Chapter 37
Luciano
“I want to see it.”
I lay on my back, one arm behind my head, staring at the ceiling—still as stone. War was coming. Not the kind you negotiate your way out of.
The Russos didn’t just attack us—they made the other rival families brave. Gave men with grudges a reason to crawl out of the holes they’d been hiding in. There was chatter about us being vulnerable. Saint had created a trail of enemies. They were watching. Waiting.
Aria had her own trail. Her enemies became Saint’s by default. That’s what love does. You inherit their hate, whether you want to or not. My father had enemies. Saint’s father had enemies. Now we’d have to clean up everyone’s unfinished business or fight everyone at once.
I wasn’t afraid of dying. But I felt fear. Not for me. For Ava.
I should’ve left her in California. Should’ve watched from a distance like I always did. Let her keep her quiet life. I could’ve stayed a ghost. Could’ve kept protecting her without her ever knowing. But I was selfish. And now, if something happens to me— My chest tightened.
I made Saint promise to take care of her. I made him look me in the eye when he said yes.
Ava was curled next to me, her cheek pressed to my chest, her fingers moving in slow, lazy circles against my stomach.
“I want to see it,” she said out of nowhere.
I didn’t answer right away. I knew what she meant. The Room. La Stanza del Giudizio.
I stared at the ceiling, willing my pulse to slow.
“Not now. It’s not the right time,” I said.
“But I still want to see it.”
She sat up, the sheet slipping from her shoulders. My shirt hung from her body, barely buttoned. She didn’t look afraid.
“Please,” she added, soft, lips pouting.
I should’ve said no again. But her voice did something to me. Softened me.
I didn’t want her to see that room. I never meant for her to know it existed. Never meant for her to know that part of me.
Something I couldn’t describe burrowed under my ribs and ached. What I did in there felt private. It was where I let the darkest parts of me breathe. She wasn’t supposed to see the monster in me.
I cursed Aria for ever mentioning it. I’d kept it hidden for a reason. But I didn’t deny her.
I got out of bed, in my pajama bottoms, she was wearing the shirt. I led her down there—not sure if I was ready to expose myself, but doing it anyway.