Chapter 18: Bound By Temptation: Chapter 17

Liliana

Romero had just killed a member of the Outfit for me. Our eyes met, and cold fear spread in my chest like fog. Romero wiped his knife clean on my husband’s pant leg before he sheathed it in its holder.

My throat constricted as I walked toward him. “This means war.”

“We can come up with a story. I’ll pretend I’ve lost my mind. I’ve been lusting for you forever but you were never interested in me and today I snapped, and barged into your bedroom and attacked your husband, who tried to defend himself with the letter opener, which I then used to stab him. We can make it look like I tried to rape you so nobody suspects you were involved. Nobody would doubt it the way you look.” He stroked my cheek. “The bastard died too quickly for how he treated you.”

I couldn’t believe he was suggesting something like that. It was bad enough that I’d dragged him into this at all. I wouldn’t make him look like a disgusting rapist to save my own hide. “I won’t pretend you tried to rape me. You are the only man I want to be with.”

Romero bridged the distance between us again and wrapped me in a tight embrace. His smell, his warmth, the way my body perfectly fit against his; this felt right. My eyes found Benito on the ground. I’d tried to be his wife and failed, but I couldn’t be sad about it. I’d never wanted this, and he’d known it from the start. He would have forced himself on me, maybe that didn’t deserve a death sentence but he lived in a world where death was almost always the punishment. His eyes were still open and it seemed they were staring straight through me. The longer I stared at him, the worse their look seemed to get. I shivered violently.

Romero pushed me gently away. “Don’t look at him.” He walked toward the body and turned Benito so he was facing the ground, and no longer me. And just like that I felt better. He was still dead, but at least he wasn’t looking at me with that reproachful expression anymore.

I stumbled toward the bed and sank down. My legs were too shaky to hold me. Romero stood for a moment before he joined me. He brushed his thumb over my cheek, catching a few stray tears. I hadn’t even noticed I’d started crying again. “He’s dead now. He can’t hurt you ever again,” he said roughly. “Nobody will ever hurt you again. I won’t allow it.”

“If you confess to murdering Benito, you’ll be killed and then you won’t be around to protect me from anything.” Maybe it was a low move to play the guilt card but I couldn’t let Romero take the blame.

Romero’s gaze settled on Benito and the puddle of blood slowly spreading around him, turning the beige carpet into a sea of red. “We can’t cover this up. Even if we got him out of the house without anyone noticing, we could never get the blood out of the carpet. People would suspect something. Someone will have to take the blame for this.”

I buried my face in my hands, desperation clawing through my insides. “I should have let him have me. I should have endured it like so many other woman before me. But I had to act like a selfish bitch.”

“No,” Romero said sharply, wedging a finger below my chin and tilting my face up. “I’m glad you stabbed him. I’m glad he’s dead. I’m glad he didn’t get what he doesn’t deserve. You are way too good and beautiful for this bastard.”

I leaned forward and kissed Romero. I would have deepened the kiss, despite everything, would have lost myself in Romero as I always did, but he was more reasonable than I and pulled away. “I have to call Luca. As his soldier, I need to confess to him at least, and then it’s up to him to decide what happens next.”

“And what if he decides to kill you so he can keep the peace with Chicago?” I asked quietly. “You know how angry he was when he found out about us. Even Aria couldn’t convince him to risk war for me.”

For a long time Romero merely looked at me, then he picked up his phone and lifted it to his ear. “Then I’ll accept his judgment.”

“No,” I said suddenly. I shoved his phone away. “Let me call Aria. She can reason with Luca. He listens to her.”

Romero smiled sadly. “This is something even Aria can’t do anything about. Luca is Capo and if he needs to make decisions that protect the Famiglia, he won’t let Aria mess with his mind. You said it yourself. He refused to listen to Aria.”

“Please.”

“I need to do this. I can’t hide behind you or Aria like a coward.” He raised the phone again and this time I didn’t stop him. He was right. Luca would probably be pissed if I tried to use Aria to manipulate him.

I held my breath as I waited for Luca to pick up.

“Luca, I need you to come to Benito’s room.” I heard Luca’s raised voice on the other end but couldn’t make out what he said. It didn’t sound nice. “Yes, I’m there. You should hurry.”

