Chapter 25 – Sienna
SIENNA
Movement at the end of the driveway catches my eye. Not Luca's car, he’s only been gone a few minutes, but Tony's SUV, and there's someone in the passenger seat with wild curly hair and a face like thunder.
Rebecca.
I'm at the front door before I can think, yanking it open just as Tony guides her up the steps, a look of weary exasperation written all over his face.
"Delivery for you, Ms. Fox," he says dryly, then retreats without another word.
We stare at each other.
"What the hell, Sienna? I thought I was coming to storm the castle while you look like the lady of the mansion.
" She looks me up and down, jaw hanging open, taking in the elegant, designer clothes and the giant ring on my finger. Satisfied that I’m unhurt, she relaxes a little and turns to take in her surroundings.
“Crime really does pay,” she whispers, stepping closer to link my arm with hers.
“This place is unreal.” Looking over my shoulder, she gasps. “Is that a freaking swimming pool?”
Pulling back and looking at me accusingly, she shakes her head. “I thought I was going to find you a shadow of a woman, tied to a chair in a dungeon or handcuffed to the wall.”
I pull her into a hug. "I know. I'm sorry. I just got my phone back.”
Her smile vanishes at that.
“Come inside."
In the kitchen, I pour two glasses of wine while Rebecca perches on a stool, taking in the marble countertops, the professional-grade appliances, the fresh flowers on every surface, and Carmella lurking in the pantry, displeased at not being allowed to serve us.
"Start talking," she orders after Carmella reluctantly takes a break and disappears down the hallway.
“I… we’re getting married.”
Rebecca stares at me. “No shit. I got that much from the news. What I would like to know is why you are marrying the dangerous criminal that broke your heart ten years ago and only recently re-entered your life in a hail of bullets.”
I hesitate and fiddle with the stem of my wine glass, scooping up Vito as he winds his way through my ankles. “It does sound bad when you put it like that.”
"I’m not putting it any way. That’s the way it is, Sienna." Rebecca takes a large slug of very expensive sauvignon blanc then sets down her glass. "Is this Stockholm syndrome but with great sex and luxury brands?”
I don’t comment, but when she notices the flush creeping up my neck, she rolls her eyes.
“You’re really marrying him. After a week."
“Not after a week. We were just… on a break, albeit a long one.”
Rebecca gives me a look, telling me she’s not buying what I’m peddling, but sighs and reaches out for my hand, giving me a wry smile as she checks out my ring. “He’s got good taste for a gangster, I’ll give him that.”
Shyly, I pull my hand back and rest it on my chest. “I picked it out. He’s had it all this time.”
“Oh, jeez,” Rebecca mutters, appreciating the romance but still not agreeing with what I’m doing. “I mean, that’s great, Sienna, sweet, really. But a week? Could you not date again first? Like, maybe even until his fiancé is cold in the ground?”
Pressing my lips together, I consider carefully what I can and cannot say.
“It was an arranged marriage. Kate was in love with someone else. It sounds sad, actually.” I stare out the window behind Rebecca, fear gnawing at my gut every second Luca is out there doing God only knows what. “And I met her mother. She even gave us her blessing.”
“You met her mother…” Rebecca gasps. “That must have been awkward.”
I nod. That’s an understatement.
"But I thought you hated him. Didn’t he break your heart?" Rebecca winces, afraid to bring it up but doing it anyway because she’s a good friend.
Even though she’s right, a fierce, protective feeling rises up inside me. I want her to understand, to like Luca, and to know it wasn’t his fault.
“I thought he just ghosted me.” I wrap my hands around my glass and stare into the pale gold liquid. "But his father forced him back to Italy, made him believe I'd stood him up. Convinced him I was the one ending things while he made me believe Luca abandoned me. We were both lied to."
Rebecca stares at me and blinks hard. "His father."
I nod. “Yes.”
Rebecca clears her throat and shifts her weight from one foot to the other. "His father, Alfonso Calvano?"
I nod again. “Yes.”
Slowly, she speaks again, processing all of this out loud in real time. "Alfonso Cavano, the mafia boss?"
"Yes."
