Mafiosa (Blood for Blood #3)(98)
‘That’s who you are,’ I said, knowing in my heart that it was true.
He pressed his lips against mine. That feeling, familiar and strong, came over me again.
‘When I’m with you, it feels like coming home,’ he said. ‘I feel like I finally belong somewhere. You’re my somewhere, Sophie.’
I pressed his hand against my heart so he could feel it racing beneath his fingertips. ‘I’m going to go into cardiac arrest if you’re not careful.’
His laugh was low and breathy. He slid his hand into my hair, his thumb caressing my cheek as I smiled against it. ‘Just imagine how I feel every time you smile at me.’
I stood in the heat of his gaze and let myself burn. ‘So, what now, Luca?’
‘We’ll have to lie low for a while, until the dust settles, until we’re safe to move on.’ He tipped my chin up with his index finger, a slow smile tugging at his lips. ‘But we’ll figure it out. Whatever happens, it will be an adventure.’
‘Can we lie low in Disneyland?’
Luca tried to force a frown, but his lips were still curving. ‘Trust you to lower the severity of the situation.’
‘I’m trying to be helpful,’ I pointed out.
‘Why don’t you leave the planning to me? I’m ridiculously intelligent, remember.’
I tapped my chin. ‘But I don’t respect your authority, remember?’
He grinned. ‘That’s why I love you so much.’
‘Because I don’t respect you?’
‘Because you infuriate me,’ he said, tapping my nose.
‘And I love you,’ I said, brushing my lips against his. ‘Because you’re so easy to infuriate.’
‘Mmm,’ he murmured, his mouth against mine.
‘Come with me.’ I dragged him back towards the house. I pulled out my phone and composed a quick text to Millie as we made our way back through the darkness.
Got your gift. He’s a little tired and unkempt, but I think I’ll keep him.
Her response was lightning fast.
Glorious news. Enjoy your lover, but don’t forget who your soulmate is ?
Never ?
We reached Evelina’s house, and I pulled him with me on to the porch and rapped my knuckles against the door. ‘I just want Millie to know that I’m OK. Especially if I won’t be seeing her for a while.’
‘I’ll make sure to reunite you two,’ he said, before adding, with much less confidence, ‘Once we figure out how to bury our underworld connections once and for all.’
‘Speaking of which …’ I said, looking at the net curtains as they rippled, and waving to let her know everything was fine.
Evelina swung the door open and took a step backwards into the hallway. ‘Sophie? Is everything OK?’
We stepped inside, out of the darkness, and I pushed Luca in front of me so he could see. So he could witness possibility made flesh before him. His grip in mine grew harder. ‘Mio Dio.’
Evelina gasped into her hands, her dark eyes wide with disbelief.
‘Evelina,’ Luca breathed, wonder trilling in his voice. ‘You’re alive.’
She dropped her hands, a smile lighting up her face. ‘La mia star, so are you.’
And then they were embracing each other, laughing and crying as they hugged, and when they finally broke apart, neither of them quite believing their eyes, I was crying, too. We huddled together in that hallway – three Mafia runaways escaping from the underworld, and coming to live inside the possibility of a better future.
The path was dark, but somewhere in the distance, there was a flicker of light.
We could see it now.
I could see it.
MAFIA BLOOD WAR ERUPTS AT MAYOR’S YACHT PARTY, KILLING SEVEN, INJURING TWELVE
A star-studded New Year’s Eve party ended in tragedy on Friday night as rival Mafia gangs went head-to-head in front of hundreds of terrified onlookers.
In a strike thought to be connected to the Christmas Day Marino Massacre, where eight men and two women lost their lives, Elena Genovese-Falcone, sister of Donata Marino and widow of deceased mob boss Angelo Falcone, confronted her sister aboard the mayor of Chicago’s private yacht party. Armed with a switchblade, she attacked the current Marino mob boss in front of shocked bystanders. Donata Marino died from a single stab wound in the chest. Witnesses report that Donata’s cousin, Romano Marino, immediately opened fire on the crowd, killing Elena Genovese-Falcone, her son Dominico Falcone, and nephew, Calvino Falcone Jr, a minor. Security guard Ronald Smythe and dental hygienist Dawn Fierri lost their lives in the shooting, while a further twelve partygoers were injured. Several witnesses reported seeing three men jumping from the upper deck of the yacht into the near-freezing Lake Michigan, but search and rescue missions have failed to recover any bodies, and have now been called off.
Gunman Romano Marino was shot and killed by an armed bodyguard as the mayor was rushed to safety. This latest shootout marks the culmination of a particularly bloody period in Chicago’s underworld, while Donata Marino’s death is believed to spell the end of the active Marino dynasty. Several members of the Falcone crime family remain at large, and are currently wanted by the police for questioning. Sources close to the family have claimed that Nicoli Falcone has recently assumed leadership of the infamous dynasty. Falcone is the younger brother of the recently deceased ‘blue-eyed assassin’ Valentino Falcone and son of the late Angelo ‘Angelmaker’ Falcone. He is purported to be the youngest boss in Falcone history. The identity of the underboss remains unknown.