Absolute Silence

34

Maria’s eyes went feral. “Not too long? I ought to break both your kneecaps so you end up in a wheelchair, and then we can talk about time, you insensitive prick.” She pushed past me and followed her husband to the house, muttering, “Indigestion and pissing myself. Can’t sleep and my f*****g back aches all the time…” My bad. I hadn’t realized I was walking through a minefield. Gabe opened the door and welcomed us inside. He was the middle brother, although he and Matteo were so close in age that they were always a package deal. At five and seven years older than me, I’d always been the odd man out. Gabe never wanted anything to do with the mafia and Dad’s dangerous lifestyle. He’d gone to school and settled down. His wife, Mia, was a great woman, and they had two adorable kids. I was happy for him and glad that despite our occupational differences, we still remained close. “Hey, man, it’s been a while.” I hugged my brother and kissed his wife’s cheek. “A month.” Mia grinned. “You need to come around more often. The kids ask about you all the time.” “Yeah, yeah. Nona coming over?” Nona was my maternal grandmother who became a cornerstone in our family when my mother died. She took in my brothers when my father was working. I stayed with her and my brothers at times, but since I was so much younger, I was often sent to stay with aunts and cousins. Nona had six children and ten grandkids, so she did her best to help when she could. I understood as an adult why it was easier to keep a ten- and twelve-year-old rather than a five-year-old, but when I was little, all I wanted was to stay with my brothers. “Not this time. She had a cold this week and wasn’t feeling up to getting out.” “She okay?” She was usually in good health, but at eighty-three, she was getting up there. “Yeah, I checked on her earlier today. She’s doing a lot better.” “Good. She needs anything, you let me know. I’m happy to help.” We filtered into the dining room and took our seats while Gabe and Mia brought out the food. “Filip, I almost forgot,” said Maria. “My parents are throwing a dinner party this coming Friday for Sofia’s birthday. They want you to come, said you’re part of the family.” She rolled her eyes. “Me?” That was a surprise. I wasn’t sure I’d considered myself a part of their family, but I had seen a lot of the Genoveses lately. “Yeah, Dad said you’ve been a big help to the family watching over Giada. With you being Matteo’s right hand and brother, they want you to come.” Matteo gave me a pointed look as if he expected me to decline. A personal invite from Enzo Genovese wasn’t something to shrug off. It annoyed me that he thought I wouldn’t grasp the importance of such an offer. “I’d be honored. Just let me know when and where.” I smiled at her, then shot a glare at my brother. A family dinner with the Genoveses. A plan suddenly came together. I would bring a date to dinner I didn’t want to add more grief to our already turbulent relationship, but this would be the perfect opportunity to give Camilla a small dose of reality. It would be a last-ditch effort to see what she truly wanted. If she maintained her need for distance, I wouldn’t ask her to change. I would listen to what she was telling me and make a clean break before either of us was irrevocably injured. If things didn’t work out, I’d have to find a way to convince Dante to keep her from the club. She would eventually accept her ousting and settle down with a decent, respectable man. The thought made my skin crawl. Would seeing me with another woman make her jealous? I didn’t want to hurt her, but I wanted her to realize she needed me. I was the perfect reflection of everything she wanted, if she allowed herself to see it. It was manipulative, but I wasn’t the type of man to shy away from a challenge. I could see with more clarity now that I wanted Camilla—all of her—despite my fears. This was likely the only way to bring her around. Learning she’d gone to the Omega had been instrumental in changing my perspective. A similar reality check might be just as effective on her end. Whether it was owed to simply having a plan or my sincere belief in my success, my spirits lifted. I wouldn’t focus on the possibility that Camilla might be indifferent to seeing me with another woman. Holding onto such a tenuous hope was dangerous, but I couldn’t fully irradicate the emotion. Hope was insidious—the birthplace of expectation and anticipation—and the foundation of crippling disappointment. I would cross that bridge only when I had no other option. When I considered who I might bring with me, Liana was quick to surface as a prime candidate. I’d known her for years and didn’t think a night out would confuse our relationship if I was clear about my intent. The last thing I needed was more relationship complications. As soon as dinner was over, I would send her a text and set my plan in motion. By the end of the weekend, Camilla would either be mine or remain a painful memory of my past. OceanofPDF.com 14 OceanofPDF.com CAMILLA I arrived at Sofia’s birthday dinner a few minutes early. I’d needed to get out of the house in order to stop thinking about Filip. I hadn’t heard from him and wasn’t sure where we stood. It was my fault. I’d put him in an awkward position, and I knew it. My emotions were such a jumbled mess that I didn’t know what to think. Nothing about the Den had gone as I’d expected. It was a frigid February evening. I had dressed for a casual family dinner out—fitted slacks with booties and a devilishly soft cashmere sweater. I piled my hair in a messy bun and added long dangly earrings. I wanted to look cute, but comfort was my primary goal for a night with the family. “Hey, Ma. How are you?” I greeted my mother when I arrived by giving her a warm hug. I wasn’t normally big on hugging, but I’d hoped to stave off impending questions about Mass by getting on her good side. “I’m good, honey. You look beautiful.” She smiled with more enthusiasm than normal. “You okay?” She glanced to where some of the others were chatting and pulled me aside. “I decided to submit my information to the adoption database, the website that links adopted kids with their birth parents, and I consented to the release of my information. They’ll let him know, but he may not respond. We just have to wait and see.” Her hands clutched one another, twisting in a worried knot that projected just how anxious she was on the inside.