Sweet Temptation by Cora Reilly

How could he have told my father? He might as well have announced it on the news!

I turned around and hurried out of the hospital room, almost colliding with Mia on my way out. She steadied me with a firm grip on my shoulder. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

I forced a smile. “I forgot about an appointment. I’m sorry. I need to leave.”

“Okay.” Hesitation and worry reflected on her face.

Elia, who’d waited in the corridor for me, fell into step beside me, but I motioned for him to give me some privacy as I called Dad.

He picked up after the second ring, his voice cheerful. Of course, he was ecstatic. “Giulia, how’s my grandson?”

“Don’t tell anyone, Dad. Don’t. Swear it.”

Silence on the other end. “What are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about. Daniele and Simona. Don’t tell anyone what Mansueto told you.”

“Giulia,” Dad began as if he was still talking to my naïve seven-year-old self.

“Dad, I mean it. I don’t want the news to get out. You are the only one who could spread it.” My steps became faster, but the additional weight of my belly made me slow, and I had to wait for the elevator because taking the staircase was out of the question.

“You can’t expect me to sit on information that can lead to my grandson, my own flesh and blood, to becoming Underboss. You should want that too. Do you want your son to be only a Captain and serve under the result of incestuous adultery?”

I gritted my teeth against the insult. Elia watched me worriedly as we took the elevator down to the underground garage. “I’m coming to Baltimore. Don’t talk to anyone. I’ll be there in two hours. Swear it.”

Dad sighed. “I swear it. I’m going to tell your mother to have the cooks prepare a nice dinner for us.”

I hung up. “We need to drive to Baltimore.”

Elia frowned. “To your parents’ home?”

“Yes. We have to leave right away.”

Elia led me toward the car and opened the door for me.

“You need to tell Cassio first.”

I sank down on the passenger seat as Elia slipped behind the steering wheel. I dialed Cassio’s number but got the busy signal. Luca was in town to talk to Cassio and Mansueto. Everyone knew that Mansueto didn’t have long. Maybe Cassio was in a conference call with other Underbosses and his Capo. “We can’t wait until I can reach him. It’s urgent.”

Elia gave a terse nod and pulled out of the parking garage. Traffic was horrendous, and my worry increased with every passing second. Eventually, Cassio called me back.

“Are you all right?” The worry in his voice warmed my insides.

“I’m fine. The baby’s fine too. Don’t worry. I’m on my way to my parents.”

“What’s the matter?”

I hated lying to Cassio, but I didn’t know what else to do. “My mother broke down today. I just want to make sure she’s fine, and they’ve been asking me to visit for a while.”

“Isn’t it too strenuous in your state?”

I huffed. “I’m pregnant, not sick.”

“Be careful. Elia is with you, I assume?”

“Of course. And my parents have their own bodyguards, not to mention Christian will be there as well.”

“That’s good. Unlike your father, he’s a capable man.”

Usually I defended my father, but today I couldn’t find the words. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning. I’ll have dinner with them and spend the night.”

“Okay,” Cassio said. In the background, I could hear male voices. “I love you,” he said quietly so no one but me could hear.

“And I love you.”

I hung up, more resolved than before. Elia regarded me closely. “Is there anything I should know?”

“No.” I softened the word with a smile. It was bad enough that Mansueto had told my father. Knowing him, he’d probably already passed the news on to Mom and Christian. It was only a matter of time before it spread like wildfire. I didn’t even want to imagine what it would do to Daniele and Simona.

I fell asleep after a while. Elia woke me when we pulled up in front of my old home. Elia got out and held the door open for me.

Mom and Dad waited on the porch, both of them beaming like a kid on Christmas morning. I wished it wasn’t because of something that could destroy the people I loved most in the world.

I headed toward them and hugged them briefly. Christian waited behind them for his turn. “You’re growing bigger every day.”

“That’s not something you should tell a woman,” I told Christian. “Are you alone?”

“The flu has taken hold of our house. I’m the last man standing.”

I smiled but it fell when I met Dad’s gaze.

“You must be hungry,” Mom said eagerly, motioning for me to follow her into the dining room. I gave Elia a small nod so he knew it was okay to leave. He went into our guard room.

We all settled at the table. Once the maid had served dinner and disappeared, I bridged the subject. “I assume Dad told you already?”

Christian nodded grimly. His tight expression made it clear he disapproved of it.

Mom pursed her lips. “You should be ecstatic, Giulia. This is your chance.”

My eyebrows shot up. How was that my chance? I wasn’t going to become Underboss. “I don’t want the news to get out.”

“You should want what’s best for your child,” Dad said in a reprimanding voice.

I exploded. “Is that so? Was it for my best when you married me off to a man you described as the cruelest Underboss in the Famiglia, a man almost twice my age? Was that for my best or yours, Dad?”

