They didn’t let us talk but they took us with them to what seemed to be some kind of dance club, which was deserted as we arrived. Nobody said anything to us as we were led into a room in the back.
“Close the door, Romero,” Luca said to the third man. He did without hesitation, then stood in front of it, his attentive eyes keeping watch over us.
“Where’s our driver?” I asked. They’d put him in another car and I hadn’t seen him again.
“We need to have a detailed talk to him to figure out what his motives are,” Matteo said with a smirk.
A shiver ran down my back. “Will you torture us as well?” I muttered.
Matteo laughed. “Oh, a cheeky one.”
Luca sighed. “You have a cheeky wife already. Don’t grate on my nerves by bickering with our cousin too.”
Surprise widened my eyes.
Matteo shrugged and sat on the edge of the desk.
“What about the dogs, where did you take them? Please don’t hurt them.”
“Someone will take care of them,” Luca said. What did he mean by that?
“We need your help, Luca,” Mother said pleadingly. “We are family.”
“You left your family to go to Las Vegas. You married a member of the Camorra.”
“That’s betrayal if you ask me,” Matteo said with a twisted smile. “And from what we hear, your family likes betrayal. Your husband already paid with his life for it.”
Mother faltered.
“We never betrayed anyone,” I said firmly. “And Mother only left New York because she loved my father and because her brother was a monster.”
“Well, we know that you, at least, know how to handle monsters, right?” Matteo said. “And you’re talking about our father if I might remind you.”
I swallowed. Insulting Salvatore Vitiello was probably not my best idea.
“I knew your father, my brother, well enough to know that you can’t miss very much,” Mother said.
Luca shrugged. “He wasn’t a good man. But neither am I.”
“I don’t believe you’re like him. I saw your beautiful wife in the newspaper.”
Luca’s expression changed. Protectiveness washed away the blankness. “We won’t discuss her.”
The door to the room was pushed open. Romero peered behind it, then turned around with an apologetic expression.
A beautiful blonde woman stepped in. “It’s enough,” she said. Her voice was quiet and calm, but it held obvious power over Luca.
She was light. That was all I could think of when I stared at her. Her pale skin, golden hair, blue eyes. Light.
Her welcoming smile hit me and the knot in my stomach loosened. Perhaps there was hope after all. She strode toward me. It was hard to miss the disapproval on her husband’s face or the way his body tightened in anticipation. As if he worried I’d attack her. That was the last thing on my mind when she could mean our door to safety.
“I’m Aria,” she said, holding out her hand to me. I took it with a grateful smile. “I’m Cara, and this is my sister Talia.” I nodded to Talia who looked completely frozen up with fear. Aria patted my sister’s shoulder. “You don’t have to afraid. Nobody will hurt you in any way, I promise.”
“Aria,” Luca said in a strained voice.
She greeted my mother before finally she faced her husband. “They are family. And they went through a lot, don’t you see? We must help them.”
“We don’t even know why they are here,” Matteo said.
Aria walked up to her husband and looked up at him. “They are innocent. They need our protection. Do you really believe they’re here to do harm?”
“No,” Luca said with a sigh. “I don’t.” He looked at us. “You can stay. I hope you don’t make me regret it.”
They took us to a house in the Hamptons after some convincing arguments from Aria. I liked her already, even though I didn’t know her.
We were put into the guest wing of the large building, probably for safety measures but I didn’t care. We were one step closer to a better future. When Aria had showed us to our rooms, I said, “Thank you for everything.”
She smiled. “You’re welcome.”
“I have one more request. Can you please make sure they don’t hurt my dogs?”
“Of course,” she said without hesitation. “I’ll make sure they’re safe.”
Talia crept into my room that night and snuggled up to me. “I was so scared, but now everything is going to be okay, right?” she whispered.
“Yes. We’ll start anew.” An image of Growl popped into my head but I tried to keep the sadness locked in. Soon these emotions would have to fade.
“Did you really love him?”
“I did. I still do,” I admitted. I didn’t want to lie to Talia.
“I don’t understand it.” Her warm breath fanned over my throat as she rested her head on my shoulder.
“Me neither. I didn’t want it to happen.”
“You can’t change how you feel. It’s okay,” Talia said softly, hugging me tighter.
“Mother has been avoiding me. I think she can’t forgive me because of Growl.”
“She lost Father. She needs time.”
I hoped Talia was right. But even if not, there was nothing I could do against my feelings.
Aria kept her promise. The next day Coco and Bandit arrived at the mansion. Luca refused to let them run around in the house though. I had to keep them on a leash outside of my room. Aria joined me as I showed them the garden. Both Coco and Bandit seemed to like her presence.
Luca trailed after us like a shadow. “They were used in dog fights. You should be careful. Most of them are nasty beasts.”
“They are good. Better than most people,” I said sharply.
“That’s not difficult. Most people are assholes,” Matteo said with a shrug, also appearing in the garden. “As long as those beasts are here, I won’t allow Gianna to come visit.”
“As if you could tell Gianna what to do,” Aria teased, then turned to me. “Don’t listen to them,” she said apologetically. She crouched before Coco and Bandit. I knelt beside her and patted Coco’s head. After a brief moment of hesitation Aria did the same. “See,” she said with a glance over her shoulder toward her husband. “They’re harmless.”
“They might act harmless now, but they’ve lived through a lot. Sometimes they lose control. I don’t want them near you.”
Aria sighed, then whispered to me. “Keep them on the leash until he’s calmed down.”
I nodded. I had absolutely no intention of going against Luca’s orders. I led the dogs into my room and stretched out on the bed.
They inspected the room but didn’t take their eyes off me. I had the feeling that they were looking for Growl. They probably missed him too. Eventually I patted the empty half of the bed. “Come on up.”
Coco lifted her head, ears perked..
I patted the bed more firmly and repeated my invitation. Coco was the first to trot toward the bed and join me on it with a hesitant jump. When I didn’t chide her, she curled up, pressed against my side. Bandit didn’t need another invitation. Soon he was snuggled up against me and Coco. I scratched them behind the ears, enjoying the feeling of their soft fur. With their warm bodies giving me the comfort I needed so much, I relaxed against the pillows and extinguished the lights. I hadn’t slept well last night, I’d dreamed about Growl’s dead, imagining one horrible ending after the other. I wished I knew exactly what had happened to him. The truth, no matter how hard, was always better than not knowing.
