Capo Dei Capi (Secrets of the Famiglia Part 1) novel Chapter 19

He is right. There is no denying it, so I say nothing.

“This world will never offer you those comforts for very long, Aliyana. Sooner or later, your luck will run out, and all you’ll have left is yourself. You should find someone to love while you can and enjoy the beginning of that love because, if there is one thing I can guarantee you, Aliyana, is that love will end as fast as it began.”

I have never met this man before today, and our brief moment is just this moment.

But there is something in the sky at work tonight because when he stands next to me, I can sincerely say that I feel safe. And his words have more truth to it than I will confess to even myself.

I shrug, digesting his all too knowing words.

"I should. But the one I love will be promised to my sister soon. It took me 5 minutes in his company to see, I am not the one he wants, and I have spent 5 years loving him.”

It's the truth I had to confront today. I have known it for a while. My sister is clueless, and her innocent attraction to Marco has made it easy to turn a blind eye to the facts.

I am good at pretending blindness, I have done it my whole life.

"I gathered as much when I saw you earlier today. My brother has never been the smartest Jack when it came to choosing anything. You might just get better. So how about that wager? And no, it isn’t sex."

“If not sex, then prey, do tell what is this wager that has you so anxious you are practically screaming my name?”

His one side of his face pulls up into a crooked, yet utterly wicked smile as he slips his ringing phone from his pocket, silencing the call.

It rings again, and I watch his screen flash ‘Killer’ as he puts it on flight mode. All the while, I remain aware of how devastatingly evil his eyes remain as they watch me with mischievous intentions, I should know all too well.

My nerves heighten with the knowledge of how corrupt all of this is.

Him.

Me.

Us.

He walks across the room, putting a few UVA lights on.

Brightness comes from the far left of where I am standing barefoot.

His steps are slow, as he advances closer to me, giving me no option but to glance up into his onyx orbs.