Fabiano jerked, and I sent Matteo a scowl. “They are upstairs,” I told Fabiano and tightened my grip slightly, sending him a warning look. He was still a kid, but I wouldn’t tolerate his insolence in my own territory.
He lowered his eyes and I released him.
“I’m not telling you anything you don’t know, but you will have to beat Gianna into shape. She needs a hard hand,” Scuderi said, and Matteo’s answering grin sent me into high alert.
Dante straightened. Three years of truce. How much longer?
The door swung open and Romero stepped inside, checking if the air was clear before he allowed Aria to step through. His brows drew together when he noticed the tension between us, and he stretched out his arm to bar Aria’s way. Of course, she wouldn’t have it, her eyes zeroing in on her brother.
She ducked under Romero’s arm. “Fabi!” she called, her face breaking into a smile as she rushed toward us. She flung herself at her brother and hugged him tightly. The unbridled happiness on her face banished any violent thoughts I’d harbored. She pulled back, her eyes scanning her brother. “You have grown again. When will you ever stop?”
“When I’m as tall as Luca,” Fabiano said firmly.
And Aria let out that bell-like laugh I fucking loved more than anything else. “Then we’ll have to feed you a lot.” She raised her gaze to me, so full of happiness and love I had trouble keeping my face emotionless and hard. Her expression fell slightly before realization set in as she turned to Dante and her father. Politeness and grace took over her face as she stepped up to her father and kissed his cheeks. “Father.”
Then she turned to Dante. From the tense set of her shoulders I could see that he scared her, and that sight would have been enough to make me want to lunge but Matteo’s hand on my forearm, a silent warning, stopped me. I sent him a look. Now he had to stop me from breaking truce, really?
Dante must have seen some of my thoughts, because his eyes narrowed the slightest bit before he took Aria’s hand and kissed it. He released her quickly and she stepped back. She came to my side and I touched her waist. Mine.
“Has the cake arrived yet?” she asked. “The caterer said they couldn’t reach the bakery, and nobody’s picking up when I try to call.”
I stared. I didn’t even know we’d ordered cake.
She sighed. “I think I’d better have Romero drive me over there.” She turned to face her brother. “Why don’t you join me?”
I stifled a smirk. Aria had picked up on the tense atmosphere and she wanted her brother away from it.
Fabiano looked at his father, who waved a hand at him. “You’re only in the way anyway.”
Aria wrapped an arm protectively around her brother, eyes hardening. “Come on.” She raised her eyes to mine. “If Gianna and Lily ask for me, please tell them I’ll be back soon.” She gave me a short smile but didn’t kiss me. There would be time for that when we were alone.
“I must admit Aria seems surprisingly relaxed around you. Given your reputation I’d have thought she’d cower in front of you,” Scuderi said. “But I suppose some reputations are misleading.”
“A marriage is no place for fear,” Dante said, and I felt something like respect for him.
Several hours later, my suspicions were confirmed when Gianna caused a scene, making her reluctance to marry plainly clear to anyone who had the misfortune of being around.
Matteo took it with stride. He was the master of games, and she would be his ultimate victory, or so he thought. I had a feeling the redhead would not only make his life hell, but also mine. I could only hope she wouldn’t drag Aria into trouble with her because when her siblings were concerned, Aria lost all sense of self-preservation.
“What are you going to do about Sylvester?” Matteo asked.
I grimaced. I’d postponed a decision until now. Whenever Aria had asked what we were going to do on Sylvester I’d pretended I hadn’t decided yet, but that was a fucking lie. Like every fucking year, I was invited to the social event in New York—Senator Parker’s Sylvester party. The Famiglia had been working together with him for many years, and it was expected that I make an appearance as the current Capo.
“I will attend, and so will you.”
“And Aria?”
That was going to be a major problem. She was my wife and of course everyone expected her to be there as well, and I wanted her at my side—if there wasn’t the matter of Grace being there too. I hadn’t seen her since Aria had caught me with her, and I’d forced the senator to send his daughter off to England, but she would return for the party as was expected. “She will come with us.”
“That’s got the potential for a scandal,” Matteo muttered.
As if I didn’t know that. Not that I cared about a scandal, but I cared about Aria’s feelings.
“Are you sure Grace won’t make a scene? You never dumped her in person.”
“I never dumped her because I wasn’t dating her. I fucked her, and other women.” Of course, the other reason why I hadn’t seen her again was that I wanted to kill her for paying Rick to put roofies in Aria’s drink. If she wasn’t a woman and more importantly a senator’s daughter, I would have put a bullet in her head.
“Grace might disagree.”
“I don’t give a fuck. She’d better keep her mouth shut and treat Aria with the necessary respect, or I’ll make her regret it.”
That evening as Aria and I lay in bed, I finally bridged the subject I’d been avoiding. “We’re invited to a party for Sylvester.”
Aria lifted her head from my chest, brows drawing together. “Okay. And you only found out five days before?”
I shook my head. “I’ve known for a while.”
She sat up and peered down at me with confusion. “And you didn’t tell me, why?”
“It’s Senator Parker’s party.”
Aria stiffened and moved to get out of bed, but I grabbed her by the waist.
“Please,” she whispered. “Let me go.”
I released her. That broken whisper was a fucking bullet to the heart. She slid out of bed and walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking Manhattan, leaving me to stare at her naked back. I got out of bed, moved toward her and stopped close behind. Her face was reflected in the window, but her gaze was distant as if she didn’t see what lay right in front of her. I could imagine too well what memories she was reliving.
I rested my hands on her hips and my chin on the top of her head. “Aria—”
“Grace will be there,” she said quietly, and finally raised her eyes to mine in the window.
“Yes.”
She gave a sharp nod then tried to step out of my hold, but this time I didn’t let her evade me again. “No,” I growled, tightening my grip on her waist. “Don’t make a bigger deal out of this than it is.”
Anger flashed across her face, and she surprised me by ramming her elbow into my side. I let go of her in shock. She whirled around, her eyes furious. “A bigger deal than it is?” She brought her palms up against my chest and shoved hard. I had to bite back a grin. That would have sent the wrong message. When I spotted the hint of tears in her eyes, my amusement died.