Lily was practically bouncing with excitement during our flight. I was still surprised how quickly she’d recovered from the horrible events of last September. I really hoped she wouldn’t be set back by being back in New York. She’d been avoiding Matteo and Luca the last few times we’d seen them but this time we’d be staying at Luca’s penthouse, so there was no way she could do it.
The moment we walked into the waiting hall buzzing with voices, I wanted to groan. Matteo stood beside Aria and Luca. I should have realized he would come. He seemed determined to ignore my antipathy. Sometimes I almost considered to give up on running away and to try to come to terms with my marriage to Matteo, but then there were the moments when he gave me that cocky grin like now, and then I wanted to run away as fast as my feet could carry me because I actually wanted to kiss him, despite what I’d seen him do in September.
Lily kept close to me. It was the only sign that she hadn’t forgotten what had happened almost seven months ago. She didn’t take my hand like she might have done a couple of years ago but her arm brushed mine as we walked toward Luca, Matteo and Aria. “Are you okay?” I whispered.
She jumped, flushing. “Yeah.” She squared her shoulders. “I’m fine.” She almost managed to hide her nerves from me. Aria ran toward us when we’d almost reached them and threw her arms around both of us. “I missed you so much.”
“We missed you too,” I whispered, kissing her cheek.
Lily beamed at both of us.
Aria shook her head. “You’re as tall as me now. I still remember when you didn’t want to go anywhere without holding my hand.”
Lily groaned. “Don’t say anything like that when Romero is around. Where is he anyway?”
I rolled my eyes, and Aria laughed. “He’s probably at his apartment.” Lily must have managed to get over her anxiety around Romero at some point. Puppy love turned you blind.
“Come on,” Aria said. “Let’s go.”
As expected, Lily turned shy again the moment we stood in front of the guys. My protective side wanted to step in front of her and shield her from everything, but I knew she’d be embarrassed if I did something like that. My gaze found Matteo’s eyes; they were warm; they were a normal guy’s eyes, and for an instant I wanted to believe the lie he was so good at telling, but I forced myself to break our staring contest.
“The birthday girl,” Matteo said with a smile at Lily, arms crossed over his chest. He looked so approachable and harmless, and I knew he was doing it on purpose because of Lily. Despite my best intentions not to, I felt grateful, and at the same time couldn’t help but wonder how he could be so kind and funny one moment, when he was capable of the horrible things I’d seen in September.
“Not yet,” Lily said, biting her lip. “Unless you have an early present for me.” I almost exploded with relief. I’d worried Lily would be as nervous as last time when she’d see Matteo, but he was a master manipulator and had her wrapped around his finger again.
“I like the way you think,” Matteo said with a wink. He took her suitcase, then held out his arm for her to take. She glanced between Matteo and me. “Won’t you carry Gianna’s luggage?”
“Luca can take care of it,” Matteo said, eyes dancing with mirth as they settled on me. Why did he have to be so…tolerable? If I didn’t know it any better, I’d say he had a suspicion I was trying to figure out a way to run away from our impending marriage.
I narrowed my eyes at him before turning to Lily. “Go on.”
She linked arms with Matteo and they walked ahead. Luca took my suitcase without a word before following after his brother and my younger sister. I fell back with Aria. “Maybe Father should have married Lily off to Matteo instead of me,” I said, only half-joking. She seemed to have no trouble getting along with him.
“Matteo needs someone like you, someone who talks back to him. I don’t think she could handle him.”
I snorted. “But you think I can?”
Aria searched my face. “There’s something you’re not telling me.”
“Later,” I whispered, and she nodded with a glance toward Luca and Matteo.
***
I didn’t get the chance to talk to Aria until much later that day, and only because Luca and Matteo had business to conduct in their dance club ‘Sphere’. Romero was still there but Lily had convinced him to play Scrabble with her in the living room so he was occupied as I led Aria out onto the roof terrace despite the cold. Once we stood at the edge of the roof, she turned to me. “You’re up to something, aren’t you?”
I hesitated, suddenly feeling guilty for even considering to involve Aria. “I can’t do this, Aria. I want out. Out of this world. Out of my arranged marriage. Just out.”
Her face became still, blue eyes wide. “You want to run?”
The wind had picked up and tore at my hair, but I wasn’t certain if that was the only reason why I shivered. “Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” I said, though sometimes doubt kept me awake at night. This was a huge step. “Ever since the Bratva attacked the mansion and I saw what Matteo is capable of, I knew I had to run.”
“It’s not just Matteo, you know that, right? He isn’t any worse than any other Made Men.”
“That makes it even worse. I know that pretty much all the men in our world are capable of horrible things, and one day even Fabi will be, and I hate it, hate every second I’m trapped in this messed up world.”
“I thought you and Matteo were getting along better. You didn’t try to rip each other’s head off today.”
“He’s trying to manipulate me. Didn’t you see how easily he could make Lily forget her nervousness around him?”