Dad’s face became stone. He glared down at his plate. I almost felt guilty because despite all his faults, I loved him. He’d been a better father than many other men in our world.

“How can you speak in that tone to your father? Show some respect,” Mom hissed.

I took a bite of the beef tenderloin, trying to stay calm. Keeping a level head had become more difficult since pregnancy hormones were in play. “I respect you, but your ambition is going to ruin everything. I don’t care if this baby becomes Underboss. I want only the best for him, but becoming a leader in our world isn’t part of it.”

“You were always a dreamer, Giulia. It’s what I love about you,” Dad said, breaking through my rising anger until his next words. “But as a man, I can’t afford irrational daydreams. I know the realities of our life. And the truth is that all that matters is a position of power. I won’t have the son of a cheating whore as an Underboss. Our grandson will rule over Philadelphia and no one else.”

“Dad,” Christian began with a frown.

“No, I won’t discuss the matter further. Once you’re Underboss next year, you can make the decisions, but now it’s still my word ruling in this home and city. I don’t care if I have to tell the truth to every member of the Famiglia myself as long as it means our blood will rule in Philadelphia.”

I dropped my fork and stood. “If that’s the case, today is the last time you’ll see me.”

Christian touched my arm. “Stay. You shouldn’t drive back again so soon in your state.”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. I won’t stay in this house for another second.”

Dad rose from his chair. “I’m doing this for our family. You’ll realize it once your son is born, and then you’ll thank me.”

I smiled sadly, tears stinging in my eyes. “You’re wrong, but I know you and Mom will never understand. You can’t.”

“You should be grateful,” Mom whispered as if I’d personally broken her heart. I was sick of this game.

“I’m grateful I didn’t inherit your ambition. I won’t ever turn my children into pawns in this horrendous game for power. Not Daniele, not Simona, not Gabriel.” I touched my belly. “Because they all are my children, and I’ll fight everyone like a warrior to protect them of the horrors of this world, even if they come in the shape of my own parents.”

“How dare you after everything we’ve done?” Mom whispered harshly.

“After everything you’ve done?” I shouted. My stomach constricted with a sharp pain, but I ignored it. “You married me off to Cassio so he’d guarantee Dad’s position. You married your own niece off to the monsters from Las Vegas for the same reason, and you want my gratefulness?”

I turned, clutching my belly, my heart pounding in my chest. Elia waited in the lobby, his hand on his gun, his eyes narrowed.

“You better take your hand off your gun or you won’t live to see tomorrow,” Christian growled.

Elia ignored him and stepped up to me, cupping my elbow. “Are you all right, Giulia?”

I gave a terse nod. “Take me home. I’m done here.”

Elia led me outside, grabbing my coat on the way. Christian followed. I sagged down on the passenger seat. Before I closed the door, my brother leaned in. “Text me when you’re home so I know you’re okay.”

I gave him a shaky smile. “I wish you already were Underboss.”

“Even then I wouldn’t be able to stop Dad from spreading the news. You know our parents. This is their chance.”

“I know.”

“I’ll try talking them out of it anyway.”

Cassio and Christian had come to a tentative understanding over the years. They still weren’t friends but they respected each other. Christian would never spread the news, even if it could potentially better his position.

“Don’t waste your time,” I said before I closed the door. There was only one person who could guarantee my parents’ silence at this point. The man my father feared like the devil, and not just because he was his Capo.

“Is Luca still in Philly?”

Elia frowned. “I think so. The meeting is supposed to go late. He won’t return to New York until tomorrow morning.”

“Find out where he is and take me to him.”

Elia cut his gaze to me. “You can’t just go to the Capo.”

“Said Capo is also my cousin. He can make time for family, right?”

“What is going on, Giulia? You can trust me, or Cassio wouldn’t have chosen me as your bodyguard.”

“I trust you.” I looked out of the window. Elia was a good man, and an even better soldier and bodyguard.

“But you won’t tell me what this is about?”

I leaned my forehead against the glass. “I can’t.” Elia was Cassio’s soldier first. He was loyal to him. He’d tell Cassio the truth the moment he found out.

“Because Cassio isn’t supposed to know.” A hint of suspicion rang in his voice.

“Take me to Luca, Elia. That’s all you need to know.”

Elia’s mouth tightened, but he picked up his phone and called someone to ask where the Capo was. As it turned out, Luca was back in his hotel when we finally returned to Philadelphia.

“Do you have Luca’s number?” I asked as we stepped into the luxurious lobby of the Ritz Carlton.

“No. Not every soldier gets the Capo’s number, Giulia. He rules over thousands of men. I haven’t even talked to him so far.”

I walked up to the reception and smiled at the receptionist. Finding out Luca’s room number proofed tricky. The receptionist refused to give it to me. “Then call his room and tell him his cousin Giulia wants to talk to him.”

