Page 110

“Hey girl, I’m at your school. Brought snacks.”
My stomach clenches again, but this time in excitement. “Just wait wherever you are. I’m coming over to you,” I nearly yell into the phone, then head toward the courtyard where I know she’ll be.
Mia is sitting on a bench, a plastic bag of snacks beside her. The moment she sees me, she grins and waves. “Thought you might need a pick-me-up.”
I plop down next to her, pulling out a small packet of crackers. “You know me too well.”
She watches me for a moment before casually saying, “By the way, I’ve already started compiling a report on Elio Donatelli. I was thinking of including an interview with you.”
My hands freeze. The cracker stops mid-way to my mouth, crumbs falling down on my skirt.
Mia notices my expression immediately. “What?”
I set the snack down, my appetite suddenly going away with the wind. “Mia… you can’t do that.”
She frowns. “Why not? You know what he is, Aria. The world deserves to know the truth.”
My head shakes from side to side. “Elio is a criminal, yes. But he’s also a good man. He protects the innocent. He saved my father’s life when he had no reason to. He did it without telling me…without expecting anything in return.”
Mia scoffs. “That doesn’t erase everything else he’s done. Or who he truly is.”
“I know that,” I say firmly. “But if you publish that report, you’ll be putting different targets on his back; the cops, business rivals, other mafias. And whether you like it or not, he’s still the father of my child. If something happens to him, it affects me. It affects my baby, my life.”
She studies me for a long moment, then sighs. “Fine. I won’t publish it. Months of hard work down the drain. But I’m doing this only for my future godchild, not for him.”
Relief floods through me. “Thank you, Mia.”
She pushes the snack bag toward me. “Now, eat. You need to keep your strength up.”
I pick up the cracker again, but this time, it tastes different, as if Mia’s news erased the nutty taste which I’ve always loved.
Chapter thirty-seven
Elio
“Deputy Chief,” I nod firmly when I see him seated in a corner of the restaurant. A few workers greet me, but I don’t respond as I make a beeline for Karl Abruzzi.
When I reach him, he stretches out his hand for a firm handshake. “Donatelli.”
I acknowledge his nod with mine as I firmly shake his hand. Since the incident with the Morettis, we’ve only spoken once, when he thanked me for saving his life. But I know his sudden request for an audience means something.
The chair relinquishes a squeaking sound as I adjust myself in it, all the while holding his gaze, which, by the way, gives nothing away, contrary to his tense demeanor.
“I know the truth...your truth,” he begins in a smooth tone, moving the bottle of wine aside as if to clear any distractions between us.
Of course, he does. I knew what I was risking when I went to save him in all my mafia glory. I don’t say anything but continue to hold his gaze. If he wanted to compromise my identity to the public, he’d have done so already.
He breathes deeply. “But that doesn’t mean I hold it against you. You saved my life, Donatelli. I don’t know what would have happened if you didn’t show up when you did. For that, I am eternally grateful.”
“However, as you know, the two of us are on the extreme opposite sides of the law,” he continues in a much lower voice, glancing around briefly. “And so are you and my daughter.”
I clench my jaw, releasing a deep breath. I can sense where this is heading.
“Aria is still a young girl just starting out in life, and I don’t see both of you being together helping her in her personal life...or in her career.”
My heart quakes as I look him dead in the eyes. Finally, his stoic expression gives way to something I know all too well: Resolve. He cannot compromise.
“Now don’t get me wrong, Donatelli,” he straightens his spine, pursing his lips before continuing, “I think I know how much shemeans to you... but I also know you’re not what’s best for Aria, and I’m sure you know that, too.”