Filed to story: Bound by Honor (Aria & Luca) Drama Story
Dante’s blue eyes met mine, understanding reflecting on his face but he didn’t immediately pull away, still too close as if he was waiting for something. Then he straightened, holding my purse in his hand. He’d reached for it between my legs. I released a breath and quickly wiped a traitorous tear from my face, hoping my emotional reaction wasn’t because I was pregnant. What if I was risking this baby? God, what had I done?
Dante opened my bag, took out the knife and put it into the side compartment, then put the bag back down into the legroom.
I was still pressed against the window, my pulse racing.
“Aria,” Dante said firmly, drawing my gaze up to his eyes. They weren’t exactly soft, but at least they had lost some of the menace. “You are Luca’s wife; a war won’t change that. And even if you weren’t his wife, you wouldn’t have to fear that from me, or from anyone else in Chicago. I swear it.”
“Thank you, Dante,” I whispered. I straightened in my seat, embarrassed by my actions.
“There’s no need to thank me for respecting your body,” he said.
“What will you do with me then?”
He regarded me without a flicker of emotion. “That is the question, I suppose. I should use you to punish Luca and the Famiglia.”
I shivered.
“Or at the very least use you as leverage to blackmail him.”
That was what I feared. “Luca is Capo. He won’t risk the Famiglia.”
Dante smiled coldly. “But you are his wife, and I saw the way he looks at you. There’s only one thing Luca would risk his position as Capo over, and that’s you.”
Oh God, if Luca lost his territory or the trust of his men because of me, he’d never forgive me.
“I think you are overestimating my worth. Luca’s first choice will always be the Famiglia.”
Dante tilted his head, regarding me like an asset. “And I think you are underestimating your worth for good reason.”
“I’m not. Luca won’t risk his territory. You don’t know him as well as I do.”
“And that’s the problem,” he said. “If Luca didn’t comply with our requests, I’d have to try to convince him.”
“By hurting me,” I said.
He nodded. “By hurting you. I’m not very fond of inflicting pain on women.” But he would have to. “Yet, the Outfit is where my concern lies.” He said it like he had made his choice.
“There’s still Matteo, and the rest of the Famiglia. Luca has to consider their wishes.”
“Luca knows how to make people see things how he wants them to see them. Luca is the strongest Capo New York has seen in a long time. His men look up to him, but they don’t know his weakness.”
I was his weakness.
Tears burned my eyes. I had never meant to turn Luca weak, and I had to make sure he didn’t appear that way in front of his enemies, because that’s what Dante was. I took a deep breath. “Luca will do anything to stay Capo. It’s in his blood. Ultimately if he has to choose between me and power, he will choose power, believe me.” I met Dante’s cold gaze and hoped he couldn’t see that my words were a lie.
Dante didn’t say anything for a while, only stared at me. “Perhaps. But perhaps you are only trying to save yourself and Luca. Perhaps you realize that you being here could mean the end of the Famiglia.”
“No matter what you do to me, Luca won’t give up his territory. Luca won’t bow down to anyone.”
“But he won’t stand back and have you tortured.”
I jerked in my seat, shock widening my eyes before I could mask it, and Dante’s lips curled into a knowing smile.
Damn the mafia. Damn Dante and his manipulation. I forced down my panic and said firmly, “He won’t. He will attack Chicago and kill every man. He will show strength, not weakness. Luca is the most ruthless man I know, Dante, and I’ve grown up knowing you. Don’t mistake his possessiveness for anything else. I’m his possession, and he will tear down your city and your home to get it back.” I had to force out every word past the lump in my throat, through my fear. I had to be strong for Luca, couldn’t allow Dante to use me against him. I would do anything for Luca.
Dante leaned forward, his eyes hard. “And I will do the same with New York. You grew up seeing my civilized mask, Aria. Don’t mistake it for my true nature. Luca carries his monster on the outside; I keep mine buried until I need it.”
I didn’t doubt it. Luca would attack and Dante would retaliate. People would die. Maybe my sisters, maybe Fabi. Maybe Luca. And I could not allow it. I went through my options. I could try to kill myself, but then Luca would definitely burn down Chicago. I could try to beg Dante to spare me because I was a woman, but his unrelenting expression gave me little hope. Trying to seduce him was completely out of the question, not that he struck me as a man who would let his base instincts overrule logic, and there was Val. Not that I would ever kiss anyone but Luca. God, I was starting to lose my mind. My stomach twisted and my nausea crashed down on me so hard I reached for the door to get out but it was locked, of course.
“Aria,” Dante said in warning.
“I’m going to be sick,” I gasped out, and one look at my face and he unlocked the car. I stumbled out and ran to the back of the car, then bent over and threw up my tea and the muffin I’d had in the afternoon. I supported myself on the trunk of the Mercedes, trying to catch my breath. Dante’s gray trouser legs appeared in my peripheral vision, but I wasn’t even embarrassed. I was past that point. Tears slid down my cheeks as I clung to the car.
“Here,” Dante said quietly, holding out a tissue.
I took it with a mumbled “thanks,” then wiped my mouth. Bracing myself, I raised my head and met Dante’s gaze. He was frowning. “Is this fear or something else?” he asked.
I stared into his blue eyes. Dante was a father and Val was pregnant again. I had to trust that it would save me. I decided to go for the unflinching truth. “Both. I’ve never been more scared of you than I am today.”
Dante’s expression didn’t change, but that didn’t mean my words didn’t have a tiny effect on him. I needed to hope they did.
“But that’s not it,” I said, then hesitated. Either admitting to a pregnancy would save Luca and me, or condemn him and the Famiglia. “I am pregnant.”