elders who stood holding fancy glasses and cigars. I noticed people kept their distance from them, probably not comfortable mingling with theall-powerful. As I reached the bottom of the stairs, a sudden flash of movement bolted toward me.
“What are you doing here?” Stefano wrapped his arm around me and lifted me to my toes as he pressed the tip of his gun to my temple. Everything went in slow motion. I blinked slowly as a flinch traveled through my core and exploded through my chest, sending prickles up my spine. Ugo appeared in front of us, and I held up a hand to stop him. Guests yelped in confusion, and the staff scattered from the room.
“Drop the gun, Stefano!” Ugo hollered, but Stefano ignored him. His lips touched my ear, and I shuddered.
“How dare the girlfriend of my enemy be in my home without me knowing!”
“It’s not what you think.” I tried to get my footing, but he yanked me around like I weighed nothing. “I’m one of you.”
“Lies!” He tossed me to the floor, and I landed on my wrist with all my body weight, and my cheek bounced off the floor.Ouch!
Stefano’s face flushed red with anger as he turned on Ugo. “I don’t know why you have returned, cousin, but you are not welcome here,” he snarled. “And you,” he spat at my feet, “you just won’t die.”
“Stefano!” Nonna Rosa shouted from across the room, and everyone went silent. I noticed the three elders had moved forward, and Nonna kept them in her sights as she swiftly approached and placed a hand on Stefano’s arm. “Forgive me. I wasn’t aware you had returned home. This,” she peered down at me as she spoke clearly, “is your uncle Theo’s daughter, Alessia. I know you must be confused to see her here, but it’s all right. Ugo has brought her back to us.” She lifted her hand and brushed a soothing wave at the room. “We’ll explain everything that’s happened, but please allow your cousin to stand.”
You could have heard a pin drop throughout the room, and it was as though everyone held their breath to see what their Don would do. One of the male guests took the liberty of leaning down and offered a hand to help me to my feet. My wrist throbbed as I pressed my hand against my hot cheek. My eyes went from Stefano to Nonna Rosa, but I kept my lips sealed to see where all this would go.
“The enemy must be filling your head with lies, Nonna Rosa,” he snarled as I stepped back and took a moment to straighten my dress.
Nonna slammed her cane on the floor, and the chilling sound echoed against the stone walls. “I am still your elder, Stefano.” Her voice was quiet but held steel, and I was close enough to see the warning in her eyes. “We will talk about this after dinner. I have invited a few people to meet Alessia.” She turned and addressed the room. “All right, everyone, dinner is ready, so please, let’s all put this unfortunate misunderstanding behind us and enjoy our meal. Ugo, please escort Alessia.”
She took Stefano by the arm and led him toward the dining room as she talked to him in a low voice.
Ugo took my arm and looked down at me. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” With a trembling hand, I touched my cheek and winced, trying to hold back the urge to flee.
“Maybe we shouldn’t do this.” He looked worried.
“No, we can do this.” I turned away, taking a deep breath.
“Sienna—”