“Damn it!” Luca growled loud enough for me to hear, then he hung up. Romero lowered his phone slowly and put it back into his pocket.

I took his hand, needing to convince myself that he was really there.

Romero glared at Benito’s body but he didn’t try to tell me things would be okay. I was glad he didn’t try to lie to me. I rested my cheek against Romero’s shoulder.

There was a soft knock. I straightened, but my grip on Romero’s hand tightened. I didn’t want to let him go. Once Luca saw what had happened, I might never get the chance to touch Romero’s hand again, at least not while it was still warm. I shuddered when I remembered Mother’s lifeless corpse. I wouldn’t allow that to happen to Romero.

Romero kissed my forehead, then he untangled himself from my grip and got up. I rose too, my eyes darting to Benito. Anger for him welled up in me. If he’d never stepped into my life, then I could have been happy. But Father would probably have found another horrible husband for me. Fear corded up my throat as I watched Romero push down the handle and open the door. What if Luca really decided to kill Romero as punishment?

Romero didn’t open the door all the way, so Aria had to slip in. She sucked in a harsh breath at the sight of my dead husband, then she rushed over to me and clutched my shoulders, but my eyes were frozen on Luca who had walked in after her. His gaze settled on Benito, on the letter opener still stuck in his side and on the hole in the shirt where Romero’s knife had gone in. Romero closed the door noiselessly but didn’t move away. I wished he’d bring some distance between himself and Luca. It was a ridiculous notion. It wouldn’t protect him.

“My God, Lily,” Aria said shrilly. I couldn’t remember the last time she’d sounded so scared. I met her gaze.

“What happened? Are you okay?” she asked. She ran her hands over my arms, her eyes lingering on my ripped skirt.

I didn’t reply. Luca had started moving toward the body and knelt beside it, scanning the scene without saying a single word. His face was stone. This was it. Suddenly I was sure that Romero and I wouldn’t find Luca’s mercy today. Maybe Aria would manage to convince Luca to protect me, but Romero wouldn’t be so lucky. I knew I wouldn’t be able to watch him die.

Luca raised his head very slowly and fixed me with a look that turned my blood to ice. “What happened here?”

I glanced at Romero. Did he want me to tell the truth? Or should I lie? There had to be a story that wouldn’t make Luca angry enough to want to kill us.

Luca straightened. “I want the fucking truth!”

“Luca,” Aria scolded. “Lily is obviously in shock. Give her a moment.”

“We don’t have a fucking moment. We have a dead Outfit member in a room with us. Things will get ugly very soon.”

Aria squeezed my shoulder lightly. “Lily, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said. “He didn’t have time to hurt me.”

She pursed her lips but didn’t argue.

“Enough,” Luca said harshly. He turned to Romero. “I want answers. Remember your oath.”

Romero looked like a man resigned to his fate. It scared me senseless. “I always do.”

Luca jabbed a finger toward the dead body. “That doesn’t look like it. Or are you saying that Liliana did this alone?”

“Liliana is innocent,” Romero said firmly. He never called me Liliana. What was he trying to do? “Benito was still alive when I arrived. She’d stabbed him with the letter opener because he attacked her. It was self-defense on her part.”

“Self-defense?” Luca muttered. His grey eyes fixed me. “What did he do?”

“He tried to force himself on her,” Romero said for me.

“I didn’t ask you!” Luca growled. Aria let go of me and walked toward him and put a hand on his arm. He ignored her completely as he said, “And if he tried to consummate the marriage, nobody in this fucking house will see it as self-defense. Benito had a fucking right on her body. He was her husband for god’s sake!”

Romero took a step forward but stopped himself.

“You can’t be serious,” Aria said, eyes imploring.

“You know the rules, Aria. I’m stating the facts,” Luca said in a much calmer voice.

Aria always had that effect on him. “I don’t care. A husband doesn’t have the right to rape his wife. Everyone in this house should agree on that!”

I shivered. The events of the evening were catching up with me. I just wanted to lie down in Romero’s arms and forget everything. Romero came over to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

Luca narrowed his eyes. “I told you this would end in disaster. So let me guess, Liliana stabbed her husband, called you and you finished the fucking job to have her for yourself.”

