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She wouldn’t put it past Malcolm to hurt Primo, or even to kill him. She’d always known Malcolm would only keep Primo around long enough to build the Fiore organization onhisback.
She opened the phone and hesitated over the numbers. She knew Primo’s number by heart. She wouldn’t stay on the line long, just long enough to make sure hewasokay.
And she would tell Damian. She would tell him she’d had to know Primowasokay.
Damian wouldunderstand.
She dialed the number and held it to her ear before she could change her mind. Primo answered on thesecondring.
“Bella?”
She froze. “Primo… How did you know itwasme?”
He exhaled on the other end of the phone. “I’ve been waiting. My god, I’ve been worried sick. Are you okay? Whereareyou?”
“I’m okay,” she said, catching her breath. “Malcolm took me, Primo.” She was surprised to find tears sting her eyes. She hadn’t cried once since she’d been rescued in Greece. Not once. “He took me from Italy and kept me inAthens.”
“What are you talking about,bella?What doyoumean?”
He was surprised. She could hear it in his voice. She’d been right; he hadn’tknown.
“He was tracking me, Primo. He let the Greeks take me,” she said. “What’sgoingon?”
“Things are out of control here,” he said. “I need to see you toexplain.”
She shook her head. “I can’tdothat.”
“We’re family, Aria.” His voice rose in volume and pitch the way it always did when he was desperate. “You’re the only one I cantrust.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “You set fire to that shelter,” she said softly. “You could have killed all those children, all thosewomen…”
“That was Malcolm’s idea!” he said, his voice growing urgent. “I can’t control him anymore, Aria. I need to talk to you. Maybe… Maybe Cavallo wasright.”
“What do you mean?” sheasked.
“Maybe it’s time to get out.” He was whispering like he was afraid someone would overhear him. “Do you think he’ll still buy theterritory?”
Hope flared in her like a match. “You can talk to him,” she said. “I can put you intouch.”
“Not yet,” he said. “I want to see you first. I want to talk to you. Just the two of us, like old times. Youandme.”
“I… Ican’t.”
“You can,” he said. “I know you can help me figurethisout.”
She recognized the desperation in his voice. Recognized the hint of hysteria that meant he was hanging on by a thread. He wouldn’t last long under Malcolm in thiscondition.
“I’m not even in New York,”shesaid.
“That’s okay,” he said. “I’ll come to you. Just tell me whereyouare.”
Damian would be furious, but only until Primo surrendered. Then he’d understand why Aria had done what she was goingtodo.
He wouldhaveto.
Besides, Primo was her brother. No one could tell her what to do with herfamily.
Not evenDamian.
“I’m in Paris,”shesaid.
“Paris.” He breathed the word like he couldn’t believe it. “Okay, that’s good. I can be there tomorrow. Just tell mewhere.”
“I’ll call you in the morning,” she said. “We’ll set somethingupthen.”
“Okay,” he said. “Okay. This is good,bella.This is so good. I feel so much better already. I know we can figure this out together. You know I love you,right?”
“I love you too, Primo, just… don’t make meregretthis.”
She disconnected the call and stared at the phone in her hands, threw it on the bed like it was hot to the touch. Her hands were still shaking when she went to run theshower.
