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“I’m serious, Theo. A night off will make you sharper.”
I nod, standing up. “Yes, Captain.”
Well, shit. Now, I’m going to have to work from home.
CHAPTER 2
Kicking my legsharder, my muscles give the familiar strain with each stroke. My lungs burn, wanting to gasp for a new breath. Seeing the pool’s wall, I flip, using my feet to push against the smooth finish. The movement moves my dark hair into my face, covering my eyes. Like a mermaid, I glide through the still water, reaching the surface. My lungs cry for me to tilt my head to the side, but instead, I kick harder until I reach the ledge. Holding onto the rough deck, I gasp for air. Some of my hair falls into my mouth as the influx of oxygen burns my lungs.
“Aria, if you braided your hair, you wouldn’t come up looking likeThe Addams Family’s Cousin It.”
I smile at the imagery my youngest sister, Gia, gives me. Using my hand to move my thick hair from my face, I push it backward. Pulling my torso up, I reach to grab my sunglasses and place them on similar to a headband, keeping my wet hair in place.
“Aria, you should be using a swim cap. You know how chlorine dries out your hair,” my mother adds.
Instead of floating to the ladder, I ungracefully pull myself up, using my leg to hook the ledge to help with my momentum.
“When did you get a new bathing suit?” Katrina, my second youngest sister, asks.
Looking down, I’m wearing a leopard-print one-piece that accents my hips with its high cut on the legs and narrow width as it comes down similar to a V at the bottom.
My three sisters are all wearing bikinis, yet my choice of suit gets called to attention.
I have one brother, Luca, who’s older than me, and three younger sisters. Luca will inherit our father’s role one day, being the head boss. Our father, Nicoli Rossi, has allowed us four girls to choose if we want a mafia lifestyle or not. Luna, who is two years younger than me, made her choice at an early age. Katrina is the second youngest, and like me, she has not decided what she wants. Then there is the baby of the family, Gia. She loves everything about her life and the perks that come with being the daughter of a mafia boss.
“Aria, you have an image to uphold,” Luna mocks. “The world must perceive a consigliere as trustful and not part of the conspiracy.” She restates what our father has been telling me since the day he announced I would be a lawyer. From that day on, they have held me to an all-new standard.
The droplets of water fight against the dimming heat of the last days of summer. I look over to Katrina, who is no longer interested in our conversation and is back to typing on her phone to who knows who.
“Family meeting, now.” I jump at the sudden loud voice of my brother. Everyone stands, walking toward our kitchen. Luna’s smirk falls from her face, and Katrina looks annoyed she has to put her phone down. Gia skips past Luca, looking excited as can be.
Luca’s hand stops me before I enter our house. “Not you.” I halt, my eyes opening wider than normal, as if to sayyou’re kidding. “You know the rules. You can’t involve yourself until you decide to counsel Father.”
Turning, I roll my eyes, ensuring he doesn’t see. The decision to join the Rossi family business takes time. It paves the way for my future, and I refuse to take it lightly.
“Why does Gia get to go?” Gia and I are always left out.
“She’s eighteen now. She chose to join in,” Luca answers.
“Looks like I’ll be having a party for one,” I sass back, trying to remind myself of the underlying reasons for not being involved. I can’t be part of the conspiracy and the lawyer. Once I become one of the family lawyers, I can be involved because they will need counsel.
I don’t want to be a part of these meetings if they’d impact my career. But it’s hard not to feel left out at the same time.
No one is outside that I can see. Stripping off my bathing suit, I give the house the middle finger, standing naked before diving back into the water. I do a backward glide across the clear water, enjoying my moment of reckless rebellion. It’s the pool’s and my secret.
“Remind me whyyou need this favor?” I prompt Luna. She’s setting up a completely stocked bar behind the poker table. All the curtains are closed, and any clock in the room is removed.
Luna is hosting a high stakes poker game. Once a month, she sets up in the nicer motel, and high rollers from all over beg to be invited to one of her games. Her tables are so elite even the Mancinis try to sit at them.
“I told you, Aria, I can’t get any girls,” Luna grits out. She places a bottle of vodka down on the bar harder than necessary. “Trust me, you’re my last resort.”
Gia is adding another layer of eyeliner to my already smoky eyes. My chest is encased in a flower-patterned black mesh with skin-tight jeans. I hardly recognize myself.
Normally, my nails are pink, my smile forced, and I’m set upon a pedestal too high to reach the family lifestyle under my feet. I’m expected to leave the family, clean from their sins. If I’m to become the family lawyer, I need to be free of corruption. The Rossi debauchery cannot touch me if I’m to protect them. Even as I think it, my father’s voice echoes in my head. He’s been drilling this into me for the last few years.
Being the oldest of three daughters to the most powerful mob family has its price. I’m the one who has to lead by example. People watch my every movement, judging what’s appropriate for a woman. My father shields me away from the family business, painting me as the innocent, goal-driven daughter the world knows.
Two years separate each of us girls. Ever since Luna began pulling in money, she’s been able to get away with murder. I’m not just saying that—it’s literal. Gia is the sweet one who does everything she’s told and loves the control placed around her. Katrina hides away, where even I forget I have a third sister.
