Bound by Hatred(75)
“Promise?”
“I promise,” I said. “Now give me Fabi before Father realizes you’re talking to me and not Aria.”
“Hi,” came Fabi’s voice.
“I bet you’ve grown another two inches since I last saw you.”
“When I grow up I’ll be at least 6 feet tall,” he said proudly.
“6 feet 4 at least. You’ll probably be taller than Luca.”
“That would be so cool. I could kick everyone’s ass. Everybody would have to be nice to me and respect me.”
I smiled wistfully. Soon enough people would do that anyway. The cute boy would be replaced by a ruthless killer. “That would be cool,” I agreed. “So do you have any new knives?”
Fabi had a huge collection of knives. A bigger collection of knives a ten year old should have. Of course Father supported my brother’s fascination with weapons.
“No,” Fabi said, sulking. “Father is angry at me.”
“Because of me?”
Fabi didn’t say anything at first but I knew he was shrugging in that cute way he had. “I don’t like how he screamed at you.”
“I don’t like it either, but you have to try not to make Father angry too often, Fabi. I don’t want you to get punished.” Now that I wasn’t available as Father’s favorite punching bag, I worried Fabi might have to bear the brunt of his anger.
“Okay,” he said. “I miss you.”
“I miss you too.”
We hung up and I handed the phone back to Aria.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
I nodded half-heartedly. “The party is next weekend, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I guess I’m not invited?”
Aria grimaced. “Even Luca and I aren’t sure if we should be going.”
“Why?”
“Things are really bad right now. Luca has enough trouble in New York. And he doesn’t want to deal with Dante Cavallaro or Father in addition to that.”
“Fabi and Lily will be really sad if you don’t come to visit.”
“I know,” Aria said with a sigh, leaning against the backrest. “That’s what I’ve been telling Luca. I even suggested I could fly over alone with Romero, so Luca could take care of business here.”
“Let me guess. He hated that idea.”
Aria laughed. “Yeah. He doesn’t trust the Outfit and won’t let me go there without him.”
“I kind of have to agree with him. I wish we could go together though.”
“Maybe next year. Father can hardly stay mad at you forever.”
“Father will still be mad at me when he’s roasting in hell.”
***
As expected, I wasn’t invited to my family’s Christmas party. Officially, Father couldn’t have denied me entrance as Matteo’s wife, but not only would that have been very awkward but Matteo also didn’t want to risk taking me back to Chicago so soon. That night after my body had won over my brain once again and succumbed to Matteo’s charm, I lay naked in his arms, his chest pressed up against my back. I wasn’t sure why I always fell asleep with his arms around me, and worse why I was sometimes longing for his closeness during the day too. So far I’d managed to resist that second notion at least.
“Will I ever see Fabi and Lily again?” I whispered into the silence.
Matteo’s arms around my waist tightened. “If they were part of the Cosa Nostra, Luca could do something, but your father only has to listen to Cavallaro.”
“I know,” I said almost angrily. I knew how things worked in our world. “But can’t we invite my family over for some kind of gathering? Father wouldn’t reject a direct invitation, right?”
Matteo propped himself up and stared down at my face. “Your father would definitely follow the invitation, but he wouldn’t have to take your sister and brother with him. Many men keep their families out of it for security reasons.”
I nodded.
Matteo watched me for a long time and it was starting to make me feel naked in a very different way. I shot him a glare. “What?”
“Luca is very convincing. Maybe he can ask your father to allow Liliana and Fabiano to come for a visit after Christmas. Your father could send his own guards with them if he doesn’t trust us.”
“Why would Luca do that? He and Aria are still welcome in Chicago.”
“If I ask Luca, he’ll do it.”
“And why should you ask him? Aren’t you in enough trouble already because of Bardoni and getting rid of my ankle monitor?”
Matteo twirled a strand of my hair around his finger. “I’d do it for you. You are my wife and I want to make you happy.” His smile was teasing and yet what he’d said had sounded sincere.