26. Aria

Ipace the hotel room frantically, my mind racing with the worst possible scenarios. It's been like this since Luca left. Now, hours later, Luca isn't answering my calls. Niko isn't either. I"m convinced something terrible has happened.

If Luca is dead, I don"t know what I"ll do. The thought of losing him makes my heart ache in my chest. But if Niko is the one who"s gone, that too hurts. Plus, utter chaos that could erupt in New York City terrifies me. My brother is the most powerful Don on the East Coast. His death could spark a war.

I keep glancing at my phone, willing it to ring, but the silence increases my fear that one or both are gone. The thought makes me sick to my stomach. I can"t lose them both. I just can"t.

I collapse onto the bed, my hands trembling as I dial Elena"s number. I hate to call her and make her worry, but I can no longer wait and wonder my fate.

"Hey, Aria." Elena's voice is chipper. I dread what I have to say.

"Hey. Have you heard from Niko?"

"Not since this morning. Why?"

I gnaw on my lip as I realize she must not know Niko planned to see Luca. "Did you know he came to my hotel?"

"He said something about wanting to talk to you. Why? Is something wrong?"

I consider the situation. Was Niko caught off guard at seeing Luca here? I shake my head. No. He acted like he knew he'd find Luca, which means one of his men had spotted him and called.

"I think something is wrong. I can"t get ahold of Luca, and I"m so afraid something"s happened to him… or Niko."

Elena"s voice is immediately concerned. "Luca? What's going on?"

"He came to New York to be with me. Niko showed up demanding to see him. It wasn't a friendly exchange, and now I can't get ahold of either of them."

She's quiet, and I wish I could see her face to know what she might be thinking. "I'll try to reach Niko. Just stay put, okay? I"m sure everything is going to be fine."

I nod, even though she can"t see me, and wait anxiously as she hangs up to make the call. The minutes feel like hours as I sit on the edge of the bed, my heart pounding in my chest. Please, let them both be okay.

Finally, my phone rings, and I scramble to answer it. "Elena?"

"Aria, Niko"s on his way home," she says, her voice sounding relieved. "He"s alright."

I let out a shaky breath, but the knot in my stomach doesn"t loosen. "What about Luca?"

Elena"s hesitation makes my heart stop. "Niko… didn"t confirm anything about Luca. He just said Luca was "dealt with"."

I feel the blood drain from my face as the implication of her words sinks in. "Oh, God," I whisper, my hand trembling as I bring it to my mouth. "Is he…?" I can't bring myself to say the words.

"I don"t know. Niko didn't say that. He could have just sent Luca away, or—" She stops, and I hear one of the twins crying. "I'll talk to him when he gets home. I'm sorry, I need to go. Niko is a difficult man, but… well, I can't see him going that far. Just try to stay calm, okay? I"ll let you know if I hear anything else."

The line goes dead, and I"m left sitting in the hotel room, my heart racing. Has Niko just taken the one thing that is important to me? I've lost my parents and a brother. My surviving brother sent me away. For so long, I had no one until Luca, and now Niko took that from me.

I am beyond angry. Fueled by rage and growing hate, I grab my purse and exit my room. It occurs to me that I have no protection that Niko was so adamant I needed. I don't have it because he took it from me.

I order a car and give the driver the address to Niko's penthouse. When I arrive, his men say hello to me, but I push past them.

"Is he here?"

"He just went up." One of his men presses the button for the elevator for me. As the elevator rises, so too do my fury and resentment. The elevator stops, and I step out, banging on Niko's door.

It swings open. "Aria?" Niko greets me with concern, his brow furrowed as he takes in my appearance. "You're out without protection."

"And whose fault is that?" I shove him in the chest hard. "What did you do?" I'm on the verge of weeping. Of screaming. Of going mad.

His eyes widen, taken aback by the intensity of my outburst. "Aria, what are you?—"

"Don"t play dumb with me!" I snarl, the words spilling out in a torrent of emotion. "I loved him, Niko. I loved him more than anything, and you took him away from me!"

Niko opens his mouth, but I cut him off, the anger coursing through me like a raging river.

"How could you do this to me? How can you still hate me so much that you"d rip the one person I"ve ever truly loved out of my life?"

The penthouse falls silent, save for the sound of my ragged breathing. Niko stands there, stunned. Elena appears, her expression concerned, but she doesn't say anything.

Guilt and conflict war in Niko's expression. It confirms my fears. All I can think about is Luca, his warm embrace, his tender kisses, his unwavering devotion—all of it snatched away by my own brother"s hand.

