Filed to story: Bound by Honor (Aria & Luca) Drama Story
“No… no, I can’t.”
I didn’t ask why. Orazio always made himself scarce. He was a ladies’ man, or so rumor had it and I assumed he’d rather spent the night with a conquest than with his sister and her two small kids, or his boss. He and Dante had never really become family. It was difficult for Orazio to ignore the fact that Dante was his Capo.
“I need to hang up now. See you later.”
“Until then,” I said. It sounded as if Orazio was in a car.
“Who was that?” Anna asked curiously.
“Uncle Orazio. He’s coming to visit this afternoon.”
“Yay!”
I grinned at her obvious delight then grabbed Leonas and stood. “Come. Let’s find Zita to tell her she needs to bake Orazio’s favorite cake.”
After talking to Zita and Gabby, I headed into Dante’s office to tell him about Orazio’s visit. He preferred to know who set foot into our mansion. His protectiveness hadn’t really lessened since he had two small kids to worry about. I knocked then stepped in. Anna immediately rushed toward her dad and he hoisted her up on his lap.
Dante’s brows furrowed in concern. The Famiglia situation had weighed heavily on him these last few days. “Is this a reminder that I’m working too much?”
“Yes!” Anna bellowed, beaming up at Dante. He wrapped an arm around her with a chuckle. “All right.”
“Orazio called. He’s coming over for coffee.”
Dante’s demeanor shifted at once, becoming vigilant and focused. “He did? Where is he now?”
I pursed my lip. “I suppose in Chicago? Isn’t he helping my father?” Dante’s question threw me off, and at the same time worried me.
“Neither your father nor I could reach him since yesterday.”
“He said he had a fight with Papa. Maybe he needed time to cool off.”
“That’s what Pietro said.”
“You asked Pietro if Orazio had returned to Minneapolis.”
Dante looked down at Anna who’d begun drawing on one of the papers on his desk. But I had a feeling he was also doing it on purpose to avoid my eyes. “I prefer to know about the whereabouts of my men.”
Then it dawned on me and indignation rose in me. “You can’t seriously consider Orazio doing anything against the Outfit. He’s my brother, Dante. For God’s sake, please don’t drag our family even more into this war than we already are.”
Dante looked up with a pained expression. “I never meant to drag you into this. But it’s inevitable.”
Anna glanced between us. We tried not to argue in front of her and I already regretted my outburst but since the war had begun Dante suspected enemies at every corner. If his paranoia now extended to family that was simply too much.
Dante stood and set Anna down on his desk chair. “Can you draw a picture of us?”
Anna nodded and bent over the sheet with a look of acute concentration on her gorgeous face. Leonas shifted in my hold and I rocked him gently so he wouldn’t start crying.
Dante righted his vest before he headed my way, touching my shoulder. “I don’t suspect Orazio, Val. But his conflict with your father is something that concerns me greatly. He needs to make peace with him and step up to his duties.”
I didn’t catch a hint of deceit on Dante’s face but still a small part of me stayed worried. “I know,” I said quietly. “Dad expects a lot from Orazio but my brother wants to have a little freedom. Maybe that’s why he’s not willing to settle down with one of the possible brides Dad keeps pushing on him.”
“At some point, he needs to marry.”
“Not everyone wants to settle for less than love,” I said, even if I wasn’t sure if a wish for love held Orazio back or if he just wanted to keep having fun.
“We didn’t settle,” Dante said firmly, pulling me closer but careful not to squish our sleeping son. “We worked for our love, and we were rewarded.”
I cocked an eyebrow with a teasing smile. “We?”
Dante sighed and kissed my mouth. “You did all the work in the beginning, I know. If it wasn’t for your stubborn streak, I’d still be-“
“…sulking in your office?”
A hint of exasperation flickered in his eyes. “…caught up in the past.”
“Done!” Anna exclaimed.
“I’ll talk to Orazio,” I promised.
“I’ll have a word with him today as well.”
“Don’t go all Capo on him.”