“That’s the address Vitiello gave your mother,” Mino said. He glanced out of the window worriedly. He seemed to share my concern.
Two black cars were parked a good distance away from us.
“Perhaps we should get out so they can see that we aren’t dangerous,” I suggested.
“They could shoot us,” Mino said.
“I know. But we don’t have a choice.”
I opened the door and got out. I moved slowly and held my arms away from my body, so they could see I wasn’t armed. Usually Made Men weren’t overly concerned about women being a danger to them, but I didn’t want to risk anything.
My heart pounded against my ribcage as I took a few steps away from the car. After a moment of hesitation, Mother and Talia followed my example and joined me. We didn’t move, only waited.
Mino stayed in the car. I gave him a look but he looked determined to wait. As a man he was in more danger of being shot on the spot. Even among mobsters, women were usually spared.
A huge man got out of one of the cars. He was tall and muscled like Growl, but his hair was black and there were no visible tattoos, and yet for a maddening moment I’d thought it was him, risen from the dead by some miracle.
“Luca,” breathed Mother beside me. A second and third man stepped up to Luca’s side a moment later. How could we know life here would be better than in Las Vegas?
I didn’t know these people, had only heard stories, few of them flattering. Mother had left New York because her brother had been cruel, and now his son Luca would decide about our fate. Was he better than his father, better than Falcone, or had we exchanged one evil with another?
After a short discussion, Luca and the second man began walking toward us. The third stayed back, but there were probably more in the cars. I was surprised that Luca was risking that much. Falcone would have stayed behind and let his men do the dirty work. I wasn’t sure if it was a good sign that Luca had decided to meet us personally.
They stopped a good distance away.
“Your driver needs to get out,” Luca said. He and the other man were holding guns.
I faced Mino and motioned for him to get out. His eyes darted to Luca but he remained firmly seated.
“If he doesn’t get out soon, I’ll get him out myself and he won’t like that,” the other guy said. He had dark brown hair, which was slightly longer than Luca’s, and I realized they shared the same features. So that had to be his brother Matteo, if I remembered correctly.
Mino must have heard him because he finally climbed out of the car, holding his hands up over his head. Another man that I hadn’t noticed before ran around the car and grabbed him, twisting his arms behind his back. Mino cried out in pain, but fell silent when he was hit with the hilt of a gun. He toppled over, unconscious.
Talia began crying silently beside me. I took her hand. Mother was already holding the other. Luca scrutinized my sister, then me and Mother. I was too tired and too empty to be scared of them. The fear would come later. If there was a later.
For all I knew they’d see us as the enemy, and kill us. At least I’d be reunited with Growl then, but something in me rebelled against that idea. I missed Growl, missed him more than I’d thought possible. But there were too many reasons why I needed to live, why I wanted to live. My sister and mother were just two of them.
I summoned my courage and said, “I’m Cara. I’m your cousin.”
“We know exactly who you are,” Matteo said sharply.
That didn’t sound as if they were happy to see us.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Cara
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 more intense conversation with 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? His face didn’t give anything away. It was hard, emotionless.
“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 hear that you know how to handle monsters, right?” Matteo said, his dark eyes challenging. “And you’re talking about our father, don’t forget that.”
I swallowed. Insulting Salvatore Vitiello in front of his sons was probably not my best idea, but I’d spoken the truth. Everyone in our circles knew what kind of man Salvatore Vitiello had been.
“I knew your father, my brother, well enough to know that you can’t miss him very much,” Mother said firmly.
Luca shrugged. “He wasn’t a good man. But neither am I.”
Mother shook her head. “I don’t believe you are like him. I saw your beautiful wife in the newspaper.”
Luca’s expression changed. Mentioning his wife had been a mistake. Protectiveness washed away the blankness. “We won’t discuss her.” His voice allowed no argument.
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. Pure light, and so beautiful, it almost hurt looking at her.
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 toward Talia who looked completely frozen up with fear.
Aria patted my sister’s shoulder with a compassionate smile. “You don’t have to be afraid. Nobody will hurt you in any way, I promise.”