NineteenDaniela Berni When I didn’t think I was going to be with Niccolo, I was planning for college. I had this outrageous idea that I would work part time, get scholarships, and maybe go into social work or something. There were so many kids that wound up in the mob because they didn’t have places to call home and it was easy money. I thought maybe if I could give back to my community, I could make it better. And since Niccolo ensured I had no social life whatsoever, I spent most of my time studying or helping my mom which I got a little money for. As close to an allowance as I could get. The closest I ever got to having my own freedom was when I worked at Revere’s on the weekends. When things were slow, I used to find a place and study. There was a guy that came by and he was from another private school. He was tall, with brown hair, and blue eyes. This happened my junior year. Before I spent summer with Niccolo, before we’d had sex together, and before my
TwentyNiccolo CapaldiI dreamt about this.From the moment I had her for the first time when we were both teenagers, Daniela Berni was the only thing I wanted in this world that I could not have. Not fully. Daniela drove me to distraction. Now, there was a hit on her, and me, and the people we cared about. And we had just enough time to spare to rest and then try to get away. But we weren’t going to be doing any resting that night. Not in the traditional sense, anyway.I should have been more worried about the people coming for us. At that moment though, Daniela was on my bed, completely undressed, having started to take her clothes off in the hallway before we even got to my room. “You still on the pill?” I asked her. It wouldn’t have mattered if she wasn’t. At that point, there was nothing that could stop us. It had taken both of us years to get here, to realize there was no letting the other go. Now that she was all in, I’d make her mine whatever it took.Daniela nodded.
Twenty-oneDaniela Berni I had wanted this for so long. We’d had one night together the summer before we both graduated and everything went to hell. Now, Niccolo was stroking in between my legs, and I was already wet, whining with anticipation. The first time we’d been together, I’d only had a vague idea of what we were supposed to be doing because of reading romance novels. And from fooling around with him a little. I hadn’t been with too many people. But I was more experienced than I was when I was seventeen. I knew things now. As Niccolo played with my folds using one hand, he was sucking on my right nipple too. I found myself gripping the pillows as I cried out.Niccolo came up for a moment from what he was doing. “Can’t cum yet, sweetheart. I’m not inside you yet.”I clutched at my pillow as my