Chapter 5: Into the Lion's mouth

( Aria's point of view )

In my father’s house, every mirror is a two-way glass and every smile is a concealed blade.

There, was held the "Engagement Celebration," a night designed to show the world that the two most powerful families in the city were finally united.

Dante sat beside me in the back of a limousine, resting his hand on my thigh. It was a calculated move, one meant for any hidden cameras or prying eyes, but my body liked the way he touched me.

"Remember," Dante leaned in with his lips on my ear as if he were whispering a sweet nothing. "The keylogger is in your earring. Once you’re inside the study, you have sixty seconds to plug it into the back of the server. If you’re not out in two minutes, I’m coming through the door."

"I know the plan, Dante," I whispered back with a steady voice for a girl about to rob the Butcher of Sicily. "Just make sure you keep the elders distracted. My father loves to talk about his fucking legacy. Keep him talking."

The car door was opened and we stepped out into the flashing lights of paparazzi. Dante immediately wound his arm around my waist, pulling me against his side. I played my part, leaning my head onto his shoulder as we walked up the steps. To the world, we were the perfect Mafia couple but on the inside, we were two spies walking into a trap.

We walked into the ballroom.

My father, Lorenzo, stood at the center of the room like a king When he saw us, his eyes lit up with a predatory gleam.

"The man of the hour!" Lorenzo boomed while stepping forward to clap Dante on the shoulder. "And my very beautiful daughter. You know Aria? Marriage clearly suits you."

"Thank you, Father," I said with a voice with fake affection. "Dante has been... very attentive."

"She’s a Valenti, Lorenzo. Dante said, squeezing my waist with his fingers.

I’d be a fool not to pay attention."

As the night wore on, the "performance" became exhausting. I laughed at jokes that weren't funny and accepted congratulations for a life I didn't want. But I kept my eyes on the clock. At exactly 10:00 PM, the Moretti elders pulled my father into the lounge for a private toast. This was my window.

I leaned into Dante, whispering, "It's time."

He nodded.

"Go. I’ll cover the hallway."

I slipped away from the crowd, heading toward the back of the house under the pretense of freshening my makeup.

I knew every blind spot in the camera system. I had mapped them out years ago when I was first learning to be a ghost.

I reached the heavy oak doors of my father’s study. My hand trembled as I reached for the handle. It was locked, well, just as I expected. I reached into my hair, pulling out a pin I had modified into a tension wrench. It took me ten seconds to hear the satisfying click of the tumblers.

I stepped inside. The server was humming in the corner. I moved quickly, my heels clicking on the hardwood floor until I reached the back of the machine. I pulled the small USB device from my earring and plugged it into the port.

A blue light flickered. 0%... 40%... 80%...

"Aria?"

Oh God! I froze. Then slowly turned my head toward the door.

My father was standing there. He wasn't smiling anymore. He looked at me, then at the server, then back at me.

"I wondered how long it would take for you to try something," he said with a very smooth voice.

"Father, I... I... I just... needed a place to think," I stammered, my hand secretly reaching behind the server to pull the device out.

"Don't lie to me," he stepped into the room, closing the door behind him making my blood run cold. "I know about the Moretti’s plans. I know Dante thinks he’s found a partner in you. He thinks you’re going to help him take me down."

"I don't know what you’re talking about," I said, standing my ground.

Lorenzo laughed, a dry, hollow sound. "You’ve always been my favorite, Aria. Because you’re just like me. But you made a mistake. You thought Dante Moretti was better than me. He’s not. He’s just a different kind of monster."

He walked toward me, and I backed away until I hit the desk. He leaned over with his face very close to mine. "Did he tell you about his ex-wife, Isabella? Did he tell you why she really left?"

"She betrayed him," I said.

"No," Lorenzo whispered. "She found out that Dante was the one who authorized the hit on her father. He used her to get into her family’s accounts, and once he had what he wanted, he discarded her. He’s doing the same thing to you, Aria. He found 'The Ghost,' and now he’s using 'The Ghost' to do his dirty work."

The words hit me. My mind raced back to the way Dante had looked at me, promising to protect me. Was it all a lie? Was I just a tool to him?