I clench my fists. At this moment, I want nothing more than to wrap my hands around Niko"s neck and squeeze. I want him to feel the anguish that tears at my heart.

"Why, Niko?" I whisper, my voice laced with a broken desperation. "Why did you do this to me?"

Elena's voice of reason cuts through. "You need to talk to her, Niko."

I shake my head. "Why bother? It will be more of the same. You don't know what you want, Aria. You're too na?ve, Aria. I'm the boss of you, Aria. What I don't understand is why? What have I ever done to you to deserve this?"

Niko steps forward, his expression filled with remorse. "Aria, I… I"m so sorry. I never meant to?—"

"Save it, Niko," I interrupt, holding up a hand. "I'm done." I turn to leave.

Elena steps in front of me. "Aria, please, just hear him out. He"s trying to make amends."

I hesitate, my gaze flickering between the two of them. I'm so mad and hurt that I can't see straight.

Niko takes a deep breath. "You won't find this a fitting excuse, but when I became your guardian, I had no clue what to do. The business, I understood. Revenge, I understood. But raising a kid? And after the way Lorenzo and Mom were killed… I had to protect you from that. Sending you to school in Europe was the way to do it."

"I know. You got me out of your hair, out of your life, and forgot about me."

He looks at Elena like he needs help. She nods, urging him on.

"That's not true… I just… I didn't know how to be what you needed."

"A brother? We lost Dad, and then Lorenzo and Mom. And then I lost you."

Niko's breath hitches. Elena's eyes are filled with grief. I hate seeing it. It makes me think they didn't realize what Niko's actions did to me.

"And now you've taken Luca. God. If you don't think his men won't be coming here?—"

"What are you talking about?" Niko asks.

"Luca. Remember, the man I love who loves me but that you had to take away because heaven forbid Aria Leone has love in her life."

"I didn't take Luca."

For a moment, the world stops as I try to understand what he's saying. "Then where is he? Why won't he answer the phone?"

"I don't know. We talked. Came to an impasse. And he left. He said he was going to take you back to Italy whether I blessed your relationship or not."

I stumble back, wondering what this can mean.

"But Aria…"

I glance up at him.

"I didn't realize how you felt… how you experienced all this."

My eyes narrow on him as anger fills me again. "How could you? You never ask me. You don't care how I feel. You just want me to be quiet and stay out of the way."

He closes his eyes for a moment. "That's not accurate. But I can see how you'd think that. And you're right. I don't take into consideration what you want."

"Maybe you didn't do anything, but did one of your men? Why would Luca just disappear?"

"None of my men did anything." He steps forward, putting his hand on my shoulder. I want to knock it off, but he'd see it as being immature. "I know I failed you. I see it better now that I ever have, and trust me, Aria, I've carried guilt about you for a long time. I want to do right by you. You're here now. We're a family again. You, me, Elena, and the kids. I want to keep that."

I gape at him. "That's why you want to keep me away from Luca?"

He shrugs. "I lost everyone too. Following their deaths, I burned this Family down, taking over the Leone Family business. That puts you in danger. I couldn't lose you too."

His words don't make sense to me.

"You sent me away."

"But you weren't lost. I always knew what you were up to. You always seemed happy. And life here… God, until six months ago, it was a fucking bloodbath. It's not that I didn't want you here, it's just that I didn't know how else to protect you." The sincerity in his voice is softening my anger even though I don't want it to.

"Luca is a good man."

He nods. "Maybe, but he wants to take you from me."

I shake my head. "That's not true. I'm here, aren't I? He didn't keep me from my family. Luca understands family better than you."

Niko looks down. "I'm sorry." He sucks in a breath. "If you love him, you can go?—"

"No." I hold my finger up in his face. "You don't give me permission. I make this decision. You can be happy for me. You can support me. But you don't give me permission."

Elena's lips twitch upward. "She seems quite grown up and able to make her own decisions."

"It doesn't change that she needs protection. Whether with me or Luca, she needs?—"

"I'm sure Luca will take care of it."

Yeah, if he hasn't run off. I can hardly blame him. The Leone family is nuts.

"Except he's missing," I say.

"I left him only thirty or forty minutes ago," Niko says. "He got a call. He said he needed to arrange to return to Italy."

My heart drops. Luca has given up on me. Every ounce of energy in me fades. I'm so tired.

"I swear, Aria, I didn't hurt him."

I turn to leave. "I'm going back to the hotel."

