by Cora Reilly
“I did both,” Romero admitted. “I just really lost it.”
“Please don’t get in trouble because of me. I don’t want you to get hurt, promise me.” There was another moment of silence, before he said, “I promise.”
But I had a feeling it was a promise he wasn’t sure he could keep. If he’d already attacked Matteo, the Famiglia’s Consigliere, that wasn’t a good sign.
“Call me after your meeting with Brasci tomorrow. I’ll go crazy if I don’t hear from you. And don’t let him try anything. He’s got absolutely no right. I’ll fucking kill him if he puts a toe out of line, if he even looks at you the wrong way.”
“Didn’t you promise to stay out of trouble?” I joked half-heartedly.
“I’ll try, but I’ll be on edge tomorrow, that much is sure.”
We talked about a few unimportant things before we said good-bye and hung up. I clutched the phone against my chest. Slowly I lay back on the bed. I was relieved that Romero still wanted me but I was also scared that he’d do something that would get him killed. Luca liked Romero a lot, but he was also Capo and needed to keep his men in line. If Romero did something that publicly hurt the Famiglia, Luca might not have a choice but to punish him severely. I wouldn’t let that happen.
* * *
I barely slept more than two hours. I’d known that my first night in Chicago wouldn’t be easy but I hadn’t expected it to be this horrible.
There were dark shadows under my eyes and I didn’t bother covering them up. Maybe Benito would decide not to marry me if I looked like a corpse. I put on jeans and a shirt before I made my way downstairs. Fabi and Father were already sitting at the table, eating breakfast. I wondered if they’d done the same when I was gone. “Since when are you awake this early on a Saturday?” I asked Fabi as I took the chair across from him.
“Only because he doesn’t have school doesn’t mean he should laze around,” Father answered in Fabi’s stead. Fabi stabbed at his fruit with his fork, looking like he wished it was Father.
“Is he getting inducted soon?”
Father set his coffee down. “You know very well that that’s none of your business.”
I curled my hands into fists under the table. My throat tightened at my next words. “When are Benito Brasci and his daughter going to arrive?”
“Around six. I already told you we’d have dinner with them.” His eyes narrowed. “I hope you don’t intend to wear that tonight. Take out one of your cocktail dresses and let your hair down. That’s how Benito prefers it.”
I blinked a few times, too stunned for words. Fabi dropped his fork with a clang.
“And you should eat. I don’t want you to faint again. Tonight is important,” Father continued unimpressed.
I reached for a Danish and stuffed a few pieces into my mouth but I wasn’t sure I could keep them down.
“Stop picking at your food, Liliana, for God’s sake.”
“Leave her alone!” Fabi shouted.
Father and I both froze.
“What did you just say?” Father asked in a dangerous voice.
Fabi glared back but then he lowered his eyes. “Why can’t you leave her alone? I don’t like how you treat her.”
“I won’t have you criticizing me, Fabiano. You better learn to keep your mouth shut or you’ll be in major trouble once you’re part of the Outfit. Understood?”
Fabi nodded, but his lips were a thin white line.
I forced the rest of my Danish down even though it tasted like nothing. Father picked up his newspaper and disappeared behind it.
Fabi and I didn’t try to talk. And really what was there left to say?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Liliana
I chose the dress I’d worn at last year’s Christmas party. It was more modest than my other dresses with a high-cut collar and a hem that reached my knees. It was more fitted than I would have liked for the evening though. Like Father had said, I let my hair fall down to my shoulders, even though the idea of being attractive for Benito terrified me to no end. I decided to wear ballet flats since Father had said nothing about high heels.
“Liliana, what’s taking you so long? Our guests will arrive any moment. Get down here!”
I took a deep breath and walked out of my room. Everything would be alright. If I got through today, Romero would figure out a way to get me out of this marriage. Everything would be alright. I repeated the words over and over again as I walked down the stairs, but my throat tightened anyway. Fabi was dressed in a proper dark blue suit and a tie, but his expression was that of a sulking teenager.
