Chapter One
My fingers are trying to find the bullet that is swimming in my best friend’s shoulder and her screams are numbing my ears.
“Can you be quiet for a fucking second?” I ask her while trying to grab the damn bullet.
“I’m sorry that I feel pain. I’m going to kill that little fucker.” My best friend since I was a toddler, and my partner in crime- literally, Venus, starts to move in her seat.
“You are a goddam huntress for the mafia and you’re crying over a gunshot?” I push her back in the position she was. I feel the hard bullet on my fingers, and with the hand inside her shoulder I try to widen the gun hole, and with the other one I take the pliers from the table beside me and put it inside the bloody wound.
Her screams are really starting to numb my ears, so I took some napkins and shoved them inside her mouth.
Much better.
Venus looks at me like she can’t believe what I did, but at least she lets me in peace.
After I grab the bullet, I start to slowly take the plier out until it’s out from her shoulder. I show it to her like she won some stupid prize while she looks at me and plans my death.
“These are the consequences that you have to endure, because you let Vincent play with that gun.” She takes the napkins out of her mouth and throws them out in the room.
“How was I supposed to know that he was holding a real gun in his little hands? He’s almost five years old and you are already letting him shot people?” I raise my eyebrow at her anger.
Vincent Fabiano is my little devil of a brother, and the pride of my father. He is the result of one of my father’s affairs, but the gem of the family.
The future.
My father and Mamma have two girls, me and my sister, and six years ago when mom left us for good, dad got some whore pregnant.
I never liked my father, but Vincent is the best thing that happened in my life.
“You know he likes the real guns, not the toys.” Plus, I thought the gun had the safety on.
“I think we should stop laughing and say that he’s adorable when he’s pointing the gun at us and says ‘pew pew I’m going to kill you’.” Venus pulls her leather jacket back on her shoulders and stretches her shoulder.
Venus is probably the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen; straight black hair that reaches her middle, with a sinful body full of tattoos that I made, and gorgeous blue eyes. She is definitely someone I’d paint on one of my black canvases.
“Vincent is a handful, that’s for sure.” My chest tightens in a weird way. This is probably the only feeling I’m capable of.
I’ve been dead for some time.
“There are no saints that will help you or him in the afterlife.” Venus says in Italian. I almost laugh at what she said.
Almost.
“When did I ever needed saints?” I ask back in Italian. Venus looks at me with regret. Or is it pity?
I’m used to all those useless feelings that people have been throwing at me.
Shame.
Pity.
Disappointment.
Why would it affect me when I’ve been born without feelings?
“Where did your pretty head go now, piccolo uccellino?” Venus’s soft voice makes my eyes fix on her again.
Little bird. My nickname since I was a little girl with piggy tails. My father started to call me like that when I turned six years ago because while Keres, my sister, got everything, I had to earn the life I have right now and Papa always reminded me that I don’t have the wings that will make me escape this place.
And he is right. The only time I will leave this house is when he’ll marry me off to some creep or maybe when I’ll die. Which I hope is soon enough.
“Stop calling me that.” My best friend doesn’t even blink.
“You can talk to me when your heart is heavy.” She whispers, waiting for me to continue.
I inhale, trying not to let my voice tremble.
“You can come to me when your thoughts are loud.” I repeat my mother’s words.
“Your heart is safe here.”
“You are safe here.” We look at each other for a couple of seconds and then she embraces me in a hug.
I’m not a hugger, but Venus might be the only one who has been by my side since forever. Not even Keres.
Oh, my little spirit. I haven’t talked with her for three years. I needed to break my heart and distance myself from her to make sure she is safe. And I will do it again in a heartbeat if that means she will never know.
The spirit and the little bird.
“Miss Luciano?” A voice interrupts my hug with Venus. “Your father asked for you in the office.” A cool feeling takes over my body. One of my father’s guards is standing in the doorframe.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Venus knows that Hanibal will throw her out the next second, but this is the way she shows me that she has my back every damn time.