"Why don't you stay here?" Elena offers.

"I can't." I need to figure out my next step. If Luca has given up on me, where do I go from here?

My phone pings with a notification. I pull it from my purse, disinterested in what it might tell me.

How's your Italian?

I stare at the message, confused. And then it hits me. "I've got to go." With renewed energy, I head to Niko's front door.

"Let me go with you," Niko says.

"No." I exit his penthouse and poke the button to the elevator.

"I'm not joking about protection, Aria."

"Fine. Give me Danny or Marco. They know where I'm going."

Niko shakes his head. "I want to see him. That text is from Luca, right?"

I roll my eyes. "God, will you ever give it up?"

"I want to give my blessing."

Tears well in my eyes. Finally, he's coming around.

He gives a small shrug. "And promise to kill him if he hurts you."

I shake my head. "You're warped."

Moments later, we're in a car heading to the bookstore. My heart is beating a million miles a minute. What will I find there? A love note? A Dear Jane letter?

"Can you tell me what we're doing?" Niko asks. His voice is tentative, as if he knows he's treading on thin ice.

"A bookstore. Luca used to leave me notes there."

His jaw tightens and he looks out the window.

"What?" I demand.

He shrugs. "It sounds very romantic. I can see why you'd fall for him."

I narrow my eyes on him. "I fell for him before the notes. My head isn't in the clouds, Niko. I'm not a lovesick school girl. Yes, the notes are romantic, but it's more than that."

He holds his hands up in surrender. "Okay."

We arrive at the bookstore. The sight of it fills me with a bittersweet nostalgia, a reminder of the fleeting moments of joy I experienced with Luca. The familiar scent of books envelops me, transporting me back to those exciting moments when I'd come to find Luca's message.

I approach the language book section, my heart pounding in my chest. Carefully, I push aside a few Italian language books. The anticipation builds as I search the shelves, my eyes scanning every inch for any sign of a note from Luka. I hold my breath, desperate to find some sort of connection, some reassurance that he still loves me, that he hasn"t abandoned me.

"What are you looking for?" Niko asks.

"The note. There must be one." Finally, I see it slipped next to a copy of La Vita Nuova, a book of love poems. My heart swells thinking this is a good sign. My fingers shake as I unfold the note.

Mio Angelo,

I'm sorry that I was not successful in earning Niko's blessing. My love for you never wavers, and as much as I want to steal you away, the choice must be yours.

I am forced to return to Italy tonight. My plane leaves at six. I pray you will come to me.

Should you choose to stay in New York for now or for forever, I'll understand.

Ti Amo,

Luca

I glanceat Niko who's trying to read the note. I clutch it to my chest. "Are you making him leave?"

Niko shakes his head. "No. I told you, he got a call. He said he had to go, and I was fine with that. We weren't getting anywhere."

"You mean you weren't able to make him leave me. Abandon me."

He winces. "I'm a fucker. That's not new information. I just… it's no excuse, but I know I've handled everything wrong since you were a girl. Now, with you back, was my chance."

I don't like what Niko did, but I see sincerity in his expression that has me leaning toward forgiving him.

"It looks like I won't have that chance." He nods toward the letter.

"Just because I'll be in Italy, doesn't mean we can't have a relationship. I'll be able to come visit?—"

He scoffs. "I doubt he'll let you come."

"Again with the permission." I give him a light tap on the cheek. "I'd already talked to him about needing to have you and Elena and the babies… everyone here… in my life. He might not have liked it, but he's not as much of an asshole as you are. He wants me to be happy."

He grimaces. "I want you to be happy too."

"Then take me to the airport."

"Now? Can't you say a little longer? I haven't seen you?—"

"I wasn't the one hiding."

"Fucking hell, Aria. I'm trying here."

I stop to face him. "I appreciate what you've shared with me. I know it was hard for you. And I really hope you mean it when you say you're okay with me and Luca. I want to be able to be with everyone I love, without drama and conflict. But right now, I need to go to Luca."

Niko sucks in a breath. "If he leaves at six, you don't have much time."

We exit the bookstore and get back into Niko's car, his driver taking us to the airport.

"Why not just call?" Niko asks as I reread the note.

"Because this is romantic." I shake my head. "You should try it sometime. I bet Elena would love it." I scribble a note on the back of the paper Luca left for me. Then I snap a picture of it.

"What are you doing?" Niko asks.

"I'm leaving a note." I could call or text, but this seems more romantic. I hit send and then cross my fingers that we make it to the airport in time.