Capo Dei Capi (Secrets of the Famiglia Part 1) novel Chapter 55

“Aliyana, your father has been calling you, where are your ears?” Ilaria yells from the glass door leading to the pool I’m currently floating in. The sun has not shied away since Ren’s death. I still can’t believe it’s two weeks. It feels longer, but not so long that I've forgotten him, but long enough that I wake up thinking about seeing him, only to realize he isn’t coming.

“I didn’t hear him. I’ll be in now.”

Ilaria doesn’t say anything else, nor does she move. She has acted strange since the funeral, almost sorrowful. I received no snarky remarks from her, or bitching fits. But, like now, she stares at me. I find it strange, but also hopeful.

Since my conversation with Marco, and what he said about her, I pity her in a way. How must she feel to be stuck with an entire brood of kids who aren’t her own, or forced to sleep with a man who has nothing left to give her but a bank card and some empty sex.

I sink into the water, and my body glides easily across the pool. The coldness welcome, as my lungs scream for release. There is peace in water.

Taking my time, I get out of the pool and wave at my sister who is lying down, reading a book under the umbrella. The back yard is huge. This property was designed for my mother, and changed to keep my wolves happy underground and free on top. My father expanded the place years ago, when he bought the access land from our neighbors who didn’t need so much space. The wolves were my touch. There was nothing friendly about them, they existed to keep me safe.

Well, that is what I told my father. It is a lie. I kept them because they’re vicious enough that If I needed to send a message then I would do so by putting my ‘message’ with the wolves.

I always wanted to say ‘feed him to the wolves.’ The thought of one day having to put one of my friends in that den or my sister doesn’t seem as appealing right now. If what Marco and Deno said is true, one of the boys who I call my family could very well become an enemy.

The question is what kind of enemy would he become, one who I would destroy, or someone I would spend most of my life trying to ruin? It doesn’t sit well with me! Why would one of the others want to kill Ren?

“ALIYANA!!! Make quick,” Filippo yells from his balcony.

I look up at him, wearing a cotton shirt and flower swim shorts. His glasses are covering his eyes. He looks like he is on holiday. I want to roll my eyes at his choice of attire.

“What does Papa want that I am getting nagged like this? If he’s asking me to babysit, I’m not doing it.” I looked after the twins 3-days in a row and they fought constantly.

“Why don’t you hurry your ass up and go see?!”

I roll my eyes and put my towel around my body securing it around my breast as I make my way into the house. More like storm inside.

“Arina, could you iron the top I put on my bed please?” Arina, our housemaid is my favorite out of the staff. She wasn’t an Italian but her mother was married to one of my father’s soldiers.

“Of course. You look like you need some aloe for your skin Miss Capello.” I touch her arm, as I walk past, where she is currently sitting and knitting.

I skip down the passage and around the corner, opening the kitchen door. I walk around the opposite side of the house leading to Papa’s office. Normally, I went through the lounge and behind the staircase, but I have been trying to avoid that side since it had a picture of Ren and I.

I knock on my father’s door. The white door doesn’t hint at what you’d find inside. No clue at all.

Sometimes doors could be ignorant too.

I shake my head at my stupid silent rambling of wayward thoughts.

“Come in.” I look at my bare feet, red and blue beach towel wrapped around my body and long blonde hair wet around my shoulders.