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Nicoli pats me where a few bullets found their way out of me. I try not to wince at the pressure. It’s been three months since they shot me in the chest, and I’m still sensitive to touch in certain places. I was in surgery for hours, and even then, the doctors didn’t know if I would pull through.
“Anything new on them?” Nicoli Rossi asks, taking a seat beside me.
“Not really. They seem to be killing anyone who opposes them.” I have the Mancini compound parking lot in view as well as the Rossis’ pool that has Aria swimming laps in it. I steal a glance out the corner of my eye, waiting for Nicoli to comment.
As casually as possible, I turn all the screens onto Hugo and his son Coy before taking another large bite out of my burger. It tastes amazing. After knowing you could have died, everything tastes better. “It’s official that Hugo Campisi is the new acting boss taking over Mancini’s role. His son Coy has now become an underboss.”
“What of Mancini’s sons?”
I’m only alive right now because I caved and agreed to work for Nicoli. He forced my decision like he’s known for. He made it my choice, even though I had no other options. Once I lived through the surgery, Nicoli was there waiting for me. He slashed my face temple to chin before I managed to yell out that I loved his daughter. It was then something flickered in his eyes. He asked me one final time if I wanted to choose a different side.
There was no hesitation in my answer of yes. I realized I was fighting a battle for a ghost who had his wishes met. I had no friends on the force. And in the end, all the work I had been doing had no effect. I realized if I worked for him, maybe I can stop innocent people from being in the crosshairs.
Nicoli arranged for my death to go on paper as not surviving the surgery, and he brought me to his doctors. A few other surgeries and my face tweaked, and I no longer look like Theo Fox. My face can be marginally recognized. There are a few resemblances of my old self, but each time I look in a mirror, a stranger looks back at me. It’s going to take some time to get used to it.
I still have the scar on the side of my face as a reminder of what he can do to me. They were able to make the scarring minimal. It could have been a lot worse.
I have watched Aria day in and out through a screen, and she has no idea. Each day tortures my soul, knowing she thinks I’m dead while I am forced to see her refuse to smile.
“They’ve been banished, it seems like. Romeo still sneaks into parties and has a few close friends. But all the old-timers have turned their backs on them.” I don’t voice that I can’t find where they have been banished to. It’s like they stepped out of city limits and disappeared.
“Their mother?”
“She gets a monthly allowance to not see her sons. She’s been cut off from everyone.”
“Let this be a lesson to you for what can happen if you disgrace the family. The only reason they’re still alive and have not been shot in the street is because of their family’s last name. They’ve been in control of the area for three generations. This is the first generation of new leadership out of the Mancini name.”
“How is Aria?” I venture to ask.
He doesn’t respond immediately, studying the video I have on display. The same screen moments before where she was on display. “She’s still in love with a ghost she can’t have.”
His words gut me. All I want is to be able to see her in person once again. Instead, I’m forced to catch glimpses of her through a monitor. “Will she ever know?”
Nicoli looks me dead in the eyes. His intense gray irises are hard, and I swallow the lump in my throat. “She will never see Theo Fox again.” He points to my chest above my beating heart. “I know he’s still in there. Only once he’s buried like she watched will there ever be a chance.”
“What if I’m too late?”
“Then she never was yours in the first place.”
Another month passes,and summer is starting to dwindle. My hair is just long enough to tuck behind my ears. Nicoli is paranoid that the other mafia family plans to have some sort of retaliation and has left me to watch them. I’m observing Coy when I see Aria pass on the street, wearing a long skirt and a tank top. She’s breathtaking. My mouth hangs open at her beauty. I can’t help myself. I step out of the van I’m working in.
My life is empty without her. I crave that spark she gave me. I realize now that I’m willing to take her in any form. Even if it means watching her through a video monitor.
I follow her into a store, mesmerized by each of her movements. I can’t help myself. I watch her greet her best friend, Lori, as they hug. What I wouldn’t do to be able to show myself right now.
I see a man walk up to the girls, and Aria smiles sweetly at him. My fists instantly curl up before I remind myself she thinks I’m dead. Unable to watch any further, I leave, going back to my van.
CHAPTER 34
All the Rossigirls are at a house party except Luna. Their father placed me as their security for the night. I think he likes torturing me with Aria, forcing me to watch her go through life without me. It kills me a little more each day. I want to be the one who makes her smile; although, she doesn’t do much of that these days.
While they’re inside, I’m hidden away in my van, watching their every movement. My eyes will grudgingly leave Aria and go to her sisters when they have to. Her body language gives the vibe she’s not interested in being there. Lori pulls her onto the makeshift dance floor in the house. She stands in the middle with people dancing around her. Her sad eyes survey the crowd, and Lori picks up her hands, trying to convince her to dance. Out of the need to see her friend smile, she fakes one. Her eyes close, allowing the music to take over her body, and she sways to the music, looking to lose herself in it.
I watch Katrina go into a bedroom with a guy. I pull up his information, making sure he’s safe. No known drug problems, one hijacked car, but other than that, he comes up clean. I send the information to Nicoli with a picture. It’s not my job to stop her from making mistakes, but I need to protect them if there is an outside risk. I’m not here to be her father, and I’ve been told to keep my distance.
Looking at another camera, it looks like Gia and her fiancé are fighting once again. Everyone talks about how perfect they are, but behind closed doors, there seems to be a lot of tension since I’ve started to watch them.
My eyes go back to Aria. A guy latches onto her body from behind and begins to dance with her. I hate every moment he has his hands on her hips. She allows it for a second before spinning out of his grasp. An involuntary smile crosses my face.