Father, too, wore a business suit but he almost always did. He scanned my outfit critically. “You should have chosen a different dress, but it’ll have to do now. We don’t have time for you to change again.”
I paused on the stairs. Anger surged through me again, fiercer than before. The doorbell rang, preventing me from saying something that would have probably earned me a slap across the face. Father gave Fabi and me a warning look before he went to the door and opened it.
My fingers on the handrail tightened painfully.
“Benito, good to see you. Come in, come in. Dinner is ready for us. I’ve let our cook prepare a wonderful roast,” Father said in an overly friendly manner that he only ever used with people of importance, definitely not with his family.
I had to stop myself from running up the stairs and hiding in my room. I wasn’t a child anymore. I’d handle this situation with grace, and then I’d do my best to stop this marriage. There had to be a way.
But what if there wasn’t?
I walked down the last few steps and stopped beside Fabi.
Father opened the door wider to let Brasci and his daughter in. I held my breath. And when my intended husband entered the entrance hall, revulsion overcame me.
He was tall and thin, with graying brown hair that was combed back the same way as Father’s, but where Father’s was full, Benito’s had thinned and his scalp peeked through. His skin was tanned from too many hours on the tanning bed, and looked almost like leather. He looked old. His dark eyes settled on me and a grin twisted his lips.
Benito’s gaze felt like slugs crawling over my skin, the way they traveled over every inch of my body, already marking me as his. I wanted to wipe it off like slime. My eyes slid over to the girl beside him, barely older than me and with a look of desperate resignation on her face. She wasn’t better off than me. She’d marry my father. Our eyes met. Was there accusation in hers? Maybe she thought I was the reason for the deal between my father and her own. I couldn’t even blame her. Everything about this felt so unfair.
Father motioned for me to come over to them. Even though every fiber of my being was against it, I crept toward them. Fabi was a couple of steps behind me. When I reached Father’s side, he put a hand on my lower back and said with a proud smile, “This is my daughter Liliana.”
Benito inclined his head but his eyes never ceased their staring. He wasn’t doing anything obviously inappropriate but for some reason his gaze felt like it was invading my personal space. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said, then he stepped up to me and kissed my cheeks. I froze but didn’t push him away. Father would probably have killed me if I’d done that.
“And Fabiano,” Benito said, facing my brother, who looked like he tasted something bitter.
Benito waved his daughter forward. “This is Maria.”
Father greeted her with a kiss on the cheek too, and I almost threw up. Maria glanced my way again. She looked so…resigned. But when she faced my father again, she gave him a smile. It looked fake to me but Father seemed satisfied with her reaction. I could practically see his chest swelling with pride.
Father nodded toward the dining room. “Let’s have dinner. It’ll give us the chance to talk.”
Father held out his hand for Maria to take and she did so without hesitation. I knew what was coming, but instead of taking my hand, Benito put his palm on my lower back. I
almost flinched away from him but I forced myself to remain still. I couldn’t muster up a smile though.
We walked into the dining room and when I finally sank down on my chair I almost cried from relief of being rid of Benito’s touch. He sat beside me though. Father and Benito were soon immersed in conversation, which left Maria and me to sit in awkward silence. I could hardly ask her anything of importance with our fathers sitting right beside us. I escaped into my mind, but every so often my eyes drifted to the man beside me who smelled of cigar smoke.
All I could think about was that I wanted to be back in New York with Romero.
“Why don’t you girls go sit on the sofa, so we can discuss business?” Father asked, tearing me out of my thoughts.
I rose from my chair and led Maria toward the living area. We sat down beside each other and another awkward silence began. I cleared my throat. “It’s strange, isn’t it, that we’re sitting here with our fathers who are planning our marriages?”
Maria watched me cautiously. “They want what’s best for us.”
