Twisted Emotions (The Camorra Chronicles Book 2)

by Cora Reilly

  I reached for her and brushed another tear away. She became very still and stopped breathing. I grabbed her shoulders and brought our faces closer. She sucked in a breath, but I needed to get through to her. “If something bothers you, say it. If you don’t want Remo to trample all over you, you will have to stand up to him. I can protect you, but it won’t bring you the respect of my brothers. If you want to be a part of this family, you need to gain their respect. Being submissive and shying away like that doesn’t cut it, okay?”

  She averted her eyes.

  “No,” I ordered.

  Her gaze flew back to meet mine. I tightened my hold on her shoulders, and she winced.

  “I’m not sure if I can do it. My fear is too strong.”

  “Your fear is useless. It cripples you. Don’t let it.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “It’s not that easy.”

  “It’s not as hard as you make it out to be either. It’s your choice to face your fears or to let them rule over you.”

  “Let me go,” she said with a shaky.

  I nodded and released my hold on her shoulders. “That’s a start.”

  Standing up, I held my hand out to her. “Now come. We’ll return. You can have pizza.”

  She hesitated but then she took my hand and straightened. Her pulse was still racing under my thumb, but she looked less shaky. “I can’t eat your pizza.”

  “We always share our pizzas. Nobody will mind.”

  “I’m vegetarian. Your pizzas all have some kind of meat on them,” she said.

  I hadn’t noticed that she hadn’t eaten meat at the wedding. “Next time we’ll order a vegetarian pizza for you.”

  She became tense as we stepped back into the gaming room, and her skin reddened in embarrassment. I led her back to the sofas and sat down beside Remo so Kiara didn’t have to. Remo pretended he didn’t notice and kept watching the race on the screen. Kiara squeezed my hand briefly before she released me and took a gulp from her Coke.

  Fabiano gave me a look that probably conveyed recognition, though I wasn’t sure why. Nobody mentioned Kiara’s exit or her puffy eyes, and eventually she became more relaxed and watched the race with us.

  Her eyes started drooping but she didn’t get up; she probably wasn’t sure if she was allowed to leave. I decided to make it easy for her. “Let’s go to bed,” I suggested and stood.

  That was obviously the wrong thing to say because the tension in her body returned full force. I sent Fabiano a questioning look. After all, he was the woman whisperer. He only shrugged.

  “Good night,” Kiara said before she followed me silently into our wing. I tried to figure out the reason for her tension. I thought I was doing her a favor when I suggested we go to bed. I wasn’t even tired.

  When we arrived in our bedroom and her gaze lingered on the bed, she swallowed thickly and it dawned on me. “Are you worried because you think I want sex?”

  She bit her lip. “I’m a horrible wife.”

  “I’m not a good husband either. It is what it is.” I pointed at the bed. “As I said before, you don’t have to fear me. I won’t touch you unless you desire it. We discussed this. I assumed you understood that our bedroom doesn’t pose a threat to you.”

  “I guess it’s difficult to believe,” she said.

  “I keep my word.”

  I wasn’t sure if it finally sank in or if it needed more time. When I joined her in bed later, she had her back turned to me and was half hidden beneath the covers. I couldn’t see if she had tensed but her breathing definitely changed. I waited for her to fall asleep before I got up. This was going to be one of those nights where I wouldn’t get any sleep. With a last glance at my sleeping wife, I walked out into the corridor. I was never going to be a good husband; my disposition would always prevent that.

  KIARA

  When I woke, it took me several moments to realize where I was. Once I did, my pulse quickened. I sat up, looking around. Nino was gone, and I didn’t hear any sounds coming from the bathroom either. I got out of bed and headed into the bathroom. As I’d noticed yesterday, there wasn’t a lock on the door. It was a bit unsettling since Nino could walk in at any point. For that very reason, I hurried through my shower and quickly got dressed in a maxi dress with a high neckline. Even if I preferred to keep most of my body covered, it was too warm outside to wear something long sleeved. My eyes were drawn to the window behind the Jacuzzi tub and the blue sky outside. From the looks of it, it was going to be another hot day in Las Vegas. The sprinklers in the gardens were spewing water. I supposed there was no other way to keep the grass this beautifully green.

