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I stood, couldn t sit still anymore. I started pacing the roof, trying to calm my racing pulse with low
breaths.
 I don t know why. Maybe Father wants to punish me for saying what I think. He knows how much I
despise our men, and how much I hate Matteo. He wants to see me suffer.
I wanted to disagree but I wasn t sure Gianna was wrong. Father thought women needed to be put in
their place and what better way to do that with Gianna than bind her to a man like Matteo. Behind his
grins lurked something dark and angry, and I had a feeling Gianna wouldn t have the sense not to provoke
him until he lost it.
 Oh, Gianna. I m so sorry. Maybe I can tell Luca and he can change Matteo s mind.
 Aria, don t be naïve. Luca knew all along. He s Matteo s brother and the future Capo. Something
like that isn t decided without him being involved.
I knew she was right, but I didn t want to accept it. Why hadn t Luca told me about this?  When did
they make the decision?
 A few weeks ago, even before I came to visit.
My heart clenched. Luca had slept with me, had made me trust him and love him and hadn t
bothered to tell me that my sister was being sold to his brother.
 I can t believe him! I whispered harshly. Romero was watching me through the windows, already
getting up from the sofa.  I m going to kill him. He knows how much I love you. He knows I wouldn t
have allowed it. I would have done anything to prevent the agreement.
Gianna was silent on the other end.  Don t get in trouble because of me. It s too late anyway. New
York and Chicago shook hands on it. It s a made deal, and Matteo won t let me out of his clutches.
 I want to help you, but I don t know how.
 I love you, Aria. The only thing that stops me from cutting my wrists right now is the knowledge
that my marriage to Matteo means I ll live in New York with you.
Fear crushed my heart.  Gianna, you are the strongest person I know. Promise me you won t do
anything stupid. If you hurt yourself, I couldn t live with myself.
 You are much stronger than me, Aria. I have a big mouth and flashy bravado, but you are resilient.
You married Luca, you live with a man like him. I don t think I could have done it. I don t think I can.
 We ll figure it out, Gianna.
The elevator doors opened and Luca stepped into our apartment. His eyes darted from Romero to
me, his brows drawing together.
 He s here. I ll call you tomorrow. I hung up as fury burnt through me. I hadn t thought I could ever
hate Luca again, not even for a moment but in this second I wanted to hurt him. I stormed inside, my hands
balled to fists as I headed toward Luca. He didn t move a muscle, only watched me with calm scrutiny.
That calm more than anything else fueled my rage. I wasn t sure what he thought I was going to do, but it
wasn t attack that was obvious from his reaction. My fists hammered his chest as hard as I could. Shock
flashed across Luca s face, his entire body exploding with tension. From the corner of my eye I saw
Romero take a step in our direction, obviously unsure if he was supposed to do something. He was my
bodyguard but Luca was his boss. Of course, Luca didn t have trouble handling me. After a moment, he
gripped both of my wrists in his hand. I hated that he could overpower me so easily.  Aria, what 
He didn t get to finish because I rammed my knee upward and only his quick reflexes prevented me
from hitting my goal. The sound of Gianna s sobs rang in my mind, made me lose whatever rationality I
had.
 Get out, Luca ordered sharply. Romero did without protest. Luca s blazing eyes met mine but I
was past being scared. I would die for Gianna. I tried another kick and graced Luca s groin this time. He
snarled and pushed me down on the sofa, my legs pinned down by his knees and my arms pushed above
my head.  For god s sake, Aria. What s gotten into you?
I glared.  I know about Gianna and Matteo, I spat, and then I lost it completely and I started crying,
big gasping sobs raking my body. Luca released my wrists and sat back so I could move my legs. He
regarded me like I was a creature he would never understand.
 That s what this is about? He sounded incredulous.
 Of course you don t understand, because you never loved anyone more than your own life. You
can t possibly understand how it is to feel your own heart breaking at the thought of the person you love
getting hurt. I would die for the people I love.
His eyes were hard and cold as he stood.  You are right. I don t understand. The cold mask was
back. I hadn t seen it directed at me in weeks.
I wiped my eyes and stood as well.  Why didn t you tell me? You ve known for weeks.
 Because I knew you wouldn t like it.
I shook my head.  You knew I d be mad at you and you didn t want to ruin your chances of fucking
me. I didn t even blush, even though I never used the word.
Luca became rigid.  Of course I wanted to fuck you. But I got the impression you enjoyed our
fucking sessions.
I wanted to hurt him. He was so cold. Of course it had always been about taking what was his,
about claiming my body. He didn t give a shit about me, or anyone.  And you worried I wasn t a good
enough actress to fool everyone after our little trick in our wedding night. I even fooled you. I let out an
ugly laugh.  I made you believe I actually enjoyed it.
Something flickered in Luca s eyes, something that made me want to take back my words for a
moment, but then his mouth pulled into a cruel smile.  Don t lie to me. I ve fucked enough whores to
know an orgasm when I see one.
I flinched as if he d hit me. Had he just compared me to his whores? I said the ugliest thing I could
think of.  Some woman even experience an orgasm when they re being raped. It s not because they re
enjoying it. It s their body s way of coping.
For a long time Luca didn t say anything. His nostrils flared and his chest heaved and his hands
were clenched to fists. He looked like he wanted to kill me on the spot. Then the scariest thing happened,
the anger slipped off his face. His expression became emotionless, his eyes as smooth and impenetrable
as steel.  Your sister should be happy that Matteo wants her. Few men can stand her gab.
 God that s the reason, isn t it? I said in disgust.  It s because she told him that he d never get her [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]