“That’s not what I said, I’d just like to know what would you do as Capo…”
“The oath is painful, the proof that you would die for the Camorra if necessary…”
“What if I still would want to do it?”
“If that’s what you really want, I’d allow it, perhaps with a slightly modified, less painful version.”
“I’m not as weak as I look, Luca!”
Luca takes my left hand, holds it and opens my hand to face my palm, running a finger gently down the center of it, the place where the mark would be if I took his oath. “I don’t know if I’d like to see you inflict pain on yourself; in fact, I wouldn’t allow it. I won’t allow anyone to hurt you, not even if that person is you. I will not let you suffer, Chiara; I will protect you with my life!”
“When you talk like that, you sound really possessive.”
“I’m a miserable possessive bastard.”
“Sometimes I’m afraid of what you’re capable of.”
“You don’t need to be afraid of me, ever! But all the others,all those who dare to touch you, they should fear for their lives because I will kill them.”
Chapter 12
I lean my head against the small window of the jet and look out at the clouds around us. I look at my engagement ring and let out a low sigh. I’m finally going back to Italy.I miss home; I miss him, six months, six months without seeing him, feeling him, and kissing him. My stomach twists with the nerves, and I take a deep breath, looking at the beautiful ring on my finger. In two days, I will be officially presented as Luca’s fiancée to the members of the Camorra, a grand party that will host the highest members of the institution, members who are not happy that someone from outside is marrying their future Capo. I try to remember Luca’s words when he was in London last month: “They will not show their discontent, not in front of you, but if they dare, I will kill them. I will make an example out of them. All those who dare to go against you will die! You are a queen, and they must bow before you.” I try to push his words from my mind, as they only make me more nervous. I don’t want to have anyone’s blood on my hands, and if Luca kills them for me, blood will stain me.
“You have no reason to be so nervous!” I wake up from my thoughts with Francesco’s voice, feeling his eyes on me, as well as Paolo’s, Aurora’s, and Leticia’s.
“What if they don’t accept me?”
Paolo lets out a sound of displeasure and faces me. “They don’t have to accept it. It’s not their choice. The only people who could end the marriage are Luca, Don Henrico, you, and your father. Everyone else doesn’t matter, so relax.”
“But if many people don’t agree, Don Henrico will be able toback down, and I’ll be humiliated in front of everyone.”
Francesco and Paolo’s laughter is loud and makes me look in their direction without realizing it. “Luca would never allow that to happen. To be honest, even if Don Henrico wants to go back, I don’t think Luca would let that happen!” Francesco sounds certain in his voice as if he knows that Luca would never let me go, not again.
My heart sings at the thought, and a smile almost escapes my lips, more in love than ever. The thought of seeing Luca again, smelling his perfume, and feeling his arms wrapped around my body makes me want to smile like a fool. Thinking about himand hearing his voice makes my anxiety dissipate little by little, and I wonder how it is possible that a person capable of bringing so much pain and death can make me feel so safe and at peace. I close my eyes and let sleep take over, sure that in no time, I’ll finally be home.
I feel my body sway slightly, and I am still sleepy. I open my eyes to see Leticia standing in front of me with a grin on her face. “Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. Get up. We’ve landed, and I understand your pseudo-prince is waiting for you to disembark.”
I look out of the window, and all I can see are several men’s shadows; the light is a little dim, and night seems to have fallen for some time. I get up from the seat and stretch my arms, grabbing my handbag. Only the girls and Iare still inside the jet, making me realize that we must have landed a few minutes ago. I walk calmly down the corridor toward the exit; the flight attendant smiles and waves goodbye as soon as I reach the door. I smile in her direction and finally look out, feeling the night wind hit my face. I don’t need to look for Luca; his height and dominant posture make him stand out from his soldiers. Once his eyes meet mine, I try to hide the smile that insists on taking hold of me, along with the shivers that run through my whole body; I contain my urge to run toward him and hug him. I’velearned over the last few months that masks are necessary in this world, emotions are weaknesses, and that by marrying Luca, I should only show them behind closed doors. I wonder if my cracked mask is doing a good job of hiding my feelings, and Luca’s gaze on me says yes. I look away from him, and four men I don’t know are standing behind him; probably an increase in security due to Aurora and Leticia’s presence, and I can’t help but wonder why Luca, Francesco, and Paolo aren’t the only ones looking after our safety, as usual, I wonder why they might not be enough.
“Good evening!” My voice comes out clear and loud, without a hint of hesitation, and Paolo gives me a look of recognition. The men I don’t know don’t answer me or introduce themselves; they just bow their heads in respect.
“How was the trip?” Luca approaches me, taking my hand in his and placing a soft kiss on it; I examine him quickly and wonder how someone like him can be so handsome and elegant in his ever-faithful three-piece suit. His eyes rise until they meet mine, and a small smirk appears on his lips, visible only to me, and it makes me want to kiss him.
“Okay… I’m a bit tired. Can we go?” My voice comes out calm despite the shivers running through my body and my stomach churning with nervousness and excitement at finally having him close again.
Luca gestures for me to follow him and leads the way toward a Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut; he opens the passenger door for me to get in and heads toward the driver’s seat. I look out of the window and see Aurora and Leticia getting into a car with Francesco and Paolo; the other four men split into two cars and follow them; as soon as Luca starts heading out of the airport, I feel his hand rest on my leg, and I place my hand on his.
“Why has security been increased?” I feel Luca tense up, and his hand lightly squeezes my leg. I look in his direction, and heseems immersed in his own thoughts. “Luca?”
“We’ve had some problems with the presence of foreign mafias in our territory.”
“Do I need to worry?” Luca quickly turns his gaze away from the road and looks at me. Hetakes my hand and brings it to his lips, kissing it.
“No, never… I’ll never let anything happen to you!”
I look through the rearview mirror and see the three cars following us. I look out of the window, and I know we’re on our way to my family’s palazzo; I let out a sigh of frustration, knowing that I won’t be able to kiss or hug Luca, not with the new soldiers around, I feel his gaze fixed on me and I try to ignore the questioning in his eyes.
“What’s going on?” When he doesn’t get an answer, Luca lightly squeezes my hand as a sign that he’s waiting for me to answer.
