He’s my driver, and he somehow managed to find a spot at the curb.I can only imagine how he must have watched for hours, waiting for something to open up as he rolled past again and again.I hope he doesn’t expect me to feel sorry for him.
“He drives me to and from school,” I explain.Please, don’t let them ask for more details.
“I might need to come home with you one day,” Olivia decides.Maddie takes another look at him, then blushes, looking at the ground.He must have returned the stare.
“Seriously,” I insist while my skin crawls with discomfort.“He’s not worth it.I’m sure there are a hundred guys around here who would be worth going after.”I turn to look at him again, and he lifts his brows, expectant.Okay then.Message received.
After exchanging numbers with the girls, I brace myself for whatever is about to happen before turning on my heel and walking over to where he waits.
“Please, take your time,” he mutters, opening the back door for me.“I have nothing better to do than stand here and add money to the meter.”
“I’m five minutes earlier than I would’ve been if class got out at its regular time,” I retort.
“Your little friends had better not make you late every day, or we’re going to have a problem,” he warns.I look up in time to see his expression harden when he looks in their direction.I don’t want to follow his gaze, since it would seem obvious we’re talking about them, but I would bet they’re waiting around to watch us leave.“And don’t even think about trying to go against what your father wants.If you want to make plans with those girls, go right ahead, but don’t drag me into it.”
How did he know?Who am I kidding?He’s the sneakiest, most devious person alive.I’m sure he knows every trick in the book, probably another reason why Papa assigned him to me.He would rather force me to spend time with someone I loathe, somebody who has caused so much pain, than allow me to be an adult.And dammit, I’m sick of it.
I’m a lot shorter than Alessandro, but standing straight and tall helps the difference feel less extreme.“The last time I checked, you were employed by my family.So it’s your job to do as you’re told.Don’t forget you wouldn’t be working for my family if you hadn’t almost killed my sister-in-law, so excuse me if I don’t give a shit whether or not I get you in trouble and make you lose your job.”
A wave of pride slams into me, and miraculously, much of the anger bubbling in my chest settles.Finally, somebody toldhimwhatheneeds to hear.
Then something happens.A change in him.Almost like his features shift and rearrange themselves into something dark and sinister.His eyes turn to two pieces of flint, brutal and merciless, while his lips tighten to a thin slash across the bottom of his face.
Yes, he did almost kill my sister-in-law, didn’t he?
And here I am, kicking the hornet’s nest when I should know better.Dread skitters its way down my back, making icy fear pool low in my belly.Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.
But just as quickly as he changed, he flips back to his bland, unamused expression.His silence speaks volumes as he opens the back door so I can get into the car.I’m shaking a little as I do, but push my fear away as he slides behind the wheel.
I don’t want him to see how freaked out I am.
Although I get the feeling he probably knows.
4
ALESSANDRO
There was once a time I was supposed to lead my family into the future.It’s the role I was groomed to fill—a lifelong apprenticeship, the one, single goal at the end of a long road.
Look where it led me.
“Nobody told you?”The curly-haired brat I thought I was only supposed to drive to and from class is in front of me at the foot of the staircase on Friday night, tapping her foot on the shining floor.The front door is only fifteen, maybe twenty feet away.I was that close to escaping for the night.
After hours spent hanging around with nothing better to do than wait for her to finish classes this week, I had the chance to go home and unwind.Even though I’ve spent the time at my apartment in the city while Giulia is at school, there’s no way to relax when I know the clock is ticking, and I’ll have to leave soon.I’ve done a lot of pacing, fidgeting, and taking walks with no destination in mind.
It’s not exactly hell, but it’s not exactly fun, either.It’s more like endless purgatory.
“Told me what?”I ask, looking her up and down.There’s nothing obviously out of the ordinary, except for her being dressed in something other than her usual T-shirt and leggings, which seem to be a uniform she pulls on whenever she’s bumming around the house.But there isn’t anything unusual about a plain top and a pair of jeans.
“I have a study group tonight.In the city with my friends.”
Bullshit.I wonder if I should look down and check my shoes to make sure I didn’t step in any.“Oh, really?At seven thirty on a Friday night?At the end of your first week?You’re studying together?”I ask.
She shrugs and rolls her eyes, no surprise.“Ask my papa.Really, it’s none of your business what I’m going into the city for.But he approved it, so you’re driving me.”
Right, like I’m going to believe that without confirmation.It would have been nice for Rocco to let me know personally, but I’m sure he thinks he’s too busy for basic courtesy.I can almost feel her breath on the back of my neck as she follows me down the hall, her flip-flops snapping rhythmically with every step.
He’s in his study, as usual, and scowls when he glances up to see that I’m the one who rapped against his open door with my knuckles.“Excuse me,” I murmur, pretending the words don’t curdle in my mouth—courtesy toward a Santoro.Life keeps getting more bizarre all the time.“I understand I’m taking Giulia into the city tonight?”
