Were we about to drink to my eviction?
Valentino raised his glass, and then did something totally unprecedented. He smiled at me. It felt, for the first time, like it was real. And it was undeniably dazzling.
‘I thought it might be fitting to celebrate this with a Sicilian Kiss shot,’ he said, nodding at the glass in his hand. ‘Considering what happened tonight.’
We were celebrating?
I looked at my shot glass, detecting the faint smell of almonds swirling inside it. ‘I’ve never had one,’ I said. Like it mattered.
Valentino smiled again. ‘You did a brave thing tonight, Sophie. You dispatched Libero Marino, and cemented your loyalty to the Falcone family.’
Wait, what?
Luca glared at me.
I let Valentino continue.
‘Now Donata will return to the city with your uncle at her side. The blood war has begun in earnest, and we are going to win it.’ I tried not to let my shock show. I just sat there, stony-faced, as Valentino lauded me. ‘Tonight, you became a true Falcone soldato, Sophie. So with the others here to witness, I want to raise a toast to you, and say, officially, Benvenuta nella famiglia, Sophie. Welcome to the family.’
He lifted his glass once more, and the others chorused him, raising their shot glasses to the ceiling, to me, to the lie. The lie that Luca, Nic and Dom had told their boss. ‘Benvenuta nella famiglia, Sophie.’
We drank as one. I tipped the shot of alcohol into my mouth and let it slide, warm and fragrant, down my throat. The fire burnt in my stomach, the faint flavour of almond still dancing on my tongue, and my gaze never left Luca’s, just as his never left mine.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
FALLING STARS
It was just after two a.m., and the house was silent as I crept along the darkened hallway on the third floor. Before I could psyche myself out, I knocked on Luca’s door.
No answer.
‘Luca?’ I said softly.
Still nothing.
After a minute of waiting, I decided to indulge my rudeness. I was too antsy to go back to my room. I was too nervous to sleep another night without talking to him, without trying to bridge this strange distance between us – especially after tonight.
I opened the door, still knocking to alert him to my presence. The room was dark, the only light streaming in from the moon outside. I couldn’t help thinking of the last time I had been here, of how tightly Luca had held me to him, of how passionately he had kissed me. That seemed like a world away now.
The room was much bigger than I remembered it. I had never really studied it before. It was about three times the size of mine, with a line of bookshelves, a desk, two wardrobes and a king-size bed. It was cream, with artwork hanging around the walls – contemporary prints I didn’t recognize. There was one with a melting clock, another one of a ship made of strange butterflies. The room was unexpectedly neat, and even the bed was still made.
His phone was on his bedside table, the time showing on his home screen. It was 2.13 a.m., and Luca Falcone was nowhere to be found. The window was wide open. I peered out to where the roof plateaued before tapering off to a three-storey drop below. And there he was, right on the edge of the roof, his legs stretched out in front of him, his weight resting on his elbows as he looked at the sky.
Luca was watching the stars.
Seriously. This guy.
I clambered out of the window, my knees wobbling until my feet found purchase on the roof. I slipped and caught myself on the ledge, cursing under my breath.
Luca’s head snapped towards me. ‘Sophie?’ he said, bewildered. ‘What are you doing out here?’
I offered him an awkward half-wave as I crouched in front of the window to get my balance. ‘Um, star gazing?’ I said. ‘Mind if I join you?’
I couldn’t see his eyes in the darkness, but he tilted his head to one side. ‘Suit yourself.’
I scooted towards him, crab-walking with my hands and feet.
‘It’s really not hard,’ he pointed out. ‘You can walk, you know.’
‘What if I fall?’ I said, horrified.
‘I won’t let you fall.’
I finally reached him. He pulled his legs up, resting his forearms on his knees as he regarded me in the darkness.
I mirrored his pose. ‘Hi,’ I said, feeling a little breathless.
‘Hello.’ Luca tilted his head back, and I looked up, too. The sky was clear, and blanketed with thousands of stars. It was beautiful out here in the countryside where there were no street lamps to steal the natural light, no distractions to block it out. It was bright, and magical, and I had never noticed before. Because I never looked up.
‘There’s a meteor shower tonight,’ he said. ‘Have you ever seen one?’
‘I’ve never even seen a shooting star,’ I said, still watching the sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of something. When I looked at him again, I found he was looking at me too. We were right next to each other, his fingers so close to mine that if I moved an inch, we’d be touching. It was the closest we had been in weeks.
‘Are you mad at me?’ I asked.
‘Yes,’ he said without hesitation. ‘I am mad at you.’
A part of me wanted to ask why, but I already knew. I was a different person now. I wanted things he didn’t want me to have. I wanted revenge and he couldn’t stomach it. He couldn’t stomach who I was becoming.
‘I’m sorry,’ I said quietly. I didn’t dare look up at him. I could feel the heat of his gaze on my cheeks.
‘Are you sorry that you were prepared to go through with it tonight, or that in the end, you couldn’t?’
I looked at our fingers, almost entwined. ‘I’m sorry that I’m not good enough for this family. I’m sorry you had to fight so hard for me, and this is what you got.’ I hesitated, waiting for my voice to stop wavering. ‘I’m sorry I’m such a coward.’
Luca dipped his chin, the movement dragging my gaze back up.
He was frowning at me. ‘You think shooting someone makes you brave?’
‘I don’t know,’ I said. ‘All I know is I couldn’t do it when the time came. All I know is I failed my test.’
‘I’m glad you failed,’ he said.
‘You had to lie for me. You made them all lie for me. You made them lie to their boss.’
‘I don’t care.’
‘But you never lie to Valentino.’
‘This is different.’
‘How?’
He looked at me, nonplussed. ‘It just is.’
‘I don’t understand why,’ I said, my voice just a whisper. ‘I don’t understand why you would do that for me.’
Luca’s lips flickered into a half-smile. ‘No,’ he said. ‘You don’t, do you?’
‘I wish I had just done it.’
‘I’m glad you couldn’t pull the trigger.’
‘You’re happy I’m a coward?’ I said.
‘You’re not a coward.’
‘I’m not a Falcone,’ I pointed out. ‘Not really.’
‘Good,’ he said, his expression turning fierce.
‘If I’m not a Marino and I’m not a Gracewell and I’m not a Falcone, then what am I?’
Luca leant closer to me, intensity burning in his eyes. ‘You’re free.’