She pauses for a moment. "Okay, so his scary, mob boss daddy didn't approve of you as his college girlfriend and made sure you broke up, dragging his son to the other side of the world to get him out of your clutches.”
I frown. “Yes.”
“So, what about that disturbing story makes you think it’s a good idea to get involved with him again now?
” She glances around like she’s expecting Alfonso to just pop out behind her like a pantomime villain.
“What if he does more than just try to split you up this time? What if he tries to take care of you this time. Not in the welcome to the family kind of way, but in the…” she makes stabbing gestures with her hand “...way.”
I shrug. “I ID’d the shooter. He knows I saw him. So the alternative, being out there alone, isn’t much better, Rebecca. Plus, it’s kind of nice to get my own revenge, to fuck with Alfonso a bit.”
Rebecca looks at me like I have two heads, then downs the last of her wine in one go. “Jesus.” I give her a minute to process the implications of this. "So, Luca's protecting you?"
"Yes."
That’s not all he’s doing, but yes.
"By moving you in here and now marrying you?"
"Yes,” I grit out. Of course, it sounds crazy when you say it like that.
“And giving you dick.”
“Rebecca!” I hiss, stifling heat crawling up my neck, though there’s no denying it to my friend.
"I mean, I get it. Him and this.” She sweeps her hand around our luxurious surroundings.
“It’s all very tempting, especially coming from the dives we’ve been living in.
But have you considered the police? Witness protection?
Anything that doesn't involve selling your soul to the devil? "
I did, but that involves turning my life upside down all over again. Starting from scratch. Letting the Calvano’s ruin my life again.
And giving up Luca.
"It's complicated," I mutter stubbornly.
Rebecca’s not convinced. "It's really not. What happens long term? Can you really live as a mob wife? If you want to leave, would he even let you?” She glances around and leans in conspiratorially. “Or will you know too much?"
“Know too much,” I laugh, taking another sip of my wine. “It’s not a movie.”
Rebecca takes the wine from me, setting it down on the counter, real concern etched on her face as she takes my hands in hers.
"You’re right, it’s not a movie, which makes it even more terrifying, because someone shot up his restaurant in real life. That doesn’t happen to normal people. I’m worried about you."
She doesn’t understand just how bad things are.
The memories push forward, things I haven't spoken about in years, and somehow, I muster up the courage to admit how bad my life is. I’m at rock bottom. I’ve got nothing left to lose.
"His father didn't just disapprove." Keeping my eyes fixed on the driveway, waiting for Luca’s car to swing in, I find the nerve to tell her what I’ve never told anyone. Not even my parents.
“After Luca was taken back to Italy, I refused to accept that he’d just left, no matter what Alfonso said. I knew where their family home was, and I sent a letter through a local courier.”
Rebecca doesn’t move, just gives my hands a gentle squeeze.
"Alfonso must have found out I was looking for him. Luca hasn’t mentioned the letter, so I don’t think he ever saw it.
” Dragging a hand over my face, I try to block out the flashbacks.
“I was homesick, feverish, and barely able to get out of bed when I heard glass shattering in the living room.
" I can still feel the terror of that moment, alone in the house, dread slithering up my spine.
Knowing whatever was coming was going to be really bad.
"There was a brick on the floor. A note tied to it. This is your fault. I warned you."
Rebecca's face goes pale.
"Then the phone started ringing; there was a fire at my parent’s garage. It almost burned to the ground."
As soon as I got the call, I knew. Alfonso was spiteful and dangerous enough to do it. And it was all my fault.
"Sienna… does Luca know?"
I shake my head. What’s the point? I can’t prove it. Can’t change it.
"The investigation called it arson. Some evidence pointed to my father, but he would never…” I trail off.
“He built that business from the ground up and was so proud of it, but the financial records showed the business was struggling. The insurance company refused to pay out and told him he was lucky the police didn’t have enough evidence to press charges.
" I laugh, but there's no humor in it. “Lucky. When his life was in ruins.”
I thought I’d cry when I finally told this story, but instead, I feel numb.
"Jesus."
"The locals heard the rumors and made up their minds.
Nobody wanted to hire a man they thought was a criminal and a cheat.
