badly their last encounter had gone, they loved each other.
Father drew up to his full height. “I paid for this house and my word is law.”
“Don’t you have any respect for the wishes of your dying wife?” Gianna hissed.
I was pretty sure Father would have hit Gianna, even though she was Matteo’s wife, but Luca came upstairs in that moment. It didn’t stop Father from saying more nasty things and Gianna from firing right back at him. I couldn’t take it anymore. I rushed past them. Their fighting followed me down the corridor and even downstairs I could still hear their shouting. I stormed into the kitchen, threw the door shut and leaned against it before I buried my face in my hands. The tears I’d been fighting for so long pressed against my eyeballs. I couldn’t hold them back.
A noise made me look up. Romero stood at the kitchen counter and was watching me over his coffee cup. I cringed in embarrassment and quickly tried to wipe my cheeks clean. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t know someone was in here.” I didn’t even know Romero was here at all, but I shouldn’t have been surprised. Since Matteo had stayed in New York, Luca needed someone who could keep an eye on my sisters when he was busy.
“This is your home,” he said simply. His eyes were kind and understanding. I had to look away or I’d really start bawling, snot and sobs and all, and that was the last thing I wanted.
“It used to be,” I whispered. I knew I needed to keep my mouth shut but the words kept coming. “But now it feels like I’m trapped. There’s nothing good. Anywhere I look there is just darkness, just sickness, and hate and fear.” I fell silent, shocked by my outburst.
Romero set down his coffee. “When was the last time you left the house?”
I didn’t even know. I shrugged.
“Let’s take a walk. We can get a coffee. It’s really warm outside.”
Euphoria burst through the dark cloud that had been my emotions in the last few weeks. “Are you sure that’s okay?”
“I’ll check with Luca but I don’t see why it should be a problem. Just a sec.”
I stepped aside so he could walk by. His delicious aftershave entered my nose as he passed me and I wanted to press my nose into his shirt to find solace in his scent. My eyes followed him, traced his broad shoulders and narrow hips. Mother’s words shot through my mind again. Maybe happiness wasn’t as far away as I thought.
Romero
I shouldn’t even consider being alone with Lily, not now, not ever. Not when I couldn’t stop noticing how grown up she looked. She wasn’t the little girl I’d first met. She was a woman in marriageable age now, but she was out of my league, at least by her father’s standards. I was one of the best fighters in New York, only Luca and Matteo were as good with the knife or the gun, and I wasn’t exactly penniless, but I definitely wasn’t mob royalty and couldn’t afford a penthouse like Luca’s. I wasn’t even sure why the fuck I was thinking about those kinds of things now. I wasn’t going to ask for Lily’s hand, not now, not ever, and at this time there were more important things to take care of.
I climbed the stairs, following the sound of arguing. Gianna and her father were at it again and Luca seemed to try to keep them from ripping their heads off. Only problem was that he looked like he was close to losing his own shit. I walked toward them and Luca gave me an exasperated look. Scuderi was a pain in the ass, and Luca wasn’t the most patient person on this planet. A bad combination. He came toward me. “I’m going to lose my fucking mind if Gianna and her old man don’t stop fighting.”
“Lily is taking it badly. She’s had to witness her mother’s deterioration for months now. I want to take her out for a walk and a coffee to take her mind off things.”
Luca scanned my face with an expression I didn’t like one bit. “Sure, but I really don’t need any more problems. Things between New York and Chicago are already shaky.”
“I won’t do anything that’ll hurt our relationship to Chicago.”
Luca nodded but he didn’t look convinced. He glanced back to Scuderi and his two daughters. “I better get back. Be back before dinner,