Whatever the fuck that was, it sure as shit wasn’t good.
Chapter 10
KARINA
The half hour trip home felt like it lasted half a day. The silence was excruciating. Even Dante, who couldn’t go ten minutes without talking, was eerily quiet the entire way. It didn’t take a genius to know Antonio was busy simmering, building and building to a full-blown rage. He hated Enzio. He hated all the Mancusos. I never fully understood the rivalry between us and them. But ever since the Mancusos moved into town, our families were at each other’s throats. I once heard my dad tell Antonio the Mancusos threatened our family business. I never asked exactly what kind of business. I didn’t want to know. All I knew was he wasn’t referring to the family restaurant.
I glanced at Antonio sitting in the front passenger seat. Dante and I had kept my sordid secret for as long as we could. But after tonight, it was all about to get cracked wide open.
It didn’t have to be spelled out for Antonio to figure out there was a kind of history between me and Enzio. God, I hated myself. I hated myself for ever falling for Enzio’s lies. For being so naïve and stupid I actually believed a man like him could have a good side—a heart. If I had been stronger, I would have spared myself all those long nights of crying, not to mention the embarrassment.
I leaned my head against the window and watched the city lights forming a straight line of yellow as Dante sped down the streets. This was supposed to be his night, his birthday. And now, because of me, it was ruined. It wasn’t even midnight yet, and we were already on our way home. Probably not what my brother had in mind for his birthday celebration.
“I’m sorry, Dante,” I muttered, not lifting my head off the window.
“Sorry, Dante?” Antonio sneered. “You’re apologizing to Dante?”
I lifted my head and looked at him while he stared out his passenger side window. “Who should I be apologizing to?”
Finally, Antonio turned in his seat and looked at me. “How about the entire damn family?”
“For what?”
He shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. For embarrassing the family. For putting the family name to shame.”
“Antonio, stop,” Dante chimed in, but I leaned forward and placed my hand on his shoulder.
“No, it’s okay.” I glared at Antonio. “Tell me, dear brother, what is it that you think I did that put our family name to shame?”
“Please, Karina. It was pretty clear what happened between you two. And the cop? You’re fooling around with a cop? Do you really feel so little for our family values, for our rules?”
And that was the moment I finally lost it.
“Our family values?Ourrules? You meanyourrules. Your and Dad’s rules.”
“Rules that were put in place for our protection.”
“Protection from what?”
“From our enemies,” he snapped.
“Our enemies? I’m sorry, Antonio, but how the hell did your enemies become mine?”
“You carry the Valenti name, Karina.” He raised his voice, his dark eyes wild with anger. “You are a part of this fucking family, so that makes you a part of everything.”
“You see, that’s exactly it. I don’t want to be a part of all this. I don’t want any part in thefamily businesswhich is causing this war between us and the Mancusos.”
Antonio glared at me. “Well, you don’t have a fucking choice.”
“And that’s exactly why I’ve tried to get as far away from this family as possible for the last four years. Everywhere I go, I’m nothing more than a mafia princess, the big boss’s daughter, and the little sister of a Valenti underboss. I want my own goddamn life, to live by my own rules, but thanks to all of you, I will never be able to do that.”
I didn’t even realize I was practically screaming out that last part, until I noticed Antonio staring at me like I had morphed into a three-headed alien.
I took a deep breath and sank back into the seat, placing my hand on my forehead. This was why I didn’t want to come home. Everything always went haywire whenever I was around my family. For so long, I’d denied my father by not joining the family business. I thought by not having any part in it, I would have some semblance of a normal life. But it seemed like no matter what I did, my life would never be my own.
Never.
Antonio turned back and looked out over the road. “What happened between you and Enzio?”