  After that, I busied myself by putting away my clothes into the drawers that Nino must have cleared for me in the walk-in closet. When I was done, I hesitated, not sure how to proceed. I was hungry and I couldn’t very well stay in the bedroom all day, but the mansion didn’t feel like home yet. I wasn’t sure if it ever would, so walking around on my own felt like I was intruding.

  Eventually, my hunger drove me outside. It was quiet in this part of the house, which wasn’t surprising considering its size. Nino was probably in the main wing with his brothers. I wasn’t really sad that he didn’t wake me when he left the bedroom this morning. I was used to being alone most of the time and preferred solitude over the company of people.

  I moved downstairs into the smaller living area in Nino’s wing and froze on the last step. There, beside the French windows, stood a beautiful Steinway D piano. I couldn’t do anything but stare. I took the last step down then approached the instrument almost fearfully. How did Nino manage to get it over here so quickly? But this was Las Vegas and he was a Falcone, so he probably had his ways. The more important question was why did he buy this for me?

  Of course I told him I loved to play, but it wasn’t as if he needed to put in an effort to win me over. We were already married, and I was bound to him forever. If anyone was required to please someone, then it was me as the wife. And so far, I’d failed miserably.

  I sank down on the black leather bench, letting my fingers glide reverently over the smooth black and white keys, and then I began to play, but to my surprise it wasn’t the song I’d been working on these past few months. It was something new entirely, a melody I hadn’t even known was in me, but as my fingers moved over the keys, it took shape. Slowly, the knot around my chest loosened, and I realized the notes were my emotions shaped into music.

  The sound was haunted and frightful, the notes chasing each other, quick and erratic then slowing almost abruptly. Tumult and fear, resignation and defiance, and beneath it all an underlying pain I could not shake.

  I couldn’t stop playing, even as I began the melody anew, reformed it, but the emotion remained, and it filled the room and me. For a moment, I felt at home, felt almost at peace.

  “I see you discovered your piano,” Nino drawled, and my fingers dug into the keys, making the beautiful instrument cry out almost angrily.

  CHAPTER 11

  KIARA

  My eyes darted to my left, where Nino stood, watching me with mild curiosity. He was dressed in black pants and a tight black T-shirt that exposed his tattooed arms. His hair was pulled back in a very short ponytail.

  I flushed and quickly stood. “I’m sorry. I should have asked before I started to play. I don’t even know if I’m allowed to.”

  Nino frowned and moved closer and didn’t stop despite my growing tension. He leaned against the piano, close but still more than an arm’s length away. His eyes scanned me from head to toe, and I forced myself to stand still, allowing him his appraisal. It was his privilege. Finally, his eyes met mine. “Why wouldn’t you be allowed to play the piano?” he asked. “I got it for you and it’s meant to be played.”

  “Thank you,” I said quietly. “You didn’t have to do this. It’s too expensive.”

  Nino’s mouth twisted in dark amusement. “I didn’t, but I wanted to, and money isn’t an issue, Kiara. We have more than we could ever spend
.”

  I glanced back down at the keys and brushed them with my fingertips.

  “Play that song again,” Nino said.

  “I only started working on it today. It’s not ready yet.” I didn’t mention that I’d never been happy with a song I’d created and avoided playing in front of others if possible. Music was emotional for me. Laying myself bare to other people like that had never seemed wise.

  “Play it,” Nino ordered.

  My eyes flew up to his face. His expression was commanding but not cruel. I sank back down on the bench, taking a deep breath, and rested my fingers against the first notes.

  I closed my eyes because with Nino’s intense gaze on me, I couldn’t focus. Then I began to play, and the melody came to life, flowed around me, evolved as I added a few more notes.

  The last note had long died off when I dared to open my eyes. Nino regarded me, and heat rose into my cheeks. “It’s not good, I told you, but—”

  Nino leaned in, and I held my breath. “Don’t put yourself down. You are a Falcone now.”

