“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 said firmly.
“And I will feel guilty if you get in trouble for helping me.”
“I’m helping you. End of story.”
“How can I ever make it up to you?”
“Just be happy, Gianna. Live the life you want, that’s all I want.”
That was so typically Aria. If anyone deserved a life outside of this fucked-up world, it would be her. I pressed my lips together, fighting tears. “Shit.”
Aria smiled. “Come on. We need to figure out when and how to get you away.”
“I suppose it’s a bit too late to give it a try during this visit?” I forced a smile, wanting to get rid of the heavy feeling in my chest.
“Yeah. But you’ll definitely have to run when you are in New York. You’ll never escape from Father’s men.”
Sadly, she was right. Father didn’t let me out of his sight for a second. He didn’t trust me. The only thing missing from my prison was leg irons. “But Romero is always around.”
Aria and I both glanced toward the living room where Lily was laughing at something Romero must have said. She looked so happy. “I think we can get him off our back,” Aria said.
“Next time Lily won’t be around to distract him. I don’t want her to know about this.”
Aria nodded. “I’ll figure something out. I tricked him once before. I can do it again. Luca trusts me. Romero doesn’t follow me as much as he did in the beginning.”
Guilt twisted my insides again but I ignored it. “I have to get a passport so I can leave the country. I’ll never be safe in the States.”
“You should go to Europe.”
“I’ve always wanted to visit Sicily,” I joked.
Aria cracked up. “Yeah, that sounds like a foolproof plan.”
“I need money. Maybe I can find out where Father keeps his stack of cash.”
“No, he’d notice. We’ll have to take Luca’s money. If we wait until the last minute before we take it, he won’t notice until it’s too late.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
Aria nodded but there was a flicker of hesitation in her eyes.
“Maybe we can get money from somewhere else. I could ask one of the credit sharks for a loan. It’s not like I’ll be around for them to get it back,” I said quickly.
Aria shook her head at once. “All the credit sharks either belong to the Famiglia or to the Bratva. That would be the quickest way to get caught.”
“I know I can’t ask the Famiglia, but what about the Russian credit sharks? I don’t have to announce to them who I am. I could pretend I was some random girl with financial troubles.”
Aria seemed to consider that but then she shook her head. “It’s too risky. Those guys are dangerous.”
Memories I’d tried to bury resurfaced like a tidal wave. I’d been terrified when the Russians had attacked the mansion. I’d been sure we’d die a horrible death, sure we’d be raped and tortured. I really didn’t want anything to do with the Bratva ever again but Aria didn’t need to know how much the images of that day still bothered me. Most of the time I managed to lock them away, and once I was in Europe, away from this world, they’d hopefully disappear for good. “Aria, you are married to the man all those dangerous guys are scared of.”