“It could have been bad for Giorgio too,” Savio said. “That whole ride home. Dad could have snapped and killed him at any time.”
That thought terrified me more than anything.
Apparently, right around the time that Giorgio was going to visit with Lucia, my father also took a trip to confront Romeo and make him stop waiting at Lucia’s side and instead return to work. Romeo told him he wouldn’t, to the point that he was ready to be disowned as a Cavetti rather than leave her side. Due to the fact that both Giorgio and Angelo were headed back to the Cavetti estate after the hospital trip, they rode back together in the same car, leaving all of us shocked that he hadn’t killed the man out of pure spite.
“The other weird thing,” I said, “is that he hasn’t said anything about Lucia coming back here. I mean, eventually, Luciaisgoing to wake up. Is he really going to let Romeo bring her back here knowing she’s such a distraction from his duties?”
“I’ve been expecting locksmiths ever since he told me what happened,” Marcello said, “but it’s like I said, he’s not actingat allas I expected him to. Something is definitely up.”
“Maybe Romeo just called his bluff? Romeo’s his son. Perhaps he’s angry but realizes that it’s best to just stand down,” Savio said, and both Marcello and I turned concerned gazes on him. “What?”
“Ourfather? Angelo Cavetti, standing down? Do you not know him?” I asked. “You, of all people, should know that he’s not above torturing his own children.”
Savio fell quiet at that. We held eye contact with each other for a while before he finally averted his gaze as Marcello started up again. “Regardless,” he said. “We need to remain vigilant. Continue getting our work done, Savio, and Natalia, you need to keep your head down and stay out of trouble.”
“Yes sir,” I said flatly, knowing that had always been my job. I was never involved, never got to do anything worth mentioning in my family – a statue for all intents and purposes.
Dinner that night was bleak and quiet. My father never came to the table, and of course, Romeo and Lucia weren’t there, leaving just us three. I briefly wondered what was the depth of the relationship between Marcello, Savio, and the twins. I wasn’t dumb nor blind. I’d seen the change in Savio for a while, but Marcello was different too. My nightly trips to Giorgio’s room often had me sneaking around them while they were on their way to or from the twins’ rooms, and though Giorgio never fully confirmed it, he suggested that his sisters had givensomethingaway at the wedding.
The Bonifacios and Cavettis were mixed beyond recognition now. Maybethatwas why my father hadn’t lost his cool yet. If he knew more than he was letting on, he might be biding his time until he could strike in a much worse way later on. He could bespecificallywaiting until Lucia was back in the estate so that he could take all four Bonifacios out in one fell swoop.
However.
Beneath the table, my hand drifted up and rested on my stomach.
Lucia was pregnant with the next generation of our legacy. No, Angelo Cavetti didn’t give a single flying fuck about anyone with whom he shared blood, but growing his empire was something that hedidcare about. For that reason, I couldn’t see him killing Lucia, at least not yet. Perhaps the same concept could spare Giorgio as well.
Or maybe it’d kill him faster.
“What are we going to do about the Bonifacios?” Savio asked.
Marcello locked eyes with him, and they shared a silent, heated moment. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Savio side-eyed me and then looked across at Marcello again. “Yes, you do.”
Marcello shook his head. “The Bonifacios are our prisoners until Angelo says otherwise.”
“So even after everything, it’s still up to him?” I asked. “Gianni wasn’t killed.”
My stomach started to twist remembering the sight of my brother standing at that altar with Lucia clenched in his grip. If I hadn’t been there to stop him, Giorgio would have gotten involved and there was no doubt in my mind he’d be dead right now. It made my head pound just to think about.
“You okay?” Savio asked me. “You look sick all of a sudden.”
All of a sudden I actuallydidfeel sick. “I don’t know, I think maybe something we’re eating isn’t sitting well with me.”
“It’s work talk fucking with you,” Marcello said. “If you want, you can go. We won’t discuss this stuff in the future around…”
“I’m not some damsel in fucking distress,” I snapped. “I’m sick of being left out of shit in this family.” Savio and Marcello’s jaws dropped, not used to hearing me use such indecent language. “Sorry,” I quickly covered. “I’ll just go.”
I stood up with both boys looking at me with lowered gazes, but I ignored them and left the dining room behind. Instead of going to Giorgio’s room, I headed down to mine. Hopefully, he’d be okay on his own for one night. I just felt like being alone.
I’d only barely made it to the bathroom before my stomach turned over. The toilet was too far, but I was able to make it to the sink to curl over and release the bile churning up. The pregnancy test I’d bought was still sitting on my sink, unopened. I reached out, thinking it was time to confirm what I already believed to be true, but then I stopped.
I could procrastinate a little bit longer, at least until Lucia came back from the hospital. Giorgio was tense enough worrying if his sister was going to be okay, he didn’t need to worry about a baby on top of all of that. Besides, as soon as I confirmed that I was pregnant, not only was I going to have to tell him, I was going to have to come clean to my brothers.
And pray to any god that would listen that my father didn’t find out and kill Giorgio immediately.
22
