Born in Blood Collection Volume 1 - Cora Reilly Page 0,234

come back. There’s no going back once you’ve run. Even if Matteo would forgive you for insulting him like that, the Outfit would be responsible for your punishment until your marriage. And running away from the mafia is betrayal.”

“I know.”

“The Outfit punishes betrayal with death. Because you aren’t a Made Man they might decide to go easy on you and throw you into one of their whorehouses or marry you off to someone far worse than Matteo.”

“I know.”

Aria gripped my shoulders. “Do you really? Few people risk running from the mob and there’s a reason for it. Most people get caught.”

“Most people but not all of them.”

“Have you ever heard of someone who escaped the mob successfully?”

“No, but I doubt anyone would tell us about them. Neither Father nor Matteo or Luca have any interest in putting ideas in our heads.”

Aria sighed. “You are really determined to go through with this.”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” she said. This was the perfect moment to ask her for help but I realized I couldn’t do it, couldn’t ask that of her.

Of course Aria being Aria didn’t need to be asked.

“You can’t do it alone. If you want any chance at succeeding you’ll need my help.”

I stared at my sister, my beautiful, brave sister. I’d often thought we were twins who’d been born apart by some cruel twist of fate. She was the one person I’d die for. And if she’d asked me to stay, told me she couldn’t live without me, I wouldn’t even have hesitated. I’d have stayed, would have married Matteo. For her. But Aria would never ask that of me. Aria was the one thing that reminded me that there was good in our world too, and I hoped she’d never let the darkness around us corrupt her. “No,” I said firmly. “I can do it on my own.”

But Aria ignored my comment.

“If I help you to run, I’ll betray the Famiglia and by doing so my husband,” she said with a distant look in her eyes.

I shook my head. “You are right. And I can’t let you take that risk. I won’t let you risk it.”

She linked her fingers with mine. “No, I will help you. I’m your only choice. And if anyone can make it, then it’s you. You never wanted to be part of all this.”

“Aria, you said it yourself, what I’m doing is betrayal and the mob deals harshly with people who betray them. Luca isn’t the forgiving type.”

“Luca won’t hurt me.” There wasn’t the hint of doubt in her voice. Sadly, I didn’t share her conviction. I opened my mouth to object but she raised her hand.

“He won’t. If Salvatore Vitiello were still alive, things would be different. I’d have been under his jurisdiction, but Luca is Capo and he won’t punish me.”

How could she trust that cruel bastard like that? What must it be like to love someone so much that you would put your life in their hands without hesitation? “Maybe his men won’t leave him a choice. He’s a new Capo and if he looks weak, his men might revolt. Luca won’t risk his power, not even for you. The Famiglia comes first to Made Men.”

I was talking to a wall from the impact I was making on Aria. “Trust me,” she said simply.

“I trust you. It’s Luca whom I don’t trust.”

“And if you think about it, I wouldn’t really be betraying the Famiglia. You are still part of the Outfit until you marry Matteo. That means what I’m doing is a betrayal of the Outfit at most, but I’m not bound to them, so I can’t betray them.”

“Be that as it may. Luca might not see it that way. Even if you aren’t betraying the Famiglia, you’re still going behind Luca’s back. Not to mention that Matteo will probably move heaven and earth to find me.”

“True,” Aria said slowly. “He’ll hunt you.”

“He’ll eventually lose interest.”

Aria looked doubtful. “Perhaps. But I wouldn’t count on it. We have to make sure he can’t find you.”

Above us the sky was turning dark gray, the first signs of an impending rainstorm. If I were superstitious, I’d probably see it as a bad omen. “Aria, I shouldn’t have come to you with this. You can’t get involved.”

Aria rolled her eyes. It was such a me-thing to do that I couldn’t help but smile despite the severity of our conversation.

“Don’t try to talk me out of it. I’d feel guilty if I didn’t help you and you got caught,” she