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“Why are you so stubborn?” I asked, exasperated. “I’m offering to help you.”
Rocco sighed, his eye twitching, and I knew he was angry as he squealed the tires driving off the next exit toward home. “I don’t want your help. Money doesn’t fixeverything, Allegra.”
“I wasn’t talking aboutmoney,” I snapped. “But with you, everything is about money.”
He gave me a hot glance. “What is that supposed to mean?”
I leaned back in my seat, frustration coursing through my veins. “It means that you’re so fixated on debts and favors that you can’t see the bigger picture. This isn’t just about money or power, Rocco. It’s about your future, and the risks we’re taking.”
Rocco's grip tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. “I’ve been doing this for years, Allegra. I know what I’m doing.”
“Do you, though?” I retorted, my voice tinged with bitterness. I couldn’t stop the words coming out of my mouth because it was the truth. “You may be a skilled negotiator and a ruthless fighter, but when it comes to matters of the heart, you’re blind. You always pushed away the people who genuinely cared about you.”
His jaw clenched, and for a moment I saw a flicker of vulnerability in his eyes. “I can’t afford to be weak, Allegra. Not in this world. Trust me, I’ve learned that the hard way.”
I softened my tone, my frustration giving way to concern. “I understand that, Rocco. But shutting yourself off from love and support won’t protect you forever. It’s okay to lean on others, to let them in. We can face these challenges together.”
He glanced at me, a mix of emotions swirling in his gaze. “You don’t get it, Allegra. I’ve seen what happens when you let people in. They get hurt. They become targets. I can’t let that happen to you.” He paused for a long moment. “Besides, it’s not like we’re friends.”
A heavy silence settled between us as his words hung in the air. I knew he carried the weight of his past experiences, the scars of a life immersed in danger. I knew we carried a history that had wounded us both in different ways. But there was still something there. There was still a connection, and I couldn’t help wanting to explore it. Could we be friends? Could we ever? “We could be,” I said softly.
Rocco glanced at me, his face softening. “Yeah? You think so?”
I shrugged. “Why not? It’s not like I have a lot of friends, with the life I live.”
Rocco snorted. “Me either.”
“So we can be friends,” I said like I believed it, when in fact I didn’t know if we could be. I didn’t know if we could get past our history, but part of me wanted him in my life. Hell, part of me wanted him in Matteo’s life, but I couldn’t go there, not now. I didn’t exactly know what would happen when we reached the mansion, but all I could do was ache to get there, to see my baby boy. This had been the longest time I’d been away from him, and I was having nightmares that he was in trouble. I needed to get to him, and fast. I thought about telling Rocco the truth, but in the end I couldn’t do it. I just cleared my throat, waiting for his response.
“And what about the sex?” he asked bluntly.
What about the sex, indeed,I thought, blushing. “I don’t know,” I said honestly.
Rocco took in a deep breath. “I’m down for ‘friends with benefits’ if you are,” he said bluntly.
I couldn’t look at him, my cheeks on fire. “I guess I am too,” I said softly.
As we got closer to our destination, the mansion looming in the distance, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this journey we were on was just beginning. The truth about Matteo may or may not come out when we arrive home, and I’ll have to face the consequences. Part of me hoped he understood, that he’d want to be part of Matteo’s life, and part of me thought everything would fall apart.
18
ROCCO
I felt nervous for no good reason when we began to pull up at Romeo Rossi’s mansion. I guessed it was just muscle memory from coming and throwing rocks at Allegra’s window, hoping her father wouldn’t catch on. More memories flooded through me. Allegra getting her heel caught when she climbed down the trellis, when I laughed and laughed and almost got us both caught. Allegra running to me after a fight, chasing me down the street and begging me not to go. God, it had been so long ago, but it seemed like yesterday.
Allegra reached over me to hit the intercom button. Romeo answered immediately. “Who is it?” There was an edge of suspicion to his voice.
“It’s me, Papa. It’s Allegra.”
“Oh, thank God,” Romeo said, his voice sounding thick. I felt a pang of guilt. I should never have taken Allegra, but it was all I knew to do to protect her at the time. As we stepped out of the car after driving up the long driveway, I couldn’t help but glance at Allegra, wondering if she felt the same hit of nostalgia I did. It was like we were about to confront our past, stepping back into a world we had left long ago. The grandeur of the mansion was familiar, but I had somehow forgotten howbigit was, bigger by far than Enzo’s mansion. I took a deep breath, attempting to calm the butterflies in my stomach. It was time to focus on the task at hand, finding out what Ricardo Gallo had planned.
The heavy doors swung open, and we stepped into the lavish foyer, greeted by a room filled with wiseguys, probably Romeo’s men, engrossed in conversation. They stopped talking the second we entered. Romeo Rossi, the intimidating figurehead, standing taller than me by a couple of inches, stood at the center. His eyes met mine for just a moment, a spark of recognition passing between us. It wasn’t like Romeo and I had ever been at odds, exactly, but he’d certainly been at odds with Enzo from time to time, and I represented the Gallo muscle. He barely even looked at me, though, just going to Allegra and drawing her into a big bear hug. “I’m so glad you’re home,carissima,”he said hoarsely, and I thought I could detect a glimmer of tears in his brown eyes. “Where on earth have you been?”
“I’ll explain later, Papa,” she said quickly, glancing at me, hugging her father tightly for only a moment before sprinting up the stairs. I watched her leave me behind with Romeo, my mouth slightly open.
Romeo chuckled. “She’s going to check on Matteo.”
“Matteo?” I asked, looking at him with a frown.DidAllegra have a boyfriend? God, a live-in boyfriend? I was going to lose my mind.