  I blinked and gave a nod. I’d been put down all my life by others and by myself. Giulia had said the same thing to me before, but none of her words had ever had an effect. Upon looking into Nino’s beautifully cold face and seeing the dominance in his eyes, it seemed impossible not to take his words to heart.

  When it became clear that Nino expected an answer, I said, “Okay.”

  He gave a small shake of his head, but I wasn’t sure what it meant. He straightened. “I have to leave to meet with the owner of our fight club, Roger’s Arena, now. You can spend the day as you please. You are free to walk around the premises and the mansion, but as I said, don’t go into Remo’s wing.” Remo probably had a poor woman locked into a dungeon there. I shivered.

  “I will here be alone?” I asked.

  Nino shook his head. “Savio will stay with you.”

  Relief flooded me when I realized the Camorra Capo wasn’t on babysitting duty, even if the younger Falcone made me nervous as well. After the embarrassing incident yesterday, I really wasn’t looking forward to meeting either Falcone brother.

  “If you want to leave the house, tell Savio and he will drive you wherever you want to go. Tomorrow, I will have time to show you around Vegas.” He waited for a response, so I nodded.

  He returned a curt nod before he left.

  I stared at his back, dumbfounded.

  For a moment, I wavered between sitting back down at the piano and going to find something to eat, but then my rumbling stomach won that struggle. I headed down the connecting corridor into the main part of the house. It was still quiet, but when I moved closer to the kitchen, I could hear a male voice. When I stopped in front of the door, I recognized Savio’s voice. “I’m stuck here babysitting. I’ll come over when Adamo takes over when he gets out of school.”

  I was about to turn around and return to Nino’s wing despite my hunger, when the door swung open. I tried to stumble back but still managed to get hit in the shoulder, landing on my butt. I gasped from the sharp twinge then flushed with embarrassment when I found Savio staring down at me with narrowed eyes.

  From my position on the floor, he looked even taller, which didn’t help with my anxiety.

  “Did you eavesdrop? Never heard about privacy?” he muttered. He stuffed his phone into his pocket then bent over me, and I flinched. He froze, his eyes widening a moment before he controlled his expression. He was almost as good as Nino. “Jeez, I wasn’t going to grope you, woman.” He held out his hand. “Stop the cowering and take my hand.”

  I did, and he pulled me to my feet then released me. I quickly straightened my dress, flustered. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, and I’m sorry that you have to play babysitter when you have obviously better things to do.”

  Savio shrugged. “Nino asked me to do it, and you are defenseless.”

  Defenseless. He sounded almost disgusted as he said it. I wasn’t sure how to react, so I said, “I was going to make breakfast. Do you want something too?”

  Savio snorted. “Good luck. There’s no food in the fridge, only beer. Nino is pretty much the only one who remembers to buy food, and he’s been busy these last few days.”

  “Oh,” I said.

  Savio sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. It was shorter than Nino’s and a bit darker. “Let’s grab something to eat. We can do a quick detour so I can check in with one of our soldiers who’s having trouble with vandals.”

  My eyes widened. Like Nino, Savio told me about business. It was mostly frowned upon to involve women in any kind of business, to even mention it around them, in the Famiglia.

  “We don’t have to go out,” he said, assessing my expression. “But then you’ll have to go without food.”

  “That’s not why I was shocked. I’m not used to hearing about business.”

  Savio shrugged. “It’s what my brothers and I are doing all day, so it’s a constant topic around here. Except for Adamo, whose main activity is sulking.”

  I laughed. Savio looked at me like he was trying to figure me out.

  “You can go outside and wait in the driveway. I’ll grab a few more guns and then we can head out.”

  A few more guns? He already had a holster strapped around his chest, which held a gun and a knife, but it wasn’t my place to comment, so I headed outside. It was warm and sunny. Several cars were parked in the driveway; one of them was a Ferrari in a metallic copper tone, which glowed in the sunlight. My eyes were drawn toward what must have been a marble fountain once. Now the broken down remains of a statue lay in a heap in its middle.

