17. Lelia
Chapter 17
Lelia
T he day drags.
I’m seated in the window of my bedroom, trying to read, but my focus is on seeing Nico again. I’ve not been allowed out of the house, which only sets me on edge.
Violence is nothing more than an act of malice against those you hate. And in the modern world, that particular dark emotion runs rife, especially through the world I live in.
I was thirteen when I first came across the reality my family name exudes on this earth. I haven’t traveled far, and I haven’t been close to death myself, but I have seen it with my own eyes.
My life consisted of learning about the darkness that would follow me no matter where I went. Homeschooled, kept safe from the dangers that could befall me, I was nothing more than a pawn in a grown-up chess game.
I didn’t mind it.
I didn’t think anything negative about it.
Because I knew who my father was.
Italy is where the legacy of the mafia started, and I was proud to be the daughter of a Boss. I learned the ins and outs of the world. There were Bosses, Underbosses, soldiers who were so loyal to my father, they would die for him.
As a young girl, I thought it was strange. I mean, I had sleepovers with friends, and we watched The Godfather . I knew what this world was like. Papa never hid it from me. He made sure I knew about all the blood and violence, and he also didn’t keep secrets.
I would go through the motions as I was growing up—brunch with my father’s associates, fake smiles at the garden table with Mother and her friends, nodding at guests who attended every event my parents threw at the house. And distant cousins who only cared about the name I carry.
But underneath the surface, I always knew there was more for me. It was as if I was waiting for the penny to drop.
And then he walked into the party that night.
Suddenly, my bedroom door opens, and I’m met with the man I have been betrothed to. Ignacio Mosca.
“There she is,” he says as he walks deeper into the room. “I wanted to see you before you start all the wedding preparations.”
“Oh?” Is all I can manage. The idea of even saying I do has my stomach churning with disgust. I don’t want to marry a man almost twice my age.
He closes the distance to where I am, grips my wrist, and pulls me to my feet. “You will soon be my queen,” he tells me. “And I need you to know that this world will be filled with danger.”
“I know that,” I throw back. I may be young, but I’m wise to the world of the mafia.
Ignacio grips my chin, squeezing until I wince. “I like when pretty girls cry,” he murmurs against my cheek. His other hand has a hold of my hip, and the pain that radiates through me is enough to allow a lone tear to escape my lashes. “And once you’re mine, I plan on making you cry every night. Until you bear my son.”
The threat is clear as day.
I don’t reply. Men like him don’t deserve anything, and if I were to say anything, he’d hurt me. In turn, that would anger Nico, and our carefully laid plans would go up in smoke. So I play the obedient fiancée because I know it won’t be much longer before I can escape.
The bastard releases me, turns on his heel, and as he walks out, I hear him chuckle. He got what he wanted. He’s instilled fear in me, and that’s brought him the pleasure he seeks.
For now.
I don’t see Nico again until dusk, when I manage to escape the house and meet him in the gardens. The compound is enormous, and the cameras only follow to a certain point. After that, I’m free to roam without prying eyes on me.
He’s standing near the stone archway that leads to the vineyard. Arms folded, face unreadable. He looks like a shadow—like he belongs in the in-between places.
He doesn’t move when he sees me.
But his eyes say everything.
I’m about to speak, when another man steps out from the shadows and my heart catapults in my chest. Gillie.
“I didn’t know you were coming,” I tell him as he embraces me. The man has been my shadow for my whole life. When I texted him a few days ago to tell him I’m scared that Nico and I could be hurt if they found out anything, he said he’d see what he could do.
“I had to come and see if you were okay,” he tells me earnestly. “And I had to meet the Montesano you’re risking your life for.” He knows everything. Before I left for Italy, I sat Gillie down and explained what I’d been going through. I knew I could trust him because he’s the only man in my life who understands what it’s like to be a prisoner.
“But you came,” I tell him as I step back.
“I did. Nico and I have made plans. We need you to listen to what we tell you.” The seriousness of his tone has the hairs on the back of my neck standing up.
“Okay.” I can’t refuse both men. They’re trying to keep me safe, but then again, Gillie knows I’m stubborn, but I will not have them in danger when there is something I can help with. He must realize this because he grips my shoulders and glares at me. The man can see the wheels turning in my head. I know he can.
“Don’t just say, okay , Lelia.” He’s been like a father to me when my own was busy working. I confided in Gillie about so much in my life that he knows me better than anyone. Even better than I know myself.
“Please, Lia,” Nico speaks up, and I love how he says my name when I don’t say anything. I’m sure he wants to pull me into his arms, but he doesn’t touch me. Not with Guillermo here.
“I had a visit from Ignacio,” I finally admit. I’m still shaken from the meeting.
Gillie leans in, just enough for me to hear him. “Did he hurt you?”
I nod once, then attempt to walk past him to get a breath, but both men crowd me. The danger radiating off them scorches me as Nico’s hand reaches for me. He stops me in my tracks, and his fingers ignite something deep within me. Like I’m not already burning for him.
“Midnight. Cellar.”
It’s only two words, but then they both walk away, leaving me wondering just what they have planned.
At midnight, I sneak into the cellar.
Nico’s already there, pacing. He stops when I walk in, and I take in the scene before me. There’s a map on the table. Notes. A photograph.
And a gun.
My stomach lurches.
“What is this?” I whisper to Nico, just as Gillie stalks in looking as if he’s ready for war. His expression is creased with rage.
He looks up at me, jaw tight. “The man will die. And I’ll walk beside Nico for whatever he needs.” I didn’t ever think I’d hear one of my father’s men agreeing to work with a Montesano. But there seems to be hope, at least for my bodyguard and the man who’s stolen my heart.
“What’s going on?” I ask, looking at Gillie this time for answers.
“Cassio is working with Ignacio,” Gillie says without hiding any secrets. He’s always been upfront with me. I didn’t think he would, but since I turned sixteen, he would give me the honesty about the world I came from. I respected him for it.
“He’s coming here,” I say as the realization hits me.
He nods and I know that my life is about to explode. If Cassio finds out about Nico, there will be a war, both here and in New York.
“We have to end the Mosca clan before that happens. If Cassio arrives here, he will learn very quickly about what is happening. He’s already suspicious, and he wants to see you. He will drag the truth from you, and you know he’s a violent bastard.” Gillie’s warning twists in my stomach. The lurching of fear hits me deep, and I want to cry.
“We can leave—but only if we make the first move,” Nico says as he steps forward and takes my hand. “We will be able to do this, but we have to move on this plan.”
He doesn’t beg.
He just looks at me like I’m the answer to a question he’s been too afraid to ask.
“What do you want to do, Lia?” Nico asks quietly.
And for once, I know.
I step back and he releases my hand. The fear in his gaze slices through my heart because I’m sure he thinks I’m walking away, but instead I make my way to the table.
I pick up the gun and turn to both men. I look them dead in the eyes, not flinching before I say, “I want to choose something that’s mine.”
Nico’s throat bobs.
I step closer, pressing the barrel into his chest—not to hurt him. To prove something.
“That night in my room,” I say, voice steady, “you asked what I wanted and I told you nobody ever asked me that.” I am aware that Gillie is unsure of my next move. But he doesn’t stop me. If I were to kill a Montesano, I’d be a heroine in my family. So instead of my bodyguard taking the gun from me, he allows me to continue with what I want to do.
Nico nods once.
“I don’t want out.”
He frowns.
“I want you .”
He exhales like he’s been holding his breath for a year.
And then, for the second time, we fall into each other like gravity.
Like we’re already falling and neither of us wants to stop.