Capo Dei Capi (Secrets of the Famiglia Part 1) novel Chapter 13

“Aliyana, come on.”

My stepmother screams from the bottom of the staircase. My brothers and sisters are standing next to her waiting for me.

Papa left an hour ago to tend some business before the function started. I barely got a few minutes with him.

“Don’t tell me the bitch is ranting again,” Mero (Romero) grunts from the other end of my earpiece.

“I don’t need to, she is loud enough that you can hear it yourself.”

“When you're done with Kylie and Diamond, meet us outback. Ren needs all of us.”

“Gabriel is busy tonight,” I remind him.

“Aliyana, get your ass down,” Filippo screams as I roll my eyes.

“They are so impatient. Gabriel will catch up, I’ll see you soon, I need to detour for a quick stop then I’m there,” Mero informs me.

Something was not right, I didn’t share this with Mero, but Papa was agitated today when he got home. Something was making him restless. I didn’t need anyone to tell me that shit was stirring in Seattle. I had a feeling by the end of tonight Mero, Ren, Gabriel, Michel and I were going to jump right into the middle of it all.

My brother gives me his ‘older brother’ death glare as I begin to run down the staircase only after I see them all standing by the bottom.

“Coming,” I tell my family.

I rush down the stairs as my sister’s giggle when they see the still open bottle green dress barely covering my ass as I slip on my peep-toe green heels I left by the bottom of the staircase.

“I’ll be there. Drive reckless.” Mero laughs at my words, cutting the call.

Guilia zips me up as I wiggle my left foot into the 6-inch heel.

She neatens my curled hair while my stepmother complains,

“You didn’t do anything with your hair after Marissa left. She told you to cover it, now it is full of paint.”

My brother, Filippo, checks himself before he goes Zap-Zap and kills my father’s wife. Which is what I want to believe is the reason he shuts up and glares at the big-nosed wench. Why would Papa marry such an awful bitch?

“Don’t look at me like that, you're the one who is late.”

“I never asked you to wait for me.”

“No, you didn’t, lucky I don’t take orders from you then,” She snipes as her long nose crinkles. Ilaria is beautiful. That is something I can’t deny, but her ways have twisted all the beauty on the inside and replaced it with something nasty that no amount of pretty flesh can disguise.

I remain silent, she is right, and her anger is partially warranted.

Honestly, I did get a bit lost off track. While everyone in the household was getting dressed, I got stuck in colors.

It wasn’t something out of the ordinary. My loss of time is the norm. Painting is something you can’t just leave and go back to. Once inspiration sucks you in, I find it best to purge it to where it wants to go. Today it was my canvas.

Once I start something, my mind rides me hard to finish it.