Sweet Temptation

I braced myself on my thighs, my thoughts spinning out of control. “Do you think Aria was in on the betrayal?”

“She’s still alive.”

Luca and Aria had appeared happy on the outside, or as happy as a marriage in our world could be, especially if the husband was a man like Luca… or myself.

Giulia appeared in the living room, worry clouding her face as she looked at me. Slowly, she walked closer.

“I’ll be back tonight. Arrange a meeting. My father needs to be there as well.” If Luca went on a major killing spree like that, I needed to make sure my own city was cleaner than clean.

“Will do.”

I hung up.

Giulia sank down beside me. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing for you to worry about.”

“Your face says something else.”

“It’s business. Luca killed two Underbosses. His Uncles Gottardo and Ermano.”

She jerked, eyes filling with shock. I realized how inconsiderate I’d been. They were her uncles too, but I’d never gotten the impression that she liked either of them very much, which wasn’t surprising. They had been sadistic egomaniacs.

“Are you sad about your uncles?”

She looked as if I’d pulled her out of her daze then gave a sharp shake of her head. “I’m worried about you. What if Luca gets rid of more Underbosses?”

“He won’t get rid of me. Not unless I give him reason to, and I haven’t.”

She nodded slowly, then her eyes widened again. “Kiara!”

“Who?”

“My cousin Kiara. She’s Ermano’s daughter. What about her and my aunt?”

“I don’t know. Faro didn’t mention anything.”

She gripped my arm. “Cassio, please find out. Kiara is only twelve. What if she got hurt?”

“I doubt Luca would hurt a child.”

Her worried expression compelled me to pick up my phone again. Usually I would have called Luca directly, but that seemed unwise in the current situation. “Pack our bags and get Simona and Daniele ready. We need to leave in thirty minutes. I’ll ask my father about Kiara.”

Father picked up at once. “Faro told you?”

“He did. That can wait until our meeting. I need info on Ermano’s daughter and wife.”

“The kid is alive, but Ermano shot his wife.”

Father’s voice held a note that set my teeth on edge. “All right. I’ve been talking to friends in New York, trying to get a feel for Luca’s current mood, if he’s done killing—”

“Everything’s going to be fine.”

“You should have told him everything, Cassio.”

“Father, it’s going to be fine. The past is the past. Telling Luca now would definitely be my death sentence.”

I hung up and went into the bedroom where Giulia was packing our bags. Her eyes were fearful when she met my gaze.

“Kiara is alive but her mother’s dead.”

Giulia covered her mouth with her palm. “What’s going to happen to her?”

“Luca still got a few relatives he could ask to take the girl in.” I took the bags from her. “Come now. I really need to get back.”

She nodded slowly, still looking a bit stunned. I walked over to her, cupping her cheek. “Everything will be fine.”

The drive back passed in relative silence. Giulia was lost in thought, and Simona fell asleep as she usually did in the car.

Elia and Domenico were already in my house when we arrived. They helped carry everything inside. Giulia followed me as I changed into my usual business attire.

“Where’s the meeting taking place?”

I knotted my tie. “You don’t know the place. It’s a nightclub.”

I could tell that Giulia wanted to ask more questions, but I didn’t want to talk business with her. I kissed her lips lightly. “Don’t wait up tonight. It’ll be very late.”

On my way out of the house, I called Faro again. “Everything set up?”

“Yes, everyone’s on their way.”

“Have our watchers said anything about movement in the clubhouse?”

“They seem to have a meeting. All the bikes are in front of the club.”

Now that Luca had destroyed an entire chapter in cold blood, the retribution of the MC was only a matter of time. They were volatile, bound by fewer rules than us. It was part of my life I didn’t want Simona, Daniele, or Giulia to be part of. I’d do my best to protect them from it.

After Cassio was gone, I grabbed my phone and sank down on the sofa. Simona was busy with a picture book that simulated animal noises, and Daniele sat on the blanket beside her, only half focused on his game while he kept throwing glances toward his sister’s book.

Loulou curled up beside me, and I began stroking her soft fur at once, hoping it would calm me. Since Cassio had told me about my uncles, my heart had been beating faster than usual. In the mob, falling from grace usually meant your death. I wasn’t sad about the death of my uncles. They had been bad men, even by our very twisted standards, but I was worried what it meant for Cassio, for us, and I couldn’t stop thinking about my poor cousin, Kiara, who was now an orphan.