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Aly
Iholdmyhusband’seyes, and the old feeling of being scared of him reappears. His jaw is tense, and his eyes are the deepest, darkest blue I’ve ever seen. He has this maddening expression chiseled into his sharp features like he wants to hurt me as badly as I’ve hurt him. There is pure hatred carved there. I try to step away from his hold, but he firmly holds me in place. I should have never taken the vial from my father. I should have been stronger. I wanted to see my mother and keep my marriage. I was greedy, and this is the consequence.
I try to focus on my breathing, to attempt to explain. I want to tell him the truth; it’s on the tip of my tongue. With each attempt, my chest inflates, but it’s like I’ve lost the ability to talk. I’m forced to live the moment Luca stops loving me. I watch his already hateful eyes glass over, and he looks at me like I’m nothing. I’m nothing more than a casualty in his world. The agonizing pain that shreds my insides is worse than death.
I try to turn away, not being able to watch him turn into a monster that lurks silently in men like him. His hold is iron-clad on my hand, slowly moving it up to my lips. I’m still lost, hoping to see a glimmer of the boy I know and the man I’ve fallen in love with. Part of me wants to drink the poison, to prove my loyalty to him. I was always brought up that loyalty is worth more than love. Love won’t keep you alive and out of trouble, but loyalty can. I never believed it until now.
The entrance doors fly open, severing Luca’s and my contact. Screams and hysteria erupt with blue uniforms invading our party. Luca’s eyes are searching the room. I follow his watchful eyes to see them land on his sisters closest to the entrance.
His hold goes limp. “Family always comes first, Luca,” he mutters to himself.
He looks back at me, and with a disgusted snarl, he drops my hand and takes a step away, leaving me standing in the middle of the room. I can’t find the strength to go to my father, knowing it’s wrong. He would think I was coming back for all the wrong reasons. Instead, I turn to find the same door that indirectly chooses my family over my husband. No one takes notice as police swarm the room. Taking one last glance over my shoulder, I see Luca is with his family. It’s clear I’m no longer a part of that.
Leaving the ballroom, the hallway is vacant. Among the hollers and stomping in the other room, it’s silent back here. Creepily silent. Picking up my pace, I run down the hall, my hands landing on the door to exit as a bag is whipped over my head.
My neck is pulled back before the rest of my body follows. It takes seconds for me to realize what’s happening before I’m able to fight back. My feet are picked up as I thrash around, my efforts futile as I’m being carried away. The uneven movements carry me away, the door slamming shut, meeting the cold night’s air. Each time I try to scream, the cord at the bottom of the bag is pulled tighter around my neck, making it hard to breathe. The realization that I have burned every bridge in my life does not go unnoticed by me. No one will be searching for me. I’m still the lost mafia princess no one wants.
Chapter 30
Luca
Chaoseruptseverywhere,aidingin the ruin of the one night I honestly wanted for myself. I can’t think too deeply into the betrayal of my wife, because I’m off running to help my family escape the embarrassment of tonight’s events. Some of our relatives are handcuffed and hauled away. It’s distressing to see your family arrested during one ofourparties. It’s not that it’s uncommon to have the police up our asses, but we have enough on our side that they don’t blindside us—on my wedding reception day no less. The whole scene that unfolds is bad business that will put a sour taste in the other families’ mouths.
Amongst getting my sisters out safely, I lost track of Aly. I hate myself for trying to keep tabs on her while I have bigger problems I needed to handle. There will come a time when I will see her again and remind her of her actions.
Back at home, I pace the floor, sensing something is off. Being my father’s top man, I need to be included in all of the meetings. I can’t be dealing with how I want retribution against Aly. I’m stomping out mini fires from all the major families who think we have disgraced them.
“Luca, you’re going to wear a hole in the carpet. We should have expected something like this. All the big families were in one place,” says my father.
I nod before turning around to keep moving, trying to put my finger on what’s bothering me. My gut is telling me it’s not as simple as what my father says. I have an intense, overpowering feeling like something is wrong and I’ve missed a crucial piece of evidence.
I keep pushing Aly out of my mind; she isn’t what’s important right now. I trust my men to stay on her. There was no time to call them off, and I’m not the type to let someone like her slip through my fingers. She will get what’s coming to her. Even with me wanting to pour poison down her throat, I don’t want anyone else to touch what’s mine. If I’m honest with myself, I could have never gone through with it all. The police barging in allowed me to pussy out and run away from my problem.
She makes me weak. I’ve never had a problem killing anyone. I blame my temporary hesitation on the shock of her deception. Sadness creeps into me, realizing she isn’t who I thought she was. I was stupid to believe that love could conquer all. The mafia lifestyle doesn’t allow for happy endings. You have clips of it, but that’s it. Everyone has a number with a time when they will go out. Most will say it is too soon. No one dies of old age in my lifestyle; it is just a matter of time.
Stopping, I squeeze my eyes closed, feeling like I’m on the verge of a breakthrough. It’s on the cusp of my mind; I can almost see it. Bringing my hand up, my fingers press into my forehead like it will help push my thought in front of me.
Vinny barges into our meeting, heaving out of breath. I spin toward him, annoyed my thought process was broken.
“We lost her.” He gasps, holding onto the door handle, his body completely exerted.
“You lost who?” I ask, grinding my molars. Pushing my shoulders back, I try to alleviate the tension pinching them.
“Aly, boss.”
My instinct is to bring my gun up and shoot my best friend, but he wasn’t in charge of her. “Shoot whoever was supposed to tell me the news, then kill the guard on duty.” I don’t think twice about giving the orders.
“One more thing.” He hesitates before turning to leave. I give him my full attention, waiting for him to continue. “Her father is searching for her. They know she’s not here.”
I want to rage, throw things, unload the clip in my gun, but I remain emotionless on the outside. Her father doesn’t have her. He’s either overconfident that Aly would do his dirty work, or he has someone in our house selling him information. I nod for Vinny to go, trying to keep my composure when I feel like my insides are exploding with irritation.
The door closes, and the room filled with Rossi men stays quiet, before I roar, “I need my wife back!” Frustration claws at me. I was stupid to let her go. She is my problem to deal with. My regret is not pulling her out by her hair and tying her down on my bed to do as I wish. It would have been well worth the cost to have her father watch his daughter being dragged away for disobeying me. It’s that fire and defiance in her eyes that made me fall in love with her, and this time, I abandoned her. We both knew she wouldn’t just smile and be pretty. Calming myself, I take a seat, annoyed I allowed everyone in this room to see me and everything I’m feeling. I should have never put myself on show for all to see.
My father is silent, thinking things through. For a quiet, soft-spoken man, he may seem harmless, but it’s all an act to deceive.
“Put on extra guards. If Mancini believes we don’t have his daughter, there is no stopping him from starting a war in our yard,” my father announces.
My instincts kick in, and all I want to do is shoot and kill. My fingers are on fire with the need to pull a trigger. Adrenaline courses through me in a way that’s never burned before. It’s hard to be stoic when I’m anything but.
