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“Aly, over here!” Luca waves for me. He’s standing beside a cop and his sister. He doesn’t take one step toward me, staying still, and I have to walk the full distance to him. I swallow down my nerves, ready to accept my fate. Instead of hatred in his eyes, there is something soft and warm. Slowly, his sister steps away, giving us some space, while the cop goes on with his business elsewhere. Luca wraps me in a tight hug, catching me off guard. I try not to allow my hopes to rise too high. Mafia men do not forgive; it breaks my heart that I have placed us in a situation like this. I wanted to explain on the dance floor, but the words refused to leave me.
I breathe him in, that scent of gun powder and wood lulling my heart with little effort. “I’m sorry for everything, Luca. I don’t know why I accepted the poison from my father. You have to believe me that I would never use it to hurt you or anyone in your family,” I sob. The whole time I was gone, it was the only thing I could think about. It is the one thing I regretted the most. “You have to believe me that I love you.” He could ask me for anything, and I would do it to wipe our slate clean. I cry harder, clinging to him.
The seconds slip into minutes as I hold on to his stiff body. As time passes, our chests begin to match each other with their rise and fall. He stays silent, making me sick and dizzy with worry.
On a sigh, he says, “I should have never doubted you. And for that, I am sorry. I should have believed in us, and none of this would have happened.” Raising my eyes to meet his, I see Luca is staring at me with the same pained expression as I have. His hand glosses down my hair. “But it doesn’t erase the past.”
I sob harder into his chest. His arms hold me, allowing me to cry. I want to feel safe and secure, but his body stiffens further as he continues to talk.
“You have placed me in a difficult spot, Aly.” He swallows, staring into the dark night. “Our fate will have to be chosen by the family.”
“Do you still love me?” I’m willing to walk to my death if it means he will fight for us.
“Our fate has nothing to do with love.” His arms loosen around me, his body moving away from mine. “What I can promise is I’ll come for you no matter the outcome. You are my wife, my responsibility.”
My body trembles. I know enough, that if his family wants me dead, Luca will be the one that will have to do it. I’m his responsibility no matter what. I try to stay strong, not wanting this to be harder on him than it already is. Or at least, I hope that I’m right in that assumption.
“Please fight for me,” I whisper taking his cold hand into mine. I place a kiss on his knuckles, then flip his wrist over placing a kiss on his wrist like he has done to me before.
“You need to go with my mother and sisters now,” he says, gruffly.
A drop of wetness falls on my cheek, then another on my forehead. Lifting my face to the night sky, it begins to rain, washing the blood from the ground. Luca’s mother smiles softly at me, and I pray this could be an omen that there will be no more blood on anyone’s hands for tonight.
Bythetimethepolice leave, my eyes hurt and I’m exhausted, but the adrenaline running through my body makes it impossible to sleep. Luca’s father immediately called a meeting, and now everyone is waiting for it to start. Men began to walk through the doors, an unusual sight, because normally they keep to the outside. It’s unnerving, not knowing how retaliation will begin.
I try to gauge how Luca’s mother responds to know how worried I should be. She gives away nothing and ushers her daughters and me into the kitchen, warming milk for all of us. We stay quiet, words never leaving us. I feel incredibly guilty for everything that has happened. If I had lady balls and stood up to my father at our reception, maybe I could have altered the last couple of hours and days. I’m grateful for the silence and the cup in my hands. I’m able to stay in my head, and the urge to fiddle is gone with the warm milk I hold.
It takes hours before Luca returns. His clothes are dirty and wrinkled, and his arm has been bandaged up. I hadn’t realized he was hurt. His eyes are crinkled around the edges, with a slight redness to them, but he is still handsome as ever.
He gives me no sign as to the verdict. He glances toward me only for a brief moment before he’s going to his mother and giving her a kiss on the cheek. After, everyone leaves us alone.
My hands shake around my now cold mug.
“Come on. Let’s go get you cleaned up and have the doctor check you out.” He begins to shuffle me away. I can’t help but wonder if he’s wanting to clean me up before he’s forced to kill me.
“Can you still love me?” my voice hitches. Not knowing is killing me inside. Dread clings to every part of me.
“I could never stop loving you, Aly. That is my biggest problem. It’s why the family had to meet. You blind me, and I could never make the judgment call that would be needed.”
My heart pounds ferociously, still not knowing the outcome.
Luca gets down on one knee. “Aly, will you be my wife?” he proposes to me for the first time. Relief floods my heart.
“I have only ever loved you, Luca.” Falling to my knees, I kiss him. It’s full of passion, deep with longing. I pull him closer by threading my fingers through his hair. In amongst the chaos of the night, our hearts find their way back to each other. I try not to second guess our reunion, wanting to believe in us with all that I have. Can it be this easy?
Ending our kiss, Luca holds my shoulders, helping me up.
Leading us to his bedroom, he delivers the news of my father’s death. With no one nearby, he had a heart attack that caused his untimely death. I don’t believe it was a heart attack. Someone put a hit on him. I feel like I should be sad, when instead I feel relief and anger. It seems too easy of an out for him. But I breathe easier, knowing he won’t be trying to finish what he started.
The next day, I’m the one who identifies my father’s body. His wife is too distraught over the fact that he left her alone in this world without him. His sons, my half-brothers, are unable to identify his body, because they’re not eighteen yet. I can’t help but wonder what will happen to the Mancinis now.
Chapter 35
Aly
Lucahasbeenworkingall hours of the day and night, leaving me by myself even to sleep. I try to understand, but I crave his closeness at all times. The dark used to be my sanctuary, but now I hate to be alone in its blackness. I’ve been having nightmares, waking up in cold sweats but not remembering the dream. My heart races like it did while I was held captive. Just like all the times before, I jolt up from the depths of sleep. My pulse is accelerating at an alarming rate. My hand goes to take comfort in Luca, but his side of the bed is cold and bare.
Luca doesn’t sleep much, but I was hoping he would be in the room. Peering over toward the chair, I hope to find him sitting there, watching me sleep. Being alone does nothing to calm the pounding in my chest. I flip the covers over, needing to turn on the light to scare my demons away. As I swing my legs off the bed, the door opens slowly in an attempt to be silent. It’s the tiniest motion, like someone is trying to sneak into the room. My breath stills. I should scream, but what if they think this room is empty?