“Yes,” Romero said. “And to protect her. If he’d survived he would have blamed Liliana and she would have been punished harshly by the Outfit.”

Luca let out a dark chuckle. “And now she won’t? They will put her on trial and they will not only punish her harshly. They will also accuse us of having set this up and then there will be a fucking bloodbath. Dante is a cold fish but he needs to show strength. He will proclaim war in no time. All because you can’t control your dick and your heart.”

“As if you could do it. You’d take down anyone who’d try to take Aria away from you,” Romero said.

“But Aria is my wife. That’s a huge difference.”

“If it was up to me, Lily would have been my wife for months.”

I stared at him in surprise. He’d never mentioned marrying me. My heart swelled with happiness, only to turn to stone at the sight of Luca’s expression. “Someone is going to pay for this,” he said darkly. He paused. “As Capo of the New York Famiglia I need to put the blame on Liliana and hope Dante buys it and doesn’t start a war.”

That would mean my certain death. Maybe Dante wouldn’t give the orders himself but he would have to submit me to my father’s judgment and I didn’t expect any mercy from him. He hated Gianna for what she’d done and that wasn’t nearly as horrendous as my crime.

“You can’t do that,” Aria whispered. Her knuckles were turning white from her tight grip on his forearm.

Romero let go of me and walked a few steps toward the center of the room where he got down on his knees and held out his arms wide. “I’m going to take the full blame for this. Tell them I lost my mind and ran after Liliana because I’ve been wanting her for months. I killed Benito when he tried to defend Lily and himself, but before I could rape her, you noticed I was missing and went in search of me. Then there won’t be war between the Outfit and New York, and Lily will get the chance at a new life.”

“If that’s the story we want them to believe, there’s something missing,” Luca said.

Romero nodded. He met Luca’s gaze straight on. “I will put my life down for this. Shoot me.”

I staggered forward. “No!” Aria, too, screamed the same word.

Luca and Romero ignored us, locked in a silent staring contest. I stepped between them. I didn’t care if that went against some secret mafia rule. I walked toward Luca. From the corner of my eye I saw Romero getting up. He looked like he was worried about me getting close to Luca but I wasn’t worried for me. If Luca killed Romero because of me that would be the end of me. I’d never be able to live with myself.

“Please,” I whispered, peering up into Luca’s emotionless face. “Please don’t kill him. I’ll do anything, just please don’t. I can’t live without him.” Tears started streaming down my face.

Romero put his hands on my shoulders and pulled me back against him. “Lily, don’t. I’m a soldier of the Famiglia. I broke my oath to always put the Famiglia first, and I have to accept the due punishment.”

“I don’t care about any oaths. I don’t want to lose you,” I said as I turned in his grip.

Aria lay her palms flat against Luca’s chest. “Please, Luca, don’t punish Romero for protecting someone he loved. He and Lily belong together. I beg you.” She said the last in the barest whisper. I wanted to hug her, but I was scared to move. She and Luca were gazing at each other and I didn’t want to break their silent understanding, especially if it saved Romero’s life. I glanced up at Romero. He looked so calm, nothing like someone whose life could end any moment.

Luca finally tore his eyes away from my sister and gently removed her hands from his chest. “I can’t base my decisions on feelings. I’m Capo and have to make decisions that benefit my Famiglia.”

Romero nodded, then he walked past me and stood across from Luca. I began shaking, completely terrified. Aria’s wide eyes settled on me.

“You are my best soldier. The Famiglia needs you, and I don’t trust anyone with Aria as I do with you,” Luca said. He put a hand on Romero’s shoulder. “War has been inevitable for a while. I won’t end your life to postpone it for a few fucking months. We’ll stand together.”

I almost sagged with relief. Aria rushed over to me and hugged me tightly. My moment of euphoria was short-lived however.

“Of course, we might not get out of this house with our lives,” Luca added. “We’re surrounded by the enemy now.”

