Code of Honor (Spontagio Family 1)

ld’s most impractical car. She smiles at me, her eyes wide with anticipation as she waits for me to spill details on my day. When all I offer her is a smirk, she reaches over and punches my arm. I laugh, rubbing it.

“Tell me how it went,” she exclaims, her lips forming a pout. “I never hold out on you.”

“It was okay.” I laugh. “And for the record, your stories always have way too much information. I’d appreciate you holding back occasionally.”

“Lucia Spontagio, you have to give me more than ‘It was okay,’?” she mimics, her pretty face screwing up into a frown. “And we’ve been friends for ten years. Now you decide I share too much?”

“It went okay,” I repeat, not sure what else to say. “I danced. They thanked me, and then I left. That was it.”

“That’s it?” she repeats, a frown on her lips.

“What were you excepting, them to run after me, begging me to join their company?” I laugh.

“Well, kinda. Yeah.” She shrugs, and then starts the car, pulling out onto the street with little regard for other drivers. I hold on to my seat as she goes flying around a corner without signaling. “So, what’s the plan if you actually get accepted?” Bella asks, throwing me a look.

“I’m not going to get in,” I say, then laugh. I rest my head against the window and sigh. I know what she’s getting at. Even if I were lucky enough to be accepted, there was no way in hell my father would let me move so far away from him.

“You’re an adult, Luce. Remember that. You need to decide what’s right for you and not take no for an answer. Your dad has kept you sheltered for way too long. He won’t even let you go to parties, for God’s sake.”

“He’s just protective,” I say, feeling the need to defend him. I know he loves me more than life itself. I’m his only daughter. All we have is each other.

“Yeah, well, there’s protective and then there’s Giovanni.” She giggles, nudging me. “C’mon, Luce. You’re twenty-one and you haven’t even kissed a guy! I was hitting third base when I was fourteen.”

“And you wonder why my father thinks you’re a bad influence on me,” I reply, rolling my eyes. “And how did we get from my dancing to guys?”

“Because it always comes back to guys.” She laughs, slapping the steering wheel. “Speaking of which, I have no idea how you’ve never hit on that brother of yours.”

“Could you sound any more creepy? And he’s not my brother,” I growl, my face heating up.

She’s always going on about Pietro. I’m not blind. Of course I see how ridiculously hot he is. I also realize that he’s two years older than me and so totally out of my reach that even thinking about him like that should be off-limits. I wasn’t about to make a fool of myself over any guy, let alone the one who would never let me hear the end of it.

I roll my eyes again and listen to her chat about her latest boyfriend. They’d only been dating a few weeks, and if her past history was anything to go by, he was already nearing his expiration date.

She’s right about one thing. The way I was going, I’d be forty and still a virgin. I didn’t get it. I wasn’t ugly, and with my long dark hair and willowy figure, I was okay to look at. Why weren’t guys interested? According to Bella I intimidated guys. Personally I think that’s a load of crap. What is intimidating about me?

“Here we are,” Bella sings out, pulling up in front of my place. “Call me later, okay?”

I lean over and kiss her cheek, then jump out of the car.

“Thanks for this, Bell. For making me go. I think I needed it.”

“That’s what I’m here for. I’ll accept Versace and diamonds when you’re a famous ballerina,” she says, winking at me. I laugh and wave at her as she drives off, waiting until her car rounds the corner before I buzz the security gate. The cameras zoom in on me, and I wave. A few seconds later, the gates swing open and I begin the trek across the grounds to the house.

I sneak inside, carefully closing the door behind me. I’m not ready to face my father just yet, though with all the cameras around the place he will know I’m home. I’m the world’s worst liar, and I know as soon as he starts grilling me about my day, I’m sure to crack. I slink upstairs and down the hall until I reach the safety of my room. Closing the door behind me, I sigh, the full impact of the day finally hitting me.

I’m exhausted, but too buzzed to rest. I lie down on my bed anyway. My mind is running a million miles an hour, and though I try to block them out, thoughts of getting accepted keep creeping into my head. I don’t want to dream, because if I keep my head grounded I can’t be disappointed—but what if I actually got in? A shiver races through my body. I want this so badly. I’d do anything for this opportunity.

Mom would be so proud of me for going today.

I wipe tears from my eyes, and think about Mom. Thinking about dancing always leads back to Mom. Before she died, she was my number one supporter. She made me believe I was capable of anything. When she died, a part of me died along with her.

Fifteen years ago today, she left us. I was six years old. She’d been sick for over a year before ovarian cancer finally took her. I treasured every day with her, because even at such a young age I knew what death meant. I’d never see her again.

If only she were here now, things would make so much more sense. I think about what she would tell me if she knew what I’d just done, and I smile. I know exactly what she’d say.

Follow your dreams, Lucy. Never let them out of your sight and take down anyone who tries to crush them.

Yeah. Mom was passionate when it came to protecting those she loved.