Val paled at my open wrath. “She wanted to talk about Fabiano. She’s worried about him because of this war, because of Rocco.”

I shook my head. “Fabiano is part of the Outfit. He isn’t her concern.”

“If Leonas was part of another famiglia, would he no longer be your concern?”

“Leonas is born into the Outfit and he’ll rule over the Outfit. There won’t ever be anything else for him.”

Val looked down at her belly with a small frown. “But what if he doesn’t want to be.”

“Valentina, this discussion is moot. Leonas will be raised to be Capo. He’ll know nothing else. He’ll want nothing else. This discussion is over.”

Val turned around but her soft intake of breath told me she was going to cry. I clutched the edge of the sink, counting to three and trying to calm myself. I straightened and followed Val. She looked out of the window, her shoulders trembling. She was close to her due date and emotionally vulnerable.

I sighed. I didn’t want to fight with her, not in the state she was in. I walked closer and touched Val’s bare shoulders then pressed a gentle kiss to her neck. “Dante,” she whispered. Our eyes met in the reflection of the window and as usual, I had a hard time staying mad at her when she looked at me.

“I sent her back to New York.”

Val’s lips parted with surprise. “Really?” She turned in my hold, causing her belly to bump into my abs.

I brushed the tears away from her pale cheeks. “Really.”

Her brows puckered. “Why? Having her in your hands would have given you an advantage over Luca.”

Luca would have lost his mind. He would have orchestrated an attack on Chicago. It was an idea I’d entertained often, but my decision was made and I was still certain it had been the right one.

“Aria is pregnant.”

Val looked thoughtful for a moment then she wrapped her arms around me. “I thought I saw her touch her belly twice but I didn’t really think much of it. I’m so happy for them.” She fell silent, seeing my expression. I didn’t give a fuck if Luca became a father. It only meant Leonas would have future Vitiellos to deal with. They wouldn’t remain innocent children forever.

Val smiled then kissed me. “That was the right thing to do.”

Val thought I’d acted out of the goodness of my heart. She didn’t know what I’d sent Aria back to. I wouldn’t be able to hide it from her forever.

“You should get some rest. I still have work to do,” I said, and led her over to the bed.

Val stretched out but held onto my hand. “What will Rocco say? And your Underbosses? Won’t it cause discord that you let Aria go? Or will you try to keep it from them?”

I kissed her knuckles. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.”

I could tell Val wanted to argue, but I stepped back and left the room.

When I turned on my iPad in the office, the photographer had already sent me an email. I followed the link to the Dropbox and perused his shots. He’d done a marvelous job taking photos from an angle that made my interactions with Aria look intimate and secretive. For someone like Luca, these would have the effect of a nuclear bomb. He was wired to draw the worst conclusions. He and I always expected the worst from others, so it was easy to take any act of betrayal for granted.

I chose a selection of photos then forwarded them to Rocco. He’d send them to his contacts in the press, and hopefully tomorrow all hell would break loose in the Famiglia.

My eyes burnt with tiredness, but I doubted sleep would find me tonight. Too much had happened today, even more would happen tomorrow.

Eventually, I stood and headed upstairs. I walked into Anna’s room, careful not to make a sound as I headed for her bed. She was curled up on her side, her thumb in her mouth. She used to do it often when she was a toddler but eventually we got her to stop. Sometimes I still caught her sucking her thumb at night though. I brushed a few strands of hair from her face then gently pulled her finger out. She made a small sound but didn’t wake. I always tried to say goodnight to her or even read her a bedtime story, but on days like this, I sometimes came home when she was already asleep. I leaned down at kissed her forehead then headed for the bedroom.

Val was asleep and she didn’t wake when I slid into bed beside her. Tomorrow morning after breakfast I’d have to talk to her about the photos. I didn’t want her to find out through others. The newspapers in Chicago wouldn’t post any articles about Aria and me, Rocco and I would make sure of it, but these things usually spread like wildfire in the Outfit and soon people would be talking.

Closing my eyes, I rubbed my temple. This had the potential to spiral out of control. It was a very risky move. Some people in the Outfit would be enraged that I’d been in contact with Aria, not so much about an affair, others might applaud me for having a spy so close to Luca. I’d have to tell Giovanni about this tomorrow as well. He wouldn’t be happy either. He’d worry how this would reflect on Val.

I slanted a look at my sleeping wife. I didn’t want Val to get hurt emotionally. This move would at least guarantee her physical safety. She might not see it that way of course. I sat up and got out of bed. Sleep was out of the question. Picking up my phone from the nightstand, I headed into the corridor and sent Rocco a text.

Hold off with the photos for now. We need to discuss the consequences.

His reply came swiftly.

Already sent. Sorry, Dante. It’s a good move in this war.

I sighed. He was right. This trickery was good for the Outfit. It might not be good for my marriage, however, and even though it shouldn’t be, my family was more important to me than my vow.

It was too late now. Things had been set in motion.

The pressure on my bladder combined with sciatic pain woke me before sunrise once again. Dante didn’t stir when I snuck into the bathroom, which meant he’d gone to bed so late again that he’d probably only reached his deep sleep phase. After I’d washed my face, I crept out of the bedroom and downstairs to make myself a tea. Light from the office caught my attention. I headed that way and found Anna curled up on Dante’s desk chair, staring down at his iPad.

I smiled at how cute she looked with her disheveled hair and sleep-puffy eyes. “You know Daddy doesn’t want you to go into his office without his permission.”

Anna’s head shot up in surprise. She grinned sheepishly. “I was bored.”

I shook my head and went to her. “You can’t touch Daddy’s things. They are important for his work.” And potentially traumatic for a young child. Anna didn’t understand what Dante did.

“But he’s got photos of Aunt Aria.”

Frowning, I took the iPad from her and looked at the photo Anna was referring to. I quickly clicked through a myriad of other photos, all of them of Aria and Dante, some of them disturbingly intimate. I tried to keep my shock hidden because Anna watched me curiously.

“Why don’t you go to your bedroom and draw a bit. Mommy’s still very tired. But we’ll do a puzzle together later, okay?”

Anna pouted but eventually she nodded and dashed off. I had a feeling she’d head to our bedroom and see if Dante would entertain her, or at least allow her to watch TV, which he wouldn’t.