  Savio jogged outside. He tossed on a black leather jacket, probably to hide his guns, and nodded toward the metallic Ferrari. Of course. I followed him toward the car and got in. I jumped when the engine roared to life like a beast risen from Tartarus. Savio steered the car down the long driveway and through the gate. “Why is the fountain broken?”

  “It was our father’s pride and joy. He had it made in Italy and shipped here. When my brothers and I returned, after we came into power, Remo smashed it with a sledgehammer.”

  I could picture it in my mind, Remo wielding that sledgehammer like a madman. “You didn’t try to stop him?”

  “There’s no stopping Remo when he’s murderous,” Savio said as he steered us down a wide road with casinos and smaller hotels on either side. “We hated our father. We were busy burning the painting of him and our mother.”

  His voice held a tension, and I decided to change the topic. “You aren’t trying to blend in, are you?” I asked, motioning to his car.

  Savio rolled his eyes. “With a name like Falcone and with this tattoo…” he moved his arm so I got a peek at his forearm tattooed with an eye and blade “…there’s no way in hell I could blend in around here. And why would I want to? My brothers and I have brought honor back to the Camorra. I’m proud of who I am, of what I am, why would I want to hide it?”

  I nodded. It was a foreign concept for me. Most of my life I’d tried to blend in, tried to hide.

  “It’s a bit strange that you are my babysitter even though I’m two years older than you, don’t you think?”

  Savio’s expression hardened. “Age doesn’t matter. I have been a Camorrista for close to four years. I have fought in the cage. I have killed and tortured. I am capable of defending you and myself, and I have no qualms doing it.”

  “Four years?” I asked incredulously. “But that means you were only thirteen back then.”

  He nodded. “I wanted to become a Camorrista, and my brothers needed me.”

  “What about Adamo? Has he been inducted yet?”

  Savio’s mouth thinned. “No. Remo thinks it’s better to wait until he is fourteen so he has some time to pull his head out of his ass.”

  Savio pulled the car up at the curb in front of a café then got out without another word. I quickly got out as well and immediately realized that the Savio in the mansion or in the c
ar wasn’t the Savio that the outside world got to see. His expression had hardened, not as cruel as Remo’s and not as cold as Nino’s but enough to send a shiver down my back. He no longer appeared like a teenager. He looked a man.

  He surprised me when stepped closer. I gave him a curious look. “I’m supposed to protect you. I’m not going to be the one who gets his ass handed to him by Nino because something happened to you.”

  I doubted Nino would care. Maybe he’d be displeased because his possession had been damaged or maybe even worried that it would endanger the truce with the Famiglia. “I thought Las Vegas was safe.”

  “It is,” Savio said, his eyes scanning the sidewalk and street. The few passersby looked like tourists, even though we weren’t near the Strip. “But since the Outfit attacked, we are more careful.”

  It made sense. Being attacked in your own territory must have been a hard blow. Savio motioned for me to follow him toward the café, and I tried to stay close to him. He didn’t make me quite as nervous as Remo, which was a relief. He held the door open for me, and I stepped in. The barista behind the counter gave me a smile, but it dropped the second Savio entered.

  He strode toward the counter. After we’d ordered coffee to go and a few donuts, we moved over to wait for our order. The barista’s hands shook so much she kept spilling the milk. Her eyes kept flitting toward Savio and occasionally me. I couldn’t help but feel bad.

  “Is everyone around here this scared of you and your brothers?” I asked when we were on our way back to the car. I took a sip from my coffee, watching Savio.

  “Not everyone, no. Her brother owes us money. He got a visit from Fabiano recently. That’s why she’s like that.”

  The moment I buckled up, Savio pulled the car away from the curb. He awkwardly steered the car with his cup wedged between his legs because there was no cup holder.

  I took a sip then lifted the box with the donuts. “Is eating in your car off limits?”

  “No. Hand me one with lemon glaze. The cleaning people can get rid of the crumbs.”