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"I've been thinking of dropping by Chicago again, too," he continues in a musing tone. "See the old neighborhood where I grew up. I still have connections there."
Chicago? "No, Daddy," I say at once. "Chicago is…"
Chicago is on the brink of war, too many Families and organizations vying for power. It's a powder keg, and he of all people must know that.
Sensing my unease, he lays a hand on my knee. "Don't look so concerned. I won't go unless I have protections in place. I'm not ready for the boneyard yet. No, like the cockroach, I'll be around forever."
Despite myself, I laugh at the comparison. "I'd hardly call you a cockroach, Daddy."
"No? I'm hard to kill and adapt to any environment. Sounds fitting to me." His expression grows serious again. "But you, Alessa...you're more like a phoenix. You've gone through the flames these past months and you keep rising again, stronger than before."
I'm struck by his words. The phoenix born anew from the ashes of destruction. An elegant metaphor for this period of upheaval and rebirth in my life.
"Whatever you decide, you'll have my support," I say finally. "But I'll worry regardless. I can't help it."
He smiles, a flash of white teeth. "Of course you'll worry. You have your mother's tender heart."
I start to protest, but the teasing gleam in his eyes gives me pause. The hardness I've had to cultivate, a necessary armor in the world I inhabit, has concealed parts of myself even from those closest to me. Until recent events stripped that armor away, exposing the vulnerability beneath.
And now, perhaps, my father sees me with new eyes.
Impulsively, I embrace him, breathing in the familiar scents of tobacco and cedar that forever mean safety to me. His arms come around me, still strong.
"Whatever the future holds, don't hide your light, Alessa," he murmurs. "You've been given a rare second chance. Share your fire with the world."
I nod against his shoulder, suddenly fighting back tears. When I pull back, the tender look on his craggy face undoes me completely. No one but this man has ever glimpsed behind the walls I've erected around my heart. No one but him—until Natalie...
A glance at the antique clock on the wall reminds me of the hour. "I should get ready for dinner," I say. "Natalie will be here soon."
My father smiles knowingly, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Better not keep your sweetheart waiting then. I'll see you both at dinner."
For the first time in years, the path before me finally feels clear. My father's steady wisdom has seen me through the darkness and now, as he prepares to leave the Mancini Family behind completely, I find myself ready to step into the light.
No more hiding in the shadows. This red phoenix will spread her wings at last. And with Natalie at my side, I'll make a calm, steady flame to light the way for others looking to escape the darkness, too.
CHAPTER29
NATALIE
The gravel crunches beneath my tires as I pull up to Johnny de Luca's sprawling Long Island estate once again. Though more familiar by now, it still impresses with its vast grounds and imposing architecture.
I smooth my hands over my dress, an elegant black number I picked up just for these family dinners, when it became clear that they were a common occurrence for Alessa.
Alessa herself greets me at the door, throwing her arms around me as violently as she did when I was released from jail. The scent of garlic and tomatoes wafts out with her and my mouth waters.
"Are you ready?" Alessa whispers, after rubbing her red lipstick off my lips.
I can't resist sucking her fingertip into my mouth for a moment, and then give a crooked smile. "As I'll ever be."
"Well, you look stunning. I'd fuck you right here on the front steps if we didn't have this dinner to get through."
Heat rushes to my cheeks at the compliment. Sometimes I still can't believe a woman like her could want someone like me. But Alessa has a way of making me feel like the most captivating woman in the world.
"So come in before I do something highly inappropriate," she goes on. "Ma's been driving me crazy, asking when you were coming."
Maria de Luca seems to have taken a liking to me, based on her warm welcome—or maybe, like Alessa, she just has the kind of personality that makes everyone feel like the center of the universe. Either way, I'm grateful for it, because I'm nervous about tonight. About meeting Johnny the Gentleman again. As much as I love Alessa, and as much as I can overlook some of her more questionable activities, it's a lot harder to forget the crime scene photographs that her father left behind him.
And last time I was here, he basically warned me off his daughter.
