Chapter Twenty-Six
Aria Bianchi
I stood in a short line of a handful of young men. Most looked rough around the edges, but I could expect nothing less from that in this situation. The young man beside me couldn’t have been older than twenty, and he took puffs of a cigarette as Giovanni held a needle in front of the first man in the line.
He bled on a piece of thick paper, and the blood dripped down the saint’s cheek. Then the next man in line. We were all here to swear our loyalty to the Rissi family. It was a tradition that went back generations: bleed on the picture of a saint to swear our undying fidelity to the Rissi family crime syndicate. With our blood, we would be bound to the family until death.
The whole time, Giovanni spoke words about the mafia and the history behind the organization. The previous families who had controlled it, the dismantling of the Commission, leaving the remaining families to govern themselves. He talked about the territory lines between the Rissi crime family and the Bianchi family.
He told the whole story of the mafia—the unaltered one. The one full of bloodshed and betrayal.
I grew up hearing stories of my grandfather dismantling the great Italian mafia Commission brick-by-brick, so hearing the Rissi’s version of the same story felt nostalgic. It reminded me of the fantastical life I thought this would be before I stepped foot into the gore and truth behind the words.
But this was different.
Everyone in this line had proven themselves to Giovanni and Enzo—everyone except for me. But my job wasn’t going to be the same as theirs. My job was going to set this crime family apart from all the ones before us.
He stopped in front of me and gave a soft look that I didn’t deserve. Giovanni had always believed in me, and even after I had come and offered a genuine apology, he had taken me back under his wing without an ounce of hesitation. I thought about the hug he had offered and the words he had whispered to me out of Enzo’s ear shot.
“I knew you were someone we could trust. Vito told me of your task before you came here, and we gave you a home anyway.”
He had known the truth, and he had still allowed me to pave my own path.
He had more faith in me than I had in myself.
And because of my decision, he offered me something that I still didn’t think I deserved. He offered the opportunity to be the first made woman in Rissi family history.
“Aria,” he said, sticking out another needle. I offered a hand, and he drew a drop of blood, allowing it to land in the same place as everyone else’s had. I watched my drop mingle with someone else’s as he finished the lineup and pulled out a lighter.
“This serves as a blood oath between all of you and our family. You work hard for us, and you will prosper. However, if you betray us, this oath gives us the right to take your life. You are swearing everything you are or will ever be to us, and we will offer protection and a home for like-minded individuals in return. Do you all swear this oath?”
Each of us offered words of affirmation as he set the paper aflame and handed it to the first person in line. It got passed down, and by the time it reached me, flames licked at my fingers.
Giovanni took it back and blew the remaining flame out.
The men around me celebrated with high-fives or congratulations, but my eyes turned immediately toward where Enzo stood with a wide, all-consuming smile. He made his way toward me slowly. Predatorily. “You’re officially one of us.”
“I am,” I said.
Enzo leaned forward and left a lingering kiss on my lips as he pulled a long strip of photo paper from his pocket and held it between his palms as Giovanni approached.
“Are you prepared to pass the bar exam tomorrow, Aria?” he asked.
“And to represent you and your family in whatever way is necessary.”
It set Giovanni and Enzo apart from any other crime family. While most avoided the law, they wanted to be prepared. They wanted to be able to fight back if legal proceedings were brought forth. Of course, they each had attorneys for their businesses, but I would serve them differently.
I would weave the law to keep them safe from all the underground things they did.
Enzo wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me close. “Your office space is being renovated and will be ready for you by the end of the week. Vito gave Livia the address, so when she decides to leave, it will be guarded day and night so she will have a space.”
I nodded and stepped forward, immediately wrapping my arms around Giovanni. He chuckled and returned the gesture. “Thank you. For everything.”
He had no idea how much I meant it. He saw my desire to become an attorney, and he had scheduled and paid for the bar exam. He had given me a job. He had seen my dreams and done what was necessary to bring them to light, despite what I had done to him and his family. Giovanni had been a rock when I had needed a father figure in my life, and I would never forget his kindness.
I would spend every day of my life repaying him in whatever way I could.
Being his family attorney was just the start.
“There’s something else we wanted to tell you,” Enzo said.
Enzo passed over the ultrasound photos, and Giovanni’s eyes went wide as he scanned them. “The ultrasound went well, I take it?” he asked.
“Very,” I responded. “And we found out the gender.”
Giovanni looked between us. “And?”
“A boy.”
Nothing could have prepared me for the light that shone in his eyes. A light mirrored in Enzo’s. I squeezed Enzo’s hand as Giovanni pulled us into a hug, and his squeeze back brought me more joy than I could have ever imagined.