Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 119250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 398(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119250 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 596(@200wpm)___ 477(@250wpm)___ 398(@300wpm)
“What’s the matter?” Rocco asked carefully.
I considered what to tell him. Aria was his daughter and her appearance here in Chicago in a time of war was a major shock. She was Luca’s weakness, his absolutely greatest weakness.
Should I grab her? She and Val were in the restroom together. Val’s back out but I think they might meet again.
Why had Aria contacted Val? And more importantly, would Val tell me? I really hoped she would. She was my wife. Her loyalty should be for me, not for her cousin, no matter how close they’d been.
YES
I lifted my gaze to Rocco. He was frowning at me, worried. He never talked about his daughters anymore. They were dead to him. It was difficult for me to understand. I couldn’t imagine ever hating Anna like he seemed to despise his daughters. Of course, Anna would be bound by certain rules like all of us were and I hoped she wouldn’t break them, wouldn’t put me in a position that I’d have to force her to bow to them.
Rocco was my Consigliere and he was still Aria’s father. Keeping her appearance from him could cause an uproar if word got out after all. I wasn’t sure what Aria was planning, so it wasn’t unlikely that she’d draw unwanted attention to herself very quickly. Her face was too well known in Chicago. “Enzo just told me about a possible sighting of Aria in Chicago.”
Rocco stiffened in his chair, his eyes widening. “Luca would never allow her to leave his territory.”
“True,” I said. Luca was very controlling when it came to his wife, and every other aspect of his life as well. “I think she might have acted on her own.”
Rocco stared off past me for a couple of moments, his mouth tight. “What about Gianna? I can’t imagine Aria coming up with this idiocy on her own. It must have been Gianna’s idea. She’s always caused trouble.”
I didn’t say anything. Marrying Aria off to Luca was meant to bring peace, but in the long run, the bond had led to so many unfortunate events that had plunged us into a more brutal war than before. “I don’t have detailed intel yet.”
“Did Enzo capture her?”
“I don’t think so. He hasn’t reported back to my order yet. I need to know what she’s up to and if she’s contacting people. You know how long we’ve been looking for the traitor among our own. Maybe she’ll lead us straight to him.”
Rocco nodded. “Capturing the mule is our utmost priority.”
“Will you be able to advise me in this without your emotions getting in the way? I need to be very strategic about this. Revenge takes time and shouldn’t be forced.”
Rocco smiled thinly. “Don’t worry. My only interest is the Outfit. Aria’s a pawn, not more.”
I tilted my head. He sounded certain but I wondered if he wasn’t hiding his true feelings. He certainly desired revenge for the embarrassment his daughters had caused him in his eyes.
“Very well.”
“Once we have her in our hand, Luca will completely lose his mind. He’s obsessed with her. My daughters have a talent to drive men crazy. He’ll do anything we ask, he’ll risk anything, give us anything if we hurt her.”
I leaned back, trying to predict how Luca might react. What would I do if Valentina was in his hands? The mere thought drove me up the wall. I’d do anything to protect Val, to get her back. Would I give in to Luca’s demands? Would I trust him to keep up his part of the bargain? I wasn’t sure. I didn’t trust Luca in the slightest. The only other option would be an attack and try to free Val with sheer brutality. It would be dangerous and considering that it would happen in Luca’s territory unlikely to succeed.
But Luca was even less restrained than me. The second I told him I had Aria he’d be driven by emotions, fury and love equally, and would raise an army to attack Chicago. He would leave a bloody trail. I couldn’t see how he’d go out of this weaker unless I managed to kill him, but until then he’d kill hundreds of my men. And even if I killed Aria, that wouldn’t destroy the Famiglia, it would only make Luca completely unpredictable, unhinged and far more dangerous than he was now. If I was being honest, those strategic thoughts weren’t the only reason why I was hesitant to keep Aria as a captive. Harming an innocent woman went against my convictions, and not just that, part of me actually felt a sliver of obligation to protect Aria from harm. I’d thrust her into the arms of a monster to silence the Golden Couple enthusiasts and avoid marrying close after Carla’s death. Even if Luca treated her well, I didn’t know that back then. I sacrificed an innocent girl for my own selfish reasons. The idea of doing that again, of keeping Aria a captive, disgusted me. Those weren’t considerations I should entertain as Capo. Only the Outfit should be my concern.