5.Rumours and Speculation

Johnny's POV

The only thing that keeps playing over and over in my mind is the way things ended with Aria last night. I could see the hurt in her eyes when I told her that the kiss we shared was a mistake. How do I explain this to her?

My father clangs his cup down in the saucer in attempt to get my attention. I reluctantly roll my eyes up from the carpet to look at him.

“We have talked about this before son, I do not want you getting involved with Aria” my father says leaning back in his leather recliner, puffing small clouds of smoke from his Cuban cigar.

“Father, I do not understand” I say confused. Why is he so against me being with Aria?

“There is nothing for you to understand, son. I am Don. What I say is law” he says slapping his hand on the desk with the last word.

I watch my knuckles turn white as I grab the edge of his wooden desk, pulling myself up to my full height.

“Not for long. I will be Don soon and I will choose who I will love” I say.

My father bursts out laughing.

“Did you forget your place so quickly Johnny boy? Must I send you back to Italy to refresh your memory?” he asks, knowing full well that I would rather die than endure that sort of torture again. My father said it was to make me tough, but I think it was more of a punishment for defying him.

“I have intercepted the letters she wrote to you when you were in Italy. I know what has been going on between the two of you. You need to cut her loose, son. She is going to be a married woman soon” he says, and I notice a change in his tone that confuses me.

“I thought you were looking into a way of getting her out of the marriage?” I ask.

“Oh I am. I am looking into a way of getting exactly what we want” he says, and I cannot help wondering if what he wants is the same as what Aria wants, or what I want.

“What about Don Giovanni?” I ask.

“What about him? Everyone knows he lost his mind after he killed Aria’s family, babbling about some conspiracy against him” he says waving his hand as if to dismiss the idea.

“But the part of his story about Martino Russo’s secret will turned out to be true. What if there is truth to the rest of it?” I ask.

“Tread carefully boy, the rest of his crazy story involves me, are you saying I had something to do with the death of Aria’s parents?” he says glaring at me.

I hold up my hands in surrender.

“Of course not, father I would never think that you had anything to do with Martino’s death. He was your best friend. I am just saying, some of the things he said did turn out to be true. What if the story about the hidden fortune is also true?” I say shrugging my shoulders.

“What if fairies existed? You cannot believe a word that comes out of that man’s mouth. Look son, we need to focus our attention on keeping Aria safe. With her being the heir to the Russo fortune, every boss in city will be trying to get their hands on her. This could be the start of a gang war like we have never seen before. It is our job to keep her safe until I can come up with another solution. You have to keep your wits about you. You must get your head out of the clouds” my father says.

I let out a long sigh and fall back in the leather chair in front of his desk and let my arms dangle on the sides. I tilt my head back and close my eyes. My father is right. Aria’s safety should be my only priority right now. That is what my head is saying, but my heart is saying something completely different.

“It will be her birthday soon. You need to start making all the arrangements” he says looking at me over the rim of his glasses.

“What do you have in mind? I ask.

“Make it special. We will invite the Guidici and a few important guests” he says, and I frown.

In all my years father had never made a great deal about birthdays, it was always mother who was the one to make us feel special on our big day. He must really love Aria.

After the meeting with my father, I rush through the house, hoping to bump into Aria. I look everywhere, but she must have gone out for the day. I am about to give up my search when I hear movement in the library. I should have thought to look there first. I reach to open the door, but instead, it opens on its own. It happens so fast. I was not quite prepared to be standing inches away from her face. Her beautiful doe eyes stare wide at me, and those plump lips are begging to be kissed.

“Uh, morning” I say awkwardly. Still standing so close to her, I can hear her small breaths come out in little pants.

“Morning” she says and steps back from me, trying to put distance between us.

“About last night” I start, wanting to apologise to her, but she holds up her hand to stop me.

“You do not need to say anything Johnny, that kiss was a long time ago and I just wanted to know if it meant anything to you. And now I know. Were you looking for me?” she asks, raising her one brow.

I want to tell her the truth right there and then, but I need to think about her and not myself.

“A new club has opened up over on main street. My friend Damon owns it. Would you like to come with me for the grand opening tonight?” I ask instead.

“Sure, that will be fun” she says with a faint smile.

“Great, I will pick you up at nine” I say. She walks past me, and I notice the sensual way her hips sway back and forth as she walks. I need to get out of here. I think a cold shower will be in order before I start the day.