" I look at Rebecca, who has tears in her eyes, because she knows what came next for my dad.
"People he'd known for thirty years crossed the street to avoid him.
His own friends wouldn't look him in the eye. "
They should have known he’d never do something like that, just like Luca should have known I’d never have given him up unless I had no choice.
I can still see my father at the kitchen table, staring at nothing, bottle in hand, and my mother crying in the bedroom so I wouldn't hear. That fire destroyed them both. Things were never the same after.
Rebecca’s gaze softens, my hatred of feeling pitied kicks in again, and I push my shoulders back.
"So I dropped out of college to work, three jobs at one point, just to keep us afloat, trying to pay for repairs and keep the roof over our heads, but it wasn’t enough." I sigh, tired even thinking about how hard we tried, but ultimately, still failed. "The bank took the business. Then the house."
And it was all Alfonso Calvano’s doing. I know it.
"Did you ever try to reach out to Luca again? Tell him what happened?"
I shake my head. "Even if I could have gotten in touch with him, I couldn't leave. My parents needed me. I was still drowning in student debt from the degree I never finished. There was no way I could abandon them to chase after a boy whose family might hurt us again if they found out."
Even now, I feel like a coward admitting it.
"So I let him get away with it, and I never told a soul what happened.” I stand abruptly, moving to the window, needing space. Tugging my sleeves down, I wrap my arms around myself. “But he’s not ruining my life again. This is my only chance to have a do-over, and I deserve it.”
My blood sings just thinking about it, my temper rising, a soul-scorching mixture of shame, humiliation and rage. And bitterness. Lots and lots of bitterness.
"Sienna." Rebecca whispers softly. "I had no idea."
"Because I didn’t tell anyone. I was young and scared." I turn to face her, and I know what she sees. A woman who’s been through hell and has no fucks to give anymore.
The kitchen is silent except for the ticking of a clock somewhere in the house.
"So what now?" Rebecca asks quietly. "You pretend none of that happened? Marry Luca and pray this doesn’t come up at Christmas dinner?"
"No," I insist. "Now I make the most of the opportunity I've been given since I'm back in this world, whether I wanted to be or not."
Maybe it is fate. Maybe it’s karma. Who knows.
Rebecca is quiet for a long moment. "I don’t want you to get hurt."
I rub my thumb over the ring on my finger, starting to get used to its presence. "I'll be careful."
"I see the way you talk about him. I get the history, the chemistry. But this will probably end in disaster, you know that, don’t you? Maybe you get a happily ever after, or a large check and a fresh start, but you could also get a knife in the back."
When I say nothing, just smile, she groans, knowing nothing she can say will change my mind.
“Oh boy.” She drains her glass and sets it down with the air of someone who knows she's lost the argument but reserves the right to say I told you so later. I walk her to the front door, our arms linked, neither of us wanting to let go just yet.
Tony’s waiting at the bottom of the steps.
"I'll have one of the guys follow you home," he says, reaching for his radio. "Make sure you get back safe."
Rebecca pauses, keys already in her hand.
"No offense," she says, wrapping her arms around herself. "But I'll feel safer the further away I get from your men."
Tony’s hand, poised over his radio, stops. Rebecca’s hand flies to her mouth, realizing she said the quiet part out loud. “At least take a lift to your car.”
Roman appears on a golf cart, pulling up at the bottom of the steps with a reluctant attitude that suggests he drew the short straw for this particular duty.
Rebecca winces as she skips down the stairs and comes to stand beside him. "Listen, about earlier. I may have been a bit..."
"Aggressive?" Roman offers. "Rude?" He sighs. "Just get in."
Rebecca clasps her hands together. "In my defense, I thought my best friend was being held captive."
Roman's lips twitch as she climbs in awkwardly, sitting as far away from him as she can. "And coming to the Calvano's front door, ranting and raving was your masterplan to get her out?"
"I got in, didn't I?"
Pretending not to be mortified about kicking up such a fuss, she gives me a wave over her shoulder as Roman whisks her away.
"Charming friend." Tony mutters, then waits for a beat to add, "And she's probably not wrong about being safer on her own."