“Most guests are either drunk or asleep. We could try to sneak out. By the time they notice Benito’s missing tomorrow morning, we’ll be back in New York,” Romero said. A flicker of relief showed on his face. I wanted to be in his arms but he and Luca needed to deal with our dilemma, a dilemma I’d started. What if we really didn’t get out alive? The Outfit outnumbered us greatly. This was their territory and we were thousands of miles away from reinforcement.

“I’ll have to call Matteo and Gianna. They need to come here so we can figure out the best way to get out of this house,” Luca said, already raising his phone to his ear.

Romero strode over to me and smoothed the crease between my brows. I pressed up against him. Aria headed for Luca, giving us space.

“I was so scared,” I whispered.

Romero buried his face in my hair. “I know.”

“Weren’t you? It was your life on the line.”

“My life has been on the line since I’ve become a Made Man. I’ve grown used to it. The one thing that fucking scared me today was when I had to watch you walk toward your wedding night with that asshole Benito. I wanted to kill him then. I’ve wanted to kill him every day since I found out you were forced to marry him. I’m glad that I finally did.”

“Me too,” I said, then rose to my tiptoes and kissed his lips.

“Damn it. Matteo isn’t picking up his fucking phone.”

“Do you think something happened to them?” Aria asked.

Romero let out a small laugh, and exchanged a look with Luca.

“The only thing happening is that he’s probably fucking your sister’s brains out right now and ignores his fucking phone,” Luca said.

I wrinkled my nose. Of course I knew my sisters had sex, I just didn’t want to be reminded of it, or worse: imagine it. “Can’t we go over to their room?”

Luca shook his head. “It’s farther away from the back entrance.” He dialed again. “Damn it!”

“We should carry Benito into the bathroom and cover the blood stain in the carpet with something. That way if someone walks in tomorrow morning, it might buy us a bit more time.”

Luca shoved his phone into his pocket, then gripped Benito by the feet while Romero took the arms. I shuddered as I watched them carry the corpse into the adjoining bathroom. My husband was like a sack of flour in their hold.

“You should get out of your wedding dress and wear something more sensible,” Aria suggested softly. She touched my arm lightly, drawing my eyes away from the dead body. After a moment, I nodded. Luca and Romero came back out of the bathroom and discussed how best to go about our flight.

I grabbed jeans and a pullover from my bag in the corner, before heading toward the bathroom to change in peace, but froze in the doorway. Benito was sprawled out in the bathtub. I didn’t want to be alone with a dead man. Bile traveled up my throat.

“Hey,” Romero said gently, coming up behind me. “Do you want me to come with you?”

I nodded merely and finally stepped into the bathroom. Romero entered after me. I quickly got out of my dress with his help. “Somehow I always imagined it would be different when I’d help you out of your wedding dress,” he murmured.

I laughed breathlessly. I dropped the dress unceremoniously on the ground. For me it was only a symbol for the worst day of my life. I wasn’t sad to be rid of it. Maybe one day I’d get the chance to have another wedding, one I’d want, with a husband I loved. I changed into my other clothes.

Romero picked the dress up, and for a crazy moment I thought he wanted to keep it for our own future wedding. “What are you doing?”

“I want to cover the blood stain in the bedroom with it. Nobody will get suspicious if your wedding dress lies on the floor after your wedding night.” He headed out of the room and set the dress down on the ground.

Luca nodded. “Good. Now let’s get going. I don’t want to risk staying here a moment longer than absolutely necessary.” He held out his hand for Aria, who took it. I suspected the tension between them would be over after tonight. The way they looked at each other gave me hope that Luca would forgive her for her secrecy. After pulling his gun, he opened the door and peered out into the corridor.

“Stay close to me,” Romero told me, drawing his own gun and grasping my hand with his free one.

Luca gave a curt nod, then pushed the door open wider and stepped out, Aria a step behind him. Romero led me after them. Nobody said anything. The long corridor was empty but from below you could hear scattered laughter and music from the party. The smell of smoke travelled up. Immediately I was reminded of Benito’s breath and the taste of his tongue in my mouth. I shoved the thought out of my mind.

I needed to focus. I really hoped none of the guests would decide to head our way. Luca or Romero would have to shoot them. What if it was someone I knew? I didn’t even want to think about it. Aria glanced over her shoulder at me as Luca pulled her along. The same worry I felt was reflected on her face.