The woman did just that, nodding as she spoke into the phone. “All right, Mr. Vitiello.” She hung up and smiled politely at me. “The presidential suite on the thirtieth floor.”

I headed toward the elevators. Elia shook his head as he stalked after me. “He probably thinks it’s a trap and awaits with blazing guns. Luca is the most distrustful man I know, and for good reason.”

“Well, he won’t shoot a pregnant woman. And he knows me, so calm down.”

Elia’s tenseness stirred my own anxiety. The moment we arrived on the thirtieth floor, I touched Elia’s chest. “You stay here. I need to talk to Luca alone.”

Elia’s expression hardened. “I can’t let you out of sight.”

“Are you going to tell Luca that you don’t trust him with me? I’d like to see that.”

Elia swallowed. “I’m staying right outside the door.”

I rolled my eyes. “So you can react if you hear me screaming? Are you going to kill your Capo to defend me? Don’t be ridiculous. He’d kill you before you could blink.”

Elia didn’t contradict me. I knocked at the door. Nothing happened for a while then finally the door opened, and Luca stood in the gap. He held a gun in his right hand and his expression was the usual harsh mask.

I smiled, trying to mask my nerves. “Good evening, Luca. I’m sorry to disturb you. Can I have a word with you?”

Luca glanced behind me at Elia and the look in his eyes sent a chill down my back. “I didn’t expect you, Giulia.” His wary gaze settled on me. We were cousins, but that didn’t mean we were close or that Luca trusted me the slightest bit. He didn’t trust anyone. After a moment, he nodded and opened the door for me. “Come in.”

I walked past him. “Elia will wait outside. What we have to discuss is private.”

Luca raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment as he closed the door. According to the rules in our world, this was inappropriate. A married woman wasn’t supposed to be alone with another man, but I’d never bothered with these rules and wasn’t going to start now. Luca motioned me toward the seating area of his suite. I sank down on the white sofa. Luca took a seat in an armchair across from me. He returned his gun to the holster around his chest, but the suspicion remained on his face. “Does Cassio know you’re here?”

I pursed my lips. “No, and I’d appreciate it if it would stay that way.” Luca narrowed his eyes. As my husband, Cassio had a right to know if I met with someone, especially a man, especially the Capo.

“What is it you need to discuss with me that you don’t want your husband to find out?”

He looked down at my belly and my eyes grew wide. “It’s not about this baby,” I said quickly. “It’s about Daniele and Simona.”

I hesitated. Cassio respected Luca. He called him the best Capo the Famiglia had ever had, but trust each other? No. Men like them couldn’t afford to trust many. But Luca was the only one who could silence my parents. I had to risk telling him because otherwise the truth would get out without a doubt.

“What about them?”

“They aren’t Cassio’s.”

Surprise crossed Luca’s face. Then his expression became even harsher. “How would you know?”

“Because Mansueto told me. He did a paternal test after the thing with Andrea and Gaia.”

The moment the words left my mouth, I realized my mistake. Luca didn’t know. Every muscle in his body became taught as he leaned forward. “The thing with Gaia and Andrea?”

I blinked. Cassio had never told Luca what happened? I thought Luca knew about Gaia’s death and why she’d killed herself.

“Giulia.” The word cut through me like a blade.

I looked away. It was too late to lie. But what would the truth mean for Cassio? I swallowed. “Gaia had an affair with her half-brother, and Cassio found out. Mansueto suspected Andrea was the father and the test confirmed his suspicions.”

“And now you’re here because you want your son to become Cassio’s rightful heir instead of Daniele.”

“No,” I whispered, horrified. “I don’t want Cassio to find out. I don’t want anyone to find out, which is why I’m here. I’m asking you to force my parents into silence. They know and they’re eager to spread the news.”

Luca regarded me, and some of the brutality slipped away. “You don’t want your son to become Underboss.”

“Daniele is my son too.”

Luca stared off to the side for a couple of heartbeats. “Keeping this kind of news a secret is difficult.”

“Nobody knows except for my parents, my brother, and Mansueto. Mansueto won’t tell anyone because he fears Cassio’s reaction, but my parents will. My father is terrified of you. If you talk to him, he’ll keep his silence.”

A dark smile curled his lips. “You want me to threaten your parents?”

“It’s enough if you threaten my father. My mother will do as he says. She’s obedient.”

“A trait you didn’t inherit, obviously.”

I flushed, unsure if it was praise or not. “I do what I think is right.”

Luca stood, towering over me. “Your husband told me he killed Andrea because he was a rat. Now I find out he killed the man who fucked his wife. Cassio lied to me about one of my soldiers. I need to talk to him.”

