61. Chapter Sixty-One
Chapter Sixty-One
Mialina
Ijoin the rest of my family in the dining room a little while later, although my head is still swimming with everything Mamma told me upstairs.
Apparently, one life-altering revelation before noon wasn’t enough. Today required an engagement, an unwelcome relocation, a resurrection, a secret elopement, and the possibility that someone I’ve known since childhood is now an internationally wanted cybercriminal.
What’s next?
Aldo looks up from where he’s standing beside Mamma near the fireplace, and the guardedness that enters his face tells me he isn’t sure what he’ll get from me. I don’t leave him wondering. Crossing the room, I wrap my arms around him.
“Congratulations, Aldo,” I say to my future stepfather. The title feels strange, even inside my head. “And I’m sorry for storming off before.”
He gives me a warm squeeze as he returns my embrace.
“Considering the way you found out, I’d say you were entitled to a little drama.”
I raise an eyebrow even though he can’t see me. “A little?”
“I was being diplomatic.”
I draw back with a reluctant smile. “You’ll learn quickly that diplomacy doesn’t work on Accardi women.”
He chuckles and Mamma slips her hand into his when I release him. The simple gesture still catches me off guard.
Sienna nudges my shoulder. “Can we celebrate now without any more family drama?”
“I make no promises,” I mutter.
As everyone begins moving toward the dining table, I glance at Mamma and whisper, “Do they know about Isa and Luca?”
She leans closer and lowers her voice. “Only that Luca is alive and married to Isa. Not the rest.”
That explains why my sisters don’t look worried. For now, at least, they can believe Isa is off somewhere enjoying an impossibly romantic reunion with the man she never stopped loving.
A maid enters carrying a silver tray lined with flutes.
“I think this calls for a proper toast,” Aldo says.
The maid fills the glasses with champagne and juice for Ari and Sien, then departs.
“To new beginnings,” Aldo says, lifting his glass and smiling at Mamma.
“To new beginnings,” we echo.
Our glasses meet in a soft chorus of chimes before I take a sip. Mamma beams at Aldo over the rim of hers, her eyes shining with love, and he looks back at her as though the rest of us have disappeared from the room.
For a few precious moments, there are no arguments, dangerous men, or worries about Isa.
Mamma’s phone vibrates on the dining table, and we all look at it. She lowers her glass and glances at the screen, a frown appearing on her forehead.
“I don’t recognize the number.”
She picks up the phone and opens the message. Staring at the screen, her frown gives way to shock.
“It’s from Luca.”
I move closer. “What does he say?”
The room falls silent as Mamma reads the message aloud.
Luca: I’m coming to Chicago tonight. I need to speak with Don Marco. Don’t tell anyone. I’ll explain when I get there.
Ari claps her hands together. “Yay, Isa and Luca are coming here!”
For one glorious second, relief floods through me. I can’t wait to see Isa.
Then the wording of Luca’s message catches up with me.
I’m coming to Chicago tonight.
Not we. Only Luca is.
My relief falters. Is Isa with him?
I lean over Mamma’s shoulder and read the message again.
“Why does Luca need to speak with Maximo?”
Aldo and Mamma exchange a look, and my unease sharpens.
Mamma forces a smile. “Sien, Ari, could you both please check with Simon in the kitchen and see how far away lunch is?”
Both their eyebrows rise, and Ari opens her mouth to protest.
“Now, please,” Mamma says firmly.
As soon as my sisters leave the room, I turn to Mamma and Aldo.
“Do you think Isa and Luca are on the run from the authorities and need help? Why doesn’t Luca mention Isa? Has he hidden her somewhere?”
My thoughts leap back to everything Mamma told me upstairs, and another possibility crashes into me.
“Does this mean he really is the Venom?”
Aldo turns toward the window and looks out over the garden.
“It’s possible they’re avoiding the authorities, but we don’t have enough information yet. And we still don’t know for certain that the man in that footage was Luca.”
“But why would he need Maximo if he hasn’t done anything?”
“I don’t know.”
The blunt answer does nothing to calm me.
“And Isa?”
His expression hardens as he walks to Mamma and takes her phone, studying Luca’s message before placing it back on the table.
“The fact that Luca doesn’t mention her concerns me.”
Mamma presses a hand to her chest. “You think something has happened to her?”
“We need to be prepared for any possibility.”
Every awful reason Isa might not be with Luca crowds into my mind.
“What kind of possibility?” I demand. “That she’s been arrested? That they’ve separated? That someone found them?”
“Mia.” Aldo’s voice is calm but firm enough to halt me before I can come up with anything worse. “We won’t frighten ourselves with guesses. Luca is alive, he’s coming to Chicago, and he intends to explain everything tonight. Those are the only facts we have.”
“He asked for Maximo,” I point out. “That has to mean he’s in serious trouble.”
“Yes,” Aldo says, without attempting to soften it. “A man in Luca’s position wouldn’t come into another family’s territory asking for the Don unless he needed something only the Don could give him.”
Mamma’s face pales. “Protection?”
“Possibly. Men, information, access to resources.” Aldo pauses, his gaze settling on her. “I doubt Luca’s choice of destination is accidental.”
A chill spreads across my skin. For several seconds, the only sound in the room is the faint crackle of the fire.
“What do we do?” Mamma asks.
Aldo straightens, and something in him changes. The warmth of the newly engaged man disappears, replaced by the quiet authority of Maximo’s consigliere.
“First, I’ll verify that the message came from Luca and make sure it can’t be traced back here. Then I’ll arrange for him to be met and brought here securely.”
“Should we tell Maximo?” I ask.
He shakes his head.
“No. Luca will speak with me first. Once I understand what’s happened and where Isa is, I’ll decide what needs to be done.”
The certainty in his voice brings my panic under control, but something about his final words sends another flicker of unease through me.
I’ll decide.
After everything Mamma said upstairs about Aldo listening to her and respecting her voice, it’s impossible not to notice how easily he’s taken command of the situation.
A part of me is grateful for it. Still, what will happen if Mamma disagrees with whatever he decides?
“But Luca asked to speak with Maximo,” I insist.
Aldo’s expression grows more guarded.
“If Luca really is the man the authorities are looking for, anyone who assists him is at risk too. We don’t want anyone sniffing around in our business.”
Aldo may be about to become part of our family, but he’s also Maximo’s advisor.
What will happen when those loyalties pull him in different directions? I’m not sure which one he’ll choose.
Mamma reaches for the phone resting on the table. “Isa is my daughter.”
Her voice isn’t raised, but something in it changes the atmosphere in the room.
“If she needs help, we’ll help her.”
Aldo studies her for a long moment. The ease between them gives way to something more cautious.
“We’ll hear Luca out,” he says at last. “But I won’t make promises on Maximo’s behalf, Caterina.”
“I’m not asking you to.” Mamma holds his gaze. “I’m telling you that I won’t turn my back on my daughter.”
“I know that,” Aldo says, stepping up to her and kissing her temple. “Whatever Luca tells us tonight, you won’t face it alone. We’ll deal with it together.”
They stare at each other. Then Mamma moves into his arms, and he holds her without hesitation.
The champagne sits forgotten while the last of the bubbles slowly disappear. Only minutes ago, we were celebrating a new beginning.
Now that new beginning is already being tested.