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It's times like this I wish my parents were still alive because I know for sure that they would think Luca is a good match for me. They wouldn't have hesitated to allow me to be with him to see if a marriage is possible. I wish I knew what is wrong with my brother that he is so against it. I've gotten to the point where I'm a little worried he's negotiating a marriage to somebody else in a business arrangement. The thought of it makes me sick.
I spend twenty minutes with the kittens and then exit the pet shop and continue down the street. "Wonder if there's any new books out this week." I’ve made this trip four previous times in the last two weeks, so Danny and Marco know the drill.
I go into the bookshop, and this time, Danny waits outside while Marco enters but stands near the counter flirting with the woman working there.
I make my way toward the back where the language books are. I pull my note from my purse, ready to make the exchange and read what Luca has left for me.
I know he's in Italy, so I'm not sure how these notes are showing up here. Part of me thinks that maybe he's enlisted Lucy's help. After all, she had been married to Luca's father until he died.
Plus, I know she thinks Niko is being unreasonable about Luca and she has no problems telling him so. But she has no power to help me. And I can’t be sure that if it’s not her helping Luca, that she wouldn’t tell my brother.
I start going through the Italian language books, and there's the note. I quickly snatch it and look around to make sure Marco isn’t watching, and then I open it, holding my breath as I wait to see what Luca has to say to me.
Mio Angelo, I miss you more than I can bear any longer. I am hopeful that your affection for me is still strong and you will come to me in Italy. Tonight.
I gasp at the message. Excitement and terror collide all at once. I love the idea of running away to the man I love. But I also know if I'm caught, Niko will lock me away and quite possibly hunt Luca down and kill him.
But there's also a little tiny bit of fear in going to Italy. I'm not as skilled in speaking the language as I should be. And what are Luca's intentions?
Living in a Mafia world, I’ll never have the true freedom that other women enjoy. Leaving Niko and going to Luca means going from one controlling man to another. I might run away, but once I'm with Luca, I am his and under his control.
But then I think of his shy smile and his gentle gestures, like his fingers light on my back when we’re walking. Stolen glances across the room when we’re sure my brother isn’t watching. One time, he acted as my bodyguard and whisked me away to a picnic on the river. We also went to Kate's bookstore that day, the first day I had bought a new language book. I wanted to learn his language because when he spoke Italian to me, my insides melted.
I fold up the note, shove it deep into my purse, and do my best to peruse the books while on the inside, I'm a kaleidoscope of emotions. Am I going to do this? Am I going to run away to Italy to be with Luca?
When I get back to the penthouse, I go immediately to my room and pull out the note again. On it, Luca has given me a date and a time—tonight, six p.m.—and a location, outside White Plains, to make my escape. He hasn't given me much time to decide, much less prepare, but maybe that's on purpose. If I have too long to think about it, there’s a bigger chance of Niko finding out.
I grab my carry-on bag, too small for a trip to Europe, but I don't have a lot of time, and I'll need to sneak out, so I can't carry too much. I pack the basics and essentials and then hide the bag in my closet.
The next question is do I share my secret with anyone? Or do I leave a note? As much as I despise Niko right now, he has taken care of me since my parents died ten years ago. He is my brother, so it seems like I owe him something. But what would I say? Once he realizes I'm gone, he’ll know where I’ve gone. And besides, leaving a note is risky. If he finds it before I'm away, he’ll stop me.
I sit on the edge of the bed as I realize that in doing this, I am choosing Luca over my brother, and I hate that. But in the world that I live in, it isn't just hatred and resentment that can build between Families. My running away to Luca could cause a war between our Families. Wars that end in death.
I let out an exasperated moan. Niko says I'm immature, but he’s the one who decides conflicts can only be resolved with violence. Stupid macho man.
I continue to sit as the clock ticks away and the time frame for making my decision shortens. What do I do?
2
LUCA
I’m working in my home office along the coast of Civitavecchia. Well, I'm trying to work, but my thoughts are filled with Aria and whether or not she’ll be on the plane tonight. I check my watch for the umpteenth time.
Just after nine p.m. Doing the math, I know it's only just after three in New York. Three hours before I know whether she’s gotten on the plane. Does she want to get on the plane? And if she doesn't, is it because she's changed her mind about me or because Niko has found this out?
The idea that I might have put her in Niko's already overcontrolling crosshairs doesn't sit well. But what other choice do I have? As much as I want to be there to meet her at the plane in New York, I can't leave right now because I have to deal with Enzo Sabini and his fuckup antics.
I’m excited in a way I can’t remember ever being except maybe as a kid. It's an odd feeling to be a ruthless businessman while at the same time feeling giddy about a woman.
Thinking of Aria in my home, in my bed, stirs me up. The arousal is made all the more painful because I haven't been with a woman in so fucking long. As many times as I’ve visited New York and seen Aria, I haven’t touched her. All that I have available to me are my imagination and my hand.
At first, I found this situation to be embarrassing. I’m a man, after all. And while I was immediately drawn to Aria after a trip to New York four months ago, I began to second-guess her pull on me. Or maybe I was just in need of a good fuck.
So, I went to my club to see Electra, a woman I used to fuck regularly. She sat in my lap, running her nails down my chest, and my dick withered. And so, I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. A day when I can make Aria mine in every way.
I consider going to the gym and working out the tension, but I know from experience that it won't work. This hard-on is here to stay until I jerk it off or Aria shows up.
But even if she's on that plane, she won't make it to the villa until tomorrow. And as much as I want her, I have to respect her. If she’s not ready to take the relationship to the next level, I’ll have to wait.