"You’re lying," I hissed.

"Am I?" Lorenzo pulled a file from his desk drawer and tossed it in front of me. "Check the dates, Aria. Dante knew you were the hacker weeks before the wedding. He set that 'accidental' kiss up. He’s been playing you since day one."

I looked at the file. My eyes blurred as I saw my own IP addresses logged weeks ago, with Dante’s digital signature on the surveillance reports. He had known and started stalking me.

Suddenly, the door to the study was kicked open. Dante stood there with his gun drawn and eyes wild with fury.

"Get away from her, Lorenzo!" Dante roared.

My father didn't flinch a bit. He just looked at me with a sad, knowing smile. "Go on, Aria. Ask him. Ask him when he first found out about The Ghost."

I looked at Dante. He didn't look at me; he kept his eyes on my father. But the look told me everything I needed to know.

"Dante?" I called with a broken whisper. "Is it true? Did you know before the wedding?"

He said nothing.

Then he finally looked at me. There was no warmth in his eyes now, only the cold.

"Aria, I can explain," he said.

"Did you know?" I screamed.

"Yes," he said, his voice flat. "I knew."

I felt like I had been shot. Every touch and word of comfort, promise of a "partnership" was a calculated move to win my trust so I would hack my father’s empire for him. I wasn't his partner but his weapon.

"Aria, we have to go," Dante said, stepping toward me. "The guards are coming. We have the data, now let's get out of here."

"Don't touch me!" I backed away, my hand finding a heavy crystal paperweight on the desk. "You’re just like him. Both of you. You don't see a person when you look at me. You see a bank account."

"Aria, listen to me"

Suddenly, the alarms throughout the estate began to blare and the red emergency lights came on.

"It seems our time is up," Lorenzo said, reaching into his jacket.

Dante didn't hesitate. He grabbed my arm, wrenching me away from the desk just as a bullet shattered the glass behind us. He hauled me toward the hidden service exit behind the bookshelves. I struggled, kicking him and screaming, but he was too strong.

"Let me go!"

"Not until we’re safe," he gritted out, dragging me into a dark, narrow tunnel.

Dante had a waiting SUV with the engine running. He threw me into the passenger seat and slammed the door, locking it before I could reach for the handle. Then jumped into the driver’s seat and tore away from the estate.

We were miles away, deep into the industrial district, before either of us spoke. Dante was breathing hard, his hands white-knuckled on the steering wheel.

"I was going to tell you," he said with a low voice.

"When? After the fucking wedding? After I’d already given you everything you wanted?" I looked out the window with tears falling from my eyes. "I thought you were different, Dante. I thought I finally found someone who saw me."

"I do see you," he said, pulling the car over to the side of the road. He turned to me with eyes full of strange desperation. "Yes, I found you first. Yes, I used the wedding to trap you. But I didn't expect you to be... you. I didn't expect to actually care if you lived or died."

"I don't believe you."

"You have to," he said, reaching out to touch my face. I flinched away. He sighed, taking his hand back to his lap. "Because your father just triggered the 'Blood Clause.' By trying to rob him tonight, we’ve declared war. He’s not going to just kill me now, Aria. He’s going to kill you to 'cleanse' the family name."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out my earring, the one with the keylogger. "We have the data. But we also have a target on our backs that can be seen from space. We have nowhere to go but my safehouse."

"And what happens when you have everything you need from that drive?" I asked, looking him dead in the eye. "Do you discard me like Isabella?"

Dante looked at me with a flash of real, raw pain. "I didn't kill Isabella’s father, Aria. Lorenzo did. And he’s been using that lie to keep people from trusting me for years. If you want the truth, help me look at that drive. It’s all in there."

I looked at the small USB device. My father’s lies versus Dante’s secrets. I didn't know who to trust, but as the sound of distant sirens approached, I realized I didn't have a choice.

"Drive," I said.

The war had officially begun. I was a bride on the run, married to a man who might be my savior or my executioner. And the only thing I knew for sure was that by morning, the streets would be red with Valenti and Moretti blood.