16. Julia
16
JULIA
A week went by before I could see my cousins. In that time, I finalized the rest of the arrangements for the wedding and decided on a dress. The girls came with me to try it on, but even as I stared at the beautiful lace fabric in the mirror, I lamented that the rest of my family couldn’t be there.
Nothing about it felt right. Della wasn’t crooning over how perfect it was, and my aunts weren’t gathered around with champagne, barking orders at the attendant. No, it was just me and a few women I’d met only weeks ago.
“It’s perfect,” Alba said, fluffing out the train behind me.
“How do you feel?” Selene asked, tilting her head from side to side as her bright blue eyes assessed me.
“Fine,” I said as I fussed with a piece of the trim on the arm.
“Fine?” V scoffed and came closer, narrowing her gaze at me. “No woman should get married in a dress that makes her feel fine.”
“I’m already married,” I said. Besides, this ceremony was for show only. It wasn’t real, and tears nearly ran down my cheeks at the metaphor. My marriage to Roman wasn’t real. My nascent feelings for him weren’t real. Even the attention of the women at the bridal shop with me was pretend.
All of this pageantry was just…a farce, a charade, a game meant to put the chess pieces in the right spot before taking down the queen. But if it was only pretend, why did my heart shatter like this at the very notion? I put that in a compartment inside my mind to dissect later.
“You still deserve a beautiful day,” Alba said.
Did I? After all my family had done to hers? Roman had told me what happened to Lore on Alba and KC’s wedding day, and it had been Leo’s fault. Still, I smiled and thanked her and put the deposit down on the gown so I could mark another item off my to-do list. The dress didn’t really matter anyway, not if it was likely to be covered in my family’s blood by the end of the day.
After that, we went for mimosas and brunch, and I listened to Ru talk about her father’s upcoming trial. Aris had been locked up with Crow months ago, and both were having difficulty getting a fair deal. I felt bad for them, truly, and her plight made me even more committed to my nuptials with Roman. It may not be real, but I needed it to end the feud between our families, to finally know lasting peace.
I tried not to let the anxiety affect me, especially when I was around my husband and the rest of the club. I had to play the part of the queen, the steadfast force beside the MC’s president, the old lady who set the example for the others. But Roman could tell something was bothering me.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked later that night, after he’d spanked me and fucked me and ran me a bath. Now, I sat in the tub with him behind me, massaging my shoulders while I rubbed his tired calves.
“I’m just worried about the wedding,” I said. “I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
I don’t want you to get hurt.
But I didn’t say that. Our whatever-this-was didn’t feel solid yet, and until it did, I couldn’t admit how much he’d come to mean to me, especially not to him. If I lost him, if he ended up dying in my arms like Hugo, I didn’t know if I could handle it. Despite being technically a Montgomery, I hadn’t escaped the curse of my Caputi bloodline, not yet. And I may never fully.
He inhaled and let out a deep sigh, wrapping his arms tighter around me. “I won’t let anyone touch you, I swear.”
I swallowed my angst and changed the subject, confirming he’d set up my babysitters for my cousins’ visit the following day. He narrowed his eyes but allowed the conversation to move on, and that was the last we talked about it.
The next morning, Roman and Leo had already left by the time Della and Chesco arrived, which was good because I wanted some alone time with them. As Roman had requested, there were six Roses posted sentry outside, three more than usual given he couldn’t be here to guard me when two Caputis he didn’t know invaded Rose territory.
“I have to ask you to leave your guns here at the door,” Wheels said, raising an eyebrow at Chesco.
My cousin stood six-six with tattoos covering his body and snaking up his neck. He even had one over his eyebrow that said ‘Evil Boy’ in decorative script. Chesco’s dark gaze shifted to me before back to the Rose.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” He crossed his arms and sucked in air through his teeth. “I’m not gonna hurt my little cousin, even if she is a brat who doesn’t text her favorite family member for months at a time.”
“Chesco, c’mon,” Della said, wringing her delicate hands. Despite being cousins, we looked like sisters. She had long dark hair that cascaded down her back and wide cedar eyes that made her seem innocent and docile.