The ground opened up under me as I realized what it meant. Cassio had lied to his Capo. That could be construed as betrayal.

I stumbled to my feet and staggered toward Luca, grabbing his arm. I didn’t care if his expression brought grown men to their knees, if he was one of the most feared men in the States, only rivaled in his cruelness by the monsters in Vegas. Luca wouldn’t kill his pregnant cousin, but he might kill the father of an unborn child. “He was broken up over Gaia, out of his mind from pain and anger. He didn’t know what he was doing.”

Luca’s expression didn’t change. Maybe my words only made things worse? If Luca thought Cassio acted on impulse, spurred on by his emotions, he might remove him even faster.

Bile traveled up my throat. “Andrea might have been a rat anyway. I don’t know.”

Luca pulled his arm out of my grip. “I’ll talk to Cassio and he’ll explain everything to me.”

I stared up at him. “You won’t kill the father of my unborn baby.” It was meant as a question but somehow it came out as a threat, and for a moment I wanted to laugh at the insanity of the situation.

“A man would be dead for threatening me.”

“I’m not a man.”

Luca took out his phone. “I’m going to call Cassio now and you’re returning home with your bodyguard.” He pressed the phone to his ear. “Hello, Cassio, I need you to come over.” Cassio said something on the other end, and Luca’s answering smile made my blood run cold.

He shoved the phone back into his pocket. “Your husband is already here. Your bodyguard called him the second you entered this suite.”

“Please,” I said hoarsely, tears stinging in my eyes. They didn’t move Luca. Compassion wasn’t one of his character traits.

A knock sounded and Luca motioned for me to stay where I was. He pulled his gun and headed toward the door. My mind whirled, trying to figure out a way out of this.

“Good evening, Luca,” Cassio said calmly.

Luca stepped back and let Cassio pass then closed the door. Cassio scanned me from head to toe then stalked toward me. He pulled me against him, his expression anxious. “What’s going on?”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I wanted to help and ruined everything.”

Cassio searched my eyes before his gaze cut to Luca, who regarded us as if he was trying to decide if we were friend or foe. The change in Cassio’s body was immediate. He tensed, and the look in his eyes became predator-like as they watched one another. He was armed of course. Two guns and at least the same number of knives. Luca didn’t take his eyes off Cassio and regarded him in the same way as Cassio did him.

Cassio squeezed my hip gently then kissed my temple. “Let Elia take you home.”

Was he serious? I wouldn’t leave this suite without him.

“Cassio—”

He nudged me in the direction of the door. I glanced between Luca and him. “Cassio, Luca knows about Gaia and Andrea,” I whispered imploringly, trying to get through to him.

Cassio nodded. “I know. Your brother called to warn me about your father’s plan.”

I froze. “What exactly did he say?”

Cassio stroked my hair gently. “That you’re fighting like a lioness to protect Daniele and Simona and me.” His mouth pulled into a wistful smile.

I searched his eyes. Did that mean he knew they weren’t his kids? I didn’t ask from fear of revealing more than Christian had revealed, but his words led to only one conclusion. “I know you didn’t want to find out.”

Cassio nodded then glanced back at Luca, who was watching closely, the hand with his gun hanging casually at his side. “You need to leave now.”

“That she should. We have matters to discuss,” Luca said coldly.

Cassio tried to nudge me in the direction of the door again. I stepped back. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”

“Giulia, everything will be fine. Let Elia take you home so you can have some rest.”

I sidestepped Cassio’s tall frame to fix Luca with a stare. “Will everything be fine, Luca?”

Luca’s gray eyes remained emotionless pools. “I think you should leave now like your husband said.”

“I don’t care what you think, and I most definitely won’t leave until you swear that my husband will return to me.”

Cassio hugged me to him. “Giulia, you will leave now.” I didn’t miss how he positioned his body between Luca and me as if he worried my disrespect might cause Luca to strike me down.

“No,” I snapped and let my legs drop away from under me. Cassio was startled and barely managed to soften my fall. I sank down on the ground like a stubborn child—or a very heavily pregnant woman determined to save the man she loved. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying right here. You’ll have to drag me out.”

Cassio shook his head but his eyes reflected his admiration. He bent down and picked me up without trouble despite my protests. He carried me toward the door and set me down, his arm slung around my waist so I didn’t try to sit down on the floor again. I clutched at his shirt, wrinkling it. He cupped my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Go home, honey.” His voice was silky and imploring.

Tears blurred my vision as I clung to him. “Swear you’ll return to me.”

Cassio looked back to Luca and for a moment they simply stared at each other. “I swear.” Elia appeared at my side and at a sign from Cassio, he wrapped his arm around me and dragged me away. I looked over my shoulder at Cassio. He gave me an encouraging smile before he closed the door. Had Cassio lied to me about returning home?