Bound by the Past (Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles 7)

“You should get some rest. I still have work to do,” I said, and led her over to the bed.

Val stretched out but held onto my hand. “What will Rocco say? And your Underbosses? Won’t it cause discord that you let Aria go? Or will you try to keep it from them?”

I kissed her knuckles. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.”

I could tell Val wanted to argue, but I stepped back and left the room.

When I turned on my iPad in the office, the photographer had already sent me an email. I followed the link to the Dropbox and perused his shots. He’d done a marvelous job taking photos from an angle that made my interactions with Aria look intimate and secretive. For someone like Luca, these would have the effect of a nuclear bomb. He was wired to draw the worst conclusions. He and I always expected the worst from others, so it was easy to take any act of betrayal for granted.

I chose a selection of photos then forwarded them to Rocco. He’d send them to his contacts in the press, and hopefully tomorrow all hell would break loose in the Famiglia.

My eyes burnt with tiredness, but I doubted sleep would find me tonight. Too much had happened today, even more would happen tomorrow.

Eventually, I stood and headed upstairs. I walked into Anna’s room, careful not to make a sound as I headed for her bed. She was curled up on her side, her thumb in her mouth. She used to do it often when she was a toddler but eventually we got her to stop. Sometimes I still caught her sucking her thumb at night though. I brushed a few strands of hair from her face then gently pulled her finger out. She made a small sound but didn’t wake. I always tried to say goodnight to her or even read her a bedtime story, but on days like this, I sometimes came home when she was already asleep. I leaned down at kissed her forehead then headed for the bedroom.

Val was asleep and she didn’t wake when I slid into bed beside her. Tomorrow morning after breakfast I’d have to talk to her about the photos. I didn’t want her to find out through others. The newspapers in Chicago wouldn’t post any articles about Aria and me, Rocco and I would make sure of it, but these things usually spread like wildfire in the Outfit and soon people would be talking.

Closing my eyes, I rubbed my temple. This had the potential to spiral out of control. It was a very risky move. Some people in the Outfit would be enraged that I’d been in contact with Aria, not so much about an affair, others might applaud me for having a spy so close to Luca. I’d have to tell Giovanni about this tomorrow as well. He wouldn’t be happy either. He’d worry how this would reflect on Val.

I slanted a look at my sleeping wife. I didn’t want Val to get hurt emotionally. This move would at least guarantee her physical safety. She might not see it that way of course. I sat up and got out of bed. Sleep was out of the question. Picking up my phone from the nightstand, I headed into the corridor and sent Rocco a text.

Hold off with the photos for now. We need to discuss the consequences.

His reply came swiftly.

Already sent. Sorry, Dante. It’s a good move in this war.

I sighed. He was right. This trickery was good for the Outfit. It might not be good for my marriage, however, and even though it shouldn’t be, my family was more important to me than my vow.

It was too late now. Things had been set in motion.The pressure on my bladder combined with sciatic pain woke me before sunrise once again. Dante didn’t stir when I snuck into the bathroom, which meant he’d gone to bed so late again that he’d probably only reached his deep sleep phase. After I’d washed my face, I crept out of the bedroom and downstairs to make myself a tea. Light from the office caught my attention. I headed that way and found Anna curled up on Dante’s desk chair, staring down at his iPad.

I smiled at how cute she looked with her disheveled hair and sleep-puffy eyes. “You know Daddy doesn’t want you to go into his office without his permission.”

Anna’s head shot up in surprise. She grinned sheepishly. “I was bored.”

I shook my head and went to her. “You can’t touch Daddy’s things. They are important for his work.” And potentially traumatic for a young child. Anna didn’t understand what Dante did.

“But he’s got photos of Aunt Aria.”

Frowning, I took the iPad from her and looked at the photo Anna was referring to. I quickly clicked through a myriad of other photos, all of them of Aria and Dante, some of them disturbingly intimate. I tried to keep my shock hidden because Anna watched me curiously.