“Don’t be a dick. You’d do the same thing if the tables were reversed.” I grimaced as Chesco rolled his eyes and unbuckled the harness around his chest, sliding the leather straps down his arms before handing two Glocks to Wheels. He grabbed the pistol from his waistband and shoved it at the Rose before going for the smaller handgun around his ankle. And honestly, I couldn’t be sure that was all he’d brought. Chesco was always loaded, no matter the occasion.
Della, likewise, handed over a small nine millimeter from her purse and stepped inside, pulling me into a big hug.
“Gosh, it’s so good to see you,” she said. “I don’t think the three of us have ever gone this long without talking.”
“I missed you.” I blinked back tears as I looked to Chesco, who pursed his lips and put his hands on his hips.
He’d always been a precious peacock, and standing in his black Versace three-piece on a random Tuesday morning, he looked every bit the arrogant man I had left behind in DC.
“This place is a shit-hole,” he said. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Shut up,” I said, wrapping my arms around him, too. The three of us were born within months of each other, Chesco being the oldest, followed by me and then Della. We were best friends, confidants, and I would not have survived my childhood without them. Having them here after so long nearly broke my heart. “It’s temporary.”
“Temporary?” Chesco muttered to himself in Italian. “Leo should have moved you to a condo in Miami rather than let you live like this.”
“This is actually Leo’s house,” I said. “My house, Roman’s house, recently got shot up by Roses.”
Chesco blinked and rubbed a hand over his dark brown hair. “I should have gotten you out before you signed your life away. What the fuck, Julia?”
I laughed and gestured to the living room, letting them walk ahead so I could grab coffee for everyone. I put the mugs on the table between us and sat next to Della, grinning like an idiot from having my two favorite people here in person.
“Tell me,” Della said. “Is being married to a Rose absolutely horrible?”
“Not at all,” I said. “He’s been kind and understanding. We get along surprisingly well.”
“Kind?” Chesco whistled in disbelief. “And here I thought I was going to have to cut his balls off for touching you.”
I laughed. “No, I’m okay, truly.”
“And what about the rest of them?” Della asked. “Are they as vicious and disgusting as I’ve heard?”
“No, they…they remind me a lot of our family,” I said. “If we’re like cats, they’re like dogs. We’ve been drawing lines between us for no good reason.”
“Christ, she’s drinking the poison fruit juice,” Chesco whined. “Quick, Dell, get the van. I’ll knock her out and throw her in the back.”
I laughed despite his playful threats. Oh, how I had missed them.
“What about you two?” I looked between them. “Take my mind off wedding planning. Tell me about home. Are you still seeing that guy from the coffee shop?”
“No,” Della said. “Chesco scared him away.”
“If he can’t handle me, he can’t handle our family,” he said, refusing to feel ashamed of his behavior. Ever the proverbial older brother, he took great pride in swiping his vicious claws at anyone who sniffed too close to his cousins. If they didn’t cut back harder, he rushed them off with their tails between their legs.
“And what about you?” I raised an eyebrow at Chesco. “Anyone make it more than one night?”
He laughed and shook his head. “I’m not the warm and fuzzy type.”
We caught up on the rest of the family, and I asked about our other cousins, feeling a sentimental weight shift in my heart at how distant I’d become in only a few months. I missed them, and to be so suddenly shut off from the safety of the Caputis made me twinge with sadness. I hoped this plan worked. I hoped I could be back with them as soon as possible.
Eventually, Della excused herself to the bathroom, and I took my opportunity to ask Chesco about his father.
“Have you heard about our plan?” I asked, assuming his father had already spoken to him about it.
Chesco sighed and leaned back in his seat, crossing his ankle over the other knee. “I have. And to be honest, Leo needs to be more careful. He’s lucky someone hasn’t already leaked it to Gabriella.”
I gulped. “Do you think he can do it?”
He licked his lips and ran a finger over his tattooed eyebrow. “I don’t know. This alliance with the Roses has garnered mixed reactions.”
“Go on.” It must have been met with the same combination of agreement and hesitation as the Roses, but I wanted to know more. This war had been going on for so long, everyone in my family had lost someone close because of it. The blood ran thick and heavy in the divide between us; not even marriage could patch that up.
“Uncle Sulli is gunning for a spot at the top,” Chesco said. “But he’s an old man, and no one wants to see him take over.”
