Remembering the look of familiarity on Becca’s face when Aria first walked into the house, these new revelations didn’t come as a complete surprise to Sin. “What do you mean when you say whenever possible?”
“Much of my relationship with my daughter I owe to Becca. When her mother died, she talked to Pia and convinced her to see me. Pia said that seeing Becca’s relationship with her mother made her realize that life was short.” Aria paused to take a sip of espresso.
“When do you get to see her?”
“Becca helped with that, too. She had her Secret Service let me know when I could visit Pia at Dartmouth.”
“Tell me about your relationship with Savio?”
“I’ve always been close to my nephew. I felt it important that he have a sense of family. Especially after what happened to his father.”
“Your brother Vincent, tell me who killed him?”
“You already know, it was Salvatore Constantino.”
“I know what the authorities said. I asked you who really killed him.”
Sin stared at Aria as the woman stared back. “Very well,” Aria said. “I’ll be truthful with you hoping you will be the same. My father killed Vincent.”
“Why?”
“He was spineless. My father knew he could never lead the family, but he also knew that as long as he was alive, he could never pass the leadership down to me, a girl.”
Sin just stared back. “And Savio’s mother?”
“I can tell by the look in your eyes, you already know. Why waste time repeating it.”
“Hmm,” Sin said as she stood. “Come with me.”
Aria sat back, crossed her arms and legs in defiance.”
“Please,” Sin said.
50
Sin led Aria out onto the porch. The morning sun was just breaking over the eastern horizon casting a golden glow over the ocean. “It is beautiful out here,” Aria said.
Most days, Sin thought, but right now the entire world is bathed in ugly. “Yes, it is,” she agreed. Holding on to the porch rail, Sin stared out at the water. “Let’s say for the sake of an argument, that you really do care about Pia. If that’s true, why have you contracted with the Black 6?”
“Who or what are the Black 6?”
Sin could hear truth in her tone. “Tell me how you felt about what Dominic and Lancaster did?”
“How did I feel? I wanted to kill that puttana. How would you feel?” Sin answered her with silence. “My marriage to Dominic was loveless,” Aria continued, “but he gave me the cherished gift of a daughter, and—”
“We’ve already been down that road. Tell me about ‘Ndrangheta? About your leadership?”
“What has Dominic told you?”
“He’s been open about his family as well as yours. But even if he hadn’t, I would have known about your brutal leadership.” It was Aria’s turn to stare and not speak. “You see, this isn’t the first time you and I have met.”
“Oh?”
“Not personally, of course, but by proxy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your family was extorting some friends of mine in Tuscany a few years back. I made you promise to stop.”
Aria’s eyes opened wide. Her pupils dilated. “You? The angel?”
Sin nodded. “And you, the Black Widow.”
“And you have the gall to call me brutal? I know all about your ways.”
“I might leave a few bodies behind,” Sin said, “but I have never tortured anyone, nor have I ever killed the families of my enemies.”
Aria looked out at the water and brushed her hair away from her eyes. “You and I are more alike than you realize.”
“How so?”
Aria turned to face her. “We are both women in a man’s world. We both act the way we do to gain respect. The only difference is that I stopped acting the way I did years ago.”
“Come again.”
“Once I gained ‘Ndrangheta’s respect, I started treating people differently. I began to realize that maybe, just maybe, Dominic was right. Maybe fear wasn’t the best way to run the company.”
“If that’s the case, why didn’t you tell him?”
“By then, there was so much bad blood between us, we weren’t speaking. “If he had come to me with his plan to work with your president, I would have helped him. Instead, he drained me of most of my family’s assets and padded his pockets.”
Deep in thought, Sin turned toward the water, letting the morning breeze buffet her skin. The twisting of her torso caused her to grimace.
“How are your injuries?”
“Getting better.”
“You are in my debt for saving Pia.”
Sin dipped her chin in acknowledgment before addressing Aria again. “Thank you for time. Why don’t we head back upstairs and see how Pia is doing?”
“Thank you.”
When the elevator door opened, Aria didn’t wait for Sin to limp down the hall; she moved quickly toward Pia’s room, her heels clicking on the hardwood. By the time Sin reached the door, Aria was on her knees beside the bed, showering her daughter with kisses. Even in her weakened state, Pia reciprocated. Sin turned and looked at Dominic who was sitting next to where Aria was kneeling. He expression appeared to be one of confusion and joy, both at the same time.
Watching from the doorway, Sin heard footsteps. She felt a hand squeeze her shoulder and smelled a musky aroma. Her nostrils flared to drink it in.
“We have company,” Troy said. “Tiffany just arrived with our other guests.”
“I’ll be right down.”
Sin squeezed the shoulders of Aria and Dominic. “We’re not done talking. When this is over, we have a lot to discuss. Understood?”
“We’ll be here for as long as you need us to be,” Dominic said.
A weak smile crossed Aria’s lips. “Yes, we will.”
Sin eyed Aimee who was the only other person in the room. “Priestess, do you think you could give them some privacy?”
Aimee carried her chair into the hall and sat just on the other side of the door. “I’ll stay right outside the door. I don’t want to be far from Pia.”
“Have the blood tests come back?” Sin asked.
“Deb said that her friend was faxing them momentarily.”
“You look concerned.”
“I am.”
“Why?”
“Obeah.”
51
By the time
