My mother’s limo rolled onto the driveway, its wheels crunching over the pebbles.
“Never.” And oh, how I wished it would stay that way. The Calafiores thrived on misery, peddling poison to kids not evenold enough to shave. They lined their pockets while claiming to do good, laundering money through phony charities.
Carina’s driver parked in the driveway, and we waited for her to emerge. She stepped out onto the path, her gaze sweeping the huge house. No nostalgia livened her gaze, just hard assessment. She stuck her nose in the air, breathing in a sharp breath, a tell she dredged up memories she’d rather leave buried.
As she stomped her way up the stairs, her gaze flickered over me, her smile forced. “At least you bothered to show.” Her tone dripped with the same venom she spat earlier when she’d learned Lucio had skipped this little reunion for Lombardy. She’d forbidden him from leaving, so he’d done what he always did: gone behind her back, boarding the company jet before dawn.
My father’s company could burn to the ground for all Carina cared. When he died, his father ran the company, but as his sole heirs, the old man signed his business over to us.
At least Lucio had gotten his wish—dodging this charade. Like me, he knew the word family didn’t apply to any of the people inside.
Carina paused before ringing the doorbell, her gaze flashing on Gemma’s neck.
Aware of her scrutiny, Gemma assessed the front of her dress. “What, is there a stain?”
“The pendant?” She cocked a brow, missing Gemma’s concern.
She clutched the jewelry around her neck. “You mean my tracking device?” Bitterness laced her tone. Her gaze narrowed, revealing exactly how she felt about the constant surveillance.
The corner of my lip tugged down. I hadn’t intended it to feel like a cage, but wanted her safe from De Luca. Hence the reason for the necklace and banning her from seeing or speaking to her father. I couldn’t let them continue seeing each other, or even talk on the phone. If De Luca hovered around the hospitaland got wind of Gino’s calls to Gemma, he’d piece everything together, leaving Gino at risk.
Carina snapped to me, and something shifted. A flash of understanding lit her eyes, of dawning awareness. Her gaze strayed back to the pendant; not simply looking at it, but through it. “A moon, Enzo?” The question hung in the air, laced with a history only we shared.
My jaw tightened. Carina and her sharp perception. I met her gaze, a silent warning passing between us. This wasn’t something to be discussed, not here, not now. Especially not in front of Gemma. I forced a casual shrug. “It was the only thing I could find on short notice.”
Her lips curved into a small, knowing smile, one that sent a shiver of unease down my spine. “Oh, I bet,” she echoed, the word dripping with irony. She turned back to the door, reaching for the bell.
A lady with a prominent streak of white in her hair received us, her gaze locking on Carina with undisguised emotion. “Carina, is it really you? After all these years…” her voice cracked and she kissed my mother on both cheeks.
“Contessina.” My mother gripped the woman’s hands. “So good to see you.” She straightened her shoulders. Pride radiated in her gaze. “This is my oldest son, Enzo.” Then her gaze spanned Gemma and a sour glower overtook her face. “…and his wife, Gemma.”
Contessina, either feigning ignorance or immune to Carina’s icy demeanor, kissed our cheeks and ushered us inside. A sea of people flowed through the villa, most of them gravitating toward the grand marquee in the yard. Women bantered with smiles sharp as knives, and the men huddled together, nursing their glasses of scotch. The air hung thick with cigar smoke, a haze doing little to soften the hard faces surrounding us. Alow murmur of Italian, punctuated by sharp laughter, created a soundtrack of unspoken deals and veiled threats.
Gemma stood out from the crowd, her gentle gaze searching the open area. Calculating stares surrounded her. The sudden worry in her brow betrayed her feelings. She hated every second of this.
Men in dark suits, their souls even darker, watched her with predatory stares, lingering on her curves as though appraising livestock. Their eyes were cold, empty, bottomless pits where souls went to die. I ran my tongue over my teeth, imagining ways I could rearrange their faces. These men, thesecriminals, shouldn’t have gotten under my skin. But they did. Their families preached aboutomertà, about honor. But from what I’d heard, no honor reflected their way of life.
Gemma edged closer to my side, her lips pursed tight. “Is it me?” The column of her throat bobbed. “Or is this party unsettling?”
I nudged my head toward the bar outside the marquee, a silent invitation to make an escape. “Let’s get a much needed drink.”
“Enzo!” Carina’s voice cut through the crowd, beckoning us from the alfresco. The older man flanking her side bore a semblance to her, but his silver hair and wrinkles clearly showed he was older.
I steered Gemma toward the duo, steeling myself for whatever was coming.
“Enzo, this is your Zio Tommaso.” Carina hadn’t smiled in years, and yet, here in the company of lowlives, she glowed. “Tommaso,finallyyou get to meet my Enzo.”
Tommaso embraced me, his grip surprisingly strong for a man of his age. He kept a hand on my shoulder, his gaze roaming my face as if searching for something familiar. “You must take after the Cammaratas.” He glanced at Carina, a flicker of humorpassing his face. “What a shame he doesn’t look more like his handsome uncle.”
The statement almost made me laugh… mockingly. I didn’t care for this man seeing me as some younger version of himself, or for us to associate outside this event. Carina obviously hadn’t shared how her sons detested every single one of them.
He turned to my wife, his smile widening. “And you must be Gemma. Welcome, welcome.” He kissed her cheeks.
Gemma, no stranger to the custom, graced him with her genuine politeness.
About to escape the fake pleasantries and guide her to the bar, Tommaso crooked a finger at someone in the crowd, his smile turning… colder. “You must meet your cousins. They’ve heard so much about you.”
Twin teenage boys approached, and a third, older man hooked his arm with a tall blonde as they made their way over to join us.