“What about your father?” I asked. Of my father’s seven siblings, only three were still alive: Gia, Stefano, and Frankie, Chesco’s father. Gia had the most sway, but she had always hated Gabriella. She’d side with Leo in a heartbeat, and Stefano would do whatever his older sister decided. Frankie would be the holdout, but I hoped Chesco could convince him based on our relationship.
My cousin tsked his teeth and shook his head. “Is that what this reunion is about?”
“C’mon, Chesco,” I said. “You know me better than that. Of course, that’s what this is about.”
He laughed and clapped. “You sly little minx. What am I supposed to do with you?”
“Side with me, side with us,” I said. “It’s time we stop this war, and you know Leo can do that.”
“And what happens when he starts snorting pills again?” Chesco asked. “Or fucking his way through the families?”
“Is it enough to say we can cross that bridge when we come to it?” I said. “He’s been sober for almost a year, and I think having a purpose will give him direction.”
Chesco narrowed his eyes on me. “I agree the war needs to end. We’ve lost far too many loved ones, and our focus is better spent on expanding our business rather than fighting a gang of disgusting motorcycle enthusiasts.”
I bit back a chuckle, remembering how I’d said the same thing when I first met Roman. Now, I didn’t think of them like that anymore. My definition of family had shifted. And it wasn’t just about blood anymore. It was about life and friendship and happiness, and the Roses had that in spades.
“But I don’t see how we can do that without the rest of the families,” he explained.
It wasn’t just the Caputis that had control in DC, though they were the bosses in charge of all the others. The Morellis, the Romanos, and the Vitales would take more convincing. However, if we placed Leo in charge and poured a more solid foundation, how could they argue this hadn’t been the right thing to do? The infighting and the bloodshed would stop, and we’d have a more stable regime. Peace meant prosperity for everyone.
“Your father is influential,” I said. “If he were to get on board, the others would surely follow.”
Chesco grimaced. “Getting him to do anything new is a testament to patience and manipulation.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you’re the master of that, huh?” I winked as I took another long sip of coffee.
“Oh, dear cousin”—he shook his head—“if I do this, you will owe me. Big time.”
“This is the path to end the war. You know that. Frankie knows that. How many more cousins are you prepared to lose because Gabriella can’t swallow her pride?”
He hummed.
“Then there’s the matter of Gabriella’s spy,” I continued.
“Yes, I know,” he said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “I’ve had my feelers out, but I haven’t heard anything.”
“Someone snitched to Gabriella,” I said. “She set her men to beating me.”
He pursed his lips. “Who do you think it was?”
“I don’t know,” I said, though I had my suspicions, “but whoever it was is still feeding her information. Someone told her thugs to come to Roman’s house. They almost killed me, Chesco.”
“Tell me about this attack. Were you injured?”
A knock upstairs drew my attention, and I furrowed my brows before standing to investigate. Steps at the back of the house led to the second floor, but Della was only supposed to use the bathroom down the hallway. Chesco walked behind me, probably prepared to fight whoever had broken in, but when we passed the bathroom, it was empty. Which meant that Della must have gone venturing on her own.
Skeptically, I walked up the stairs and down the corridor on the second floor, but she came out of what had become my bedroom before I caught up with her. “Oh, there you are.”
“What are you doing?” I asked, peeking inside the room. Nothing was messed up or askew, but I knew Della better than that. “I heard a bang up here.”
“Yeah, I was looking for your tampons.” She held one up. “Just got my period.”
I narrowed my eyes on her and nodded behind me, a sick weight settling deep in my gut. “There were some in the cupboard under the sink.”
“Oh,” she said with a smile, pointing at her head like she’d become such a ditz. “Stupid me. I didn’t even think to check there.”
Leo’s warning rattled through me, his reminder to watch her because he didn’t trust her, and I looked inside my room again.
“Well, come on,” Chesco said. “I’ll order us lunch, and Jules can tell us about her wedding plans and how we’re supposed to accept some Rose gremlin into our family.”
“We’re already married,” I teased. “Technically, he’s already a part of the family.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Chesco groaned.
I smirked but followed my cousin back downstairs with Della right behind me. I, of course, knew what this was. She thought she was being smart, but she wasn’t nearly as sneaky as she’d need to be to fool me. After all, Della thought we were playing checkers, and I’d been playing chess far longer than she knew.