I almost snorted. She sounded like a parrot. Had her father put those words into her mouth? “Do you really believe that? You’re going to marry a man who could be your father. How is that the best for you?”
Again her gaze darted toward our fathers. She was very well behaved, that much was sure. What worried me was how she’d gotten that careful. Was her father that strict? Violent maybe?
“I’m going to be the wife of the Consigliere. That’s a good thing.”
I gave up. She obviously wouldn’t talk honestly with me, or she’d been brainwashed so well that she actually meant what she said. “Yes, that’s certainly a great achievement.” I didn’t mean to snap at her but my nerves were too frayed to be considerate. But she didn’t catch my sarcasm. She was too busy chancing looks toward our fathers.
Father stood from his chair. “Why don’t you take a moment to talk to Benito, Liliana? And I’ll talk to Maria.”
That was the last thing I wanted. Benito strode toward me and panic started to set in. Where would we go? I didn’t want to be alone with him. Romero’s words flashed through my mind. I was a reputable Italian girl, at least as far as they knew. Father and Maria sat at the dining table together and Benito took a seat beside me on the sofa. At least I wouldn’t be alone with him.
He even left a space between us but he was still too close for my taste. I could smell the cigars on his clothes and breath, and his knee was only about three inches from my own. I could feel my vision tunneling. God, I wasn’t getting a panic attack because he was sitting beside me, right? What would happen when he really married me? Then he’d do more than only sit beside me. I stared straight ahead, not sure what to do or say. I could feel him watching me.
“You are a very attractive girl,” he said. He took my hand and lifted it to his lips. I couldn’t even react, I was too shocked. When his lips brushed my skin, I wanted to sink into myself. I’d had many men kiss my hand at parties but for some reason, this was worse.
“Thank you,” I choked out.
“Has your father told you the date of our wedding yet?”
There was a date? I’d found out about this only yesterday. How could there be a date already? I shook my head mutely.
“Four weeks from now. October twentieth. Your father didn’t want to wait and I agree. He’ll marry Maria the week before our wedding.”
I stared at him, then toward my father who was leering at Maria like she was a piece of candy he wanted to devour. I was going to be sick. Any moment now, my dinner would come up again.
“Liliana, are you listening?” There was a hint of impatience in Benito’s tone and something less kind shone in his eyes.
I shivered. “I’m sorry. I was only surprised.” Surprised? Surprised? God, surprise didn’t even begin to describe my feelings. If there was already a date, how could Romero possibly convince my father to choose him as my husband instead? He couldn’t. I wasn’t naïve. Father would never agree to it. He wanted Maria, and for him to get her, he needed to sell me off to Benito in turn.
Benito smiled but somehow that made him look even scarier. Maybe it was my imagination. “It’s short notice of course, but people won’t want to miss our weddings so I’m confident that we’ll pull off a grand feast.”
I nodded. I clasped my wrist, feeling my pulse and surprised to find it at all. I felt so numb, I might as well have been dead.
Benito talked about guests we needed to invite and food we needed to serve but I couldn’t focus. I needed to talk to Romero. Benito touched my knee and I jerked out of my thoughts.
“You’re jumpy,” he said accusingly. He didn’t take his hand off my knee.
“I’m glad you’re getting along so well,” said Father as he came up to us from behind, Maria trailing a few steps after him like a good dog. I’d never been so glad to see my father. Benito removed his hand from my knee and I quickly got up. I needed to get away before I lost it.
Thankfully, Benito and his daughter left shortly after that.
Father looked incredibly satisfied when he closed the door after them. When he turned to me, his smile dropped. “Don’t give me that look. Benito is an important man. He’s one of our most influential Captains with a big number of loyal soldiers. To have him on our side is important.”
“Can I fly back to New York so I can go wedding dress shopping with Aria?” I didn’t mention Gianna, even though I felt bad about it, but I couldn’t risk Father getting angry again, and I definitely didn’t want to remind him of Gianna’s flight.
Father laughed. “You can go shopping here. I won’t let you leave Chicago again. There’s too much to do, and I don’t trust you not to do something stupid if I let you out of my sight. I know you and Gianna aren’t too different. I won’t let you ruin this. You will marry Benito.”
Once I was back in my room, I dialed Romero’s number with shaky fingers. He picked up after the first ring. “Are you okay?” he asked immediately.
“The wedding is in four weeks.”
“Fuck,” Romero growled. I could hear him hitting something and then the sound of something shattering. Romero had always seemed so in control. “Your father has lost his fucking mind. I won’t allow it. I don’t give a damn that he’s Consigliere.”
“Please calm down.” Part of me relished in his fury because it showed how much he cared for me but the other part was terrified of the consequences he might face if he acted on his emotions.
“How can you be this calm, Lily? Do you realize what that means?”
“Of course,” I whispered. “What about Aria and Luca? Can they do something?”
“I don’t know. Aria’s talking with your father right now.”
“Good,” I said half-heartedly, but I knew it was no use. Father had looked determined.
“Will you be allowed to return to New York?”
“No, Father doesn’t want me to leave Chicago. He wants to keep an eye on me until the wedding.”
“Damn it. I’m going to talk to Luca. We’ll find a way.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
“I won’t lose you, Lily. I won’t allow anyone to hurt you. I swear it.”
“I know.”
“I’ll call you once I’ve talked to Luca.”
“Okay.” I sounded like a broken record. I hung up and sat cross-legged on my bed. I wasn’t sure how much time passed until Romero called again. I picked up at once. I was oddly calm.
“And?” I said.
Romero released a harsh breath, and I knew everything was over. A bone-deep sadness overcame me. “Your father will go through with this wedding. Aria tried to talk him out of it but he got really mad and accused her of trying to weaken the Outfit. He warned her not to get involved or he’d see that as an attack on the Outfit and advise Dante to cease relationships with us.”
“So there’s nothing to stop this wedding.”
“I can fly over to Chicago tomorrow and get you. I doubt your fa
ther’s men could stop me.”
“And then?”
“Then we’d figure something out.”
“Could we return to New York? Would Luca protect us?”
Romero was silent for a long time. “Luca won’t risk war over this. We’d be on our own.”
“Would that mean Luca would hunt us too?”
Romero sighed. “Lily, we could make it. I could keep us both safe.”
I didn’t doubt it, but what kind of life would that be? I’d never see Aria and Gianna again, never see Fabi again, never be able to return to New York or Chicago, and we’d always have to live in fear.
“Can I talk to Aria?”
“Of course. What’s the matter, Lily? I thought you wanted us to run away together.”
“I did. I do. But you love the Famiglia, and you and Luca are like brothers. You’d lose all that if you ran away.”
“You are worth it.”
I wasn’t sure that was true. “Can I talk to Aria now?”
“Sure. We’ll talk later again, okay?”
“Okay,” I said.
Aria’s voice sounded on the other end. “Oh, Lily, this is such a mess. How are you?”
“I feel like I’m falling and there’s nothing to stop my fall,” I admitted.
“We won’t let you fall, Lily. I’ll convince Luca to change his mind. You are my sister. I won’t let you be miserable for the rest of your life. If Luca loves me, he’ll help you.”
“He says he doesn’t want to risk war. Does he think Dante will really start a war if I don’t marry Benito?”
“If you run off to be with Romero, then Father will take that as an attack from the Famiglia and will convince Dante to retaliate. There will be war. Both Luca and Dante have to show strength. Their men expect it from them. Despite years of cooperation, New York and Chicago still don’t like each other.”
“If Romero decides to act on his own and take me away from Chicago, what would Luca do?”
“I don’t know. He’s really determined to avoid war with Chicago. To do that he would have to call Romero a traitor who acted without the permission of his Capo and in order to keep the Outfit happy, he’d have to hunt Romero and…” She trailed off.