“I’ll be fine.” The lie is evident, but she nods anyway.
I cross the halls of the mansion until I arrive at the door of my father’s office. I knock lightly, and I wait for him to let me in.
“Come in, Althea.”
My father’s office is so luxurious that I think this only room is more expensive than the whole mansion. White walls, white shelves with golden books, a huge gold snake statue next to the leather couch.
My father is exactly like the creature he’s obsessing over. A snake.
“Sit down.” His voice comes from the couch. His long legs were on the coffee table, a cigar in one hand and a
glass of vodka in other. His blond hair has some gray in it, and it makes him look so exquisite. “I have bad news, Althea. Sit down.”
Did I hear his voice tremble?
I sit in the chair next to the couch and I wait for him to tell me the bad news. It’s rare to see Hanibal Luciano affected by a bad incident. Either we’re going to war, either someone is injured, and the only person that he cares so much for is Keres and Vincent. And Vincent is alright because is my main mission in this life.
“Your sister.” At that my blood starts to run faster in my veins, my darkest nightmares coming out.
If something happened to Keres, I’ll make this world bloody and lit it on fire. People might think I hate my sister because of my actions, but if someone touched her the wrong way, I will make them regret they ever thought of putting their hands on her.
“Spit it, damn it.” His lack of response makes my hands tremble.
I just know it and it almost kills me.
“She’s dead, isn’t she?” His blue eyes looked into my brown ones. The blue eyes who were soft just with Keres.
“Yes, she died three days ago.” He drinks the glass of vodka in one sip, my dead heart almost racing.
“She died three fucking days ago, and you are telling me now?” I feel my pulse in my throat and I’m trying to calm down. “How did she die?”
Who do I need to kill?
“Murdered.” He’s suffering. For the first time since I know my father, he’s almost crying for the death of his daughter.
His favorite daughter.
My sister was murdered and I didn’t even said goodbye.
My fucking sister is dead.
“He promised me he would take care of her! He fucking promised me.” I can’t even say his name.
“Calm down, uccellino. Betrayal is a strong feeling. A weak feeling.” My hands turn into fists and I was ready to punch him.
“Who killed her?”
“They don’t know, yet.” Those fucking Americans.
“When is her funeral?” Now he looks again at me.
“Today.” Of course it’s today.
“You fucking bastard.” I whisper, my throat hurting.
“Did you say something, uccellino?” That nickname that hunts me even in my sleep.
“You. Are. A. Bastard.” Hanibal Luciano starts laughing like this is the funniest thing in the world.
“You better watch your mouth.”
“Or what, Papa?” I’m not scared of him anymore.
He stands up and starts to walk in the room, thinking about something I know involves me.
“You will give your new husband a run for his money with that attitude.”
“Who said I’ll marry?” I swore many years ago that I’ll have no husband. Just the thought of them makes me already tired. They require too much energy.
“I did. In a month you’ll marry Keaton. I just talked with his father. We need to keep the peace between the two mafias.” I don’t let his words affect me, even though I feel my body trembling.
He didn’t say his name. He didn’t.
That’s all he cares for. His mafia. His legacy.
“I’ll marry Keaton only over your dead body. Wanna
do it quickly?” His body moves quickly in my direction,
his hand wraps around my neck and his angry eyes stare at me.
These are the only moments when I let my wicked smile show. Making him angry is my favorite thing in the world.
“It’s so funny that you consider yourself my equal. Do your worse, Althea. Meanwhile, start looking for a dress.”
“It’s so funny that you think you’ll win. Do you think Vincent will like America? I’m thinking of taking him with me.” And I just hit his weakest point.
“Don’t you dare touch my son.”
A son that I raised. A son that was never his. I’ll die before letting Vince stay with our father alone.
“You will marry Everette Keaton Moretti in a month. Don’t make me walk you down the aisle more dead than alive.”
Oh, dear Papa let’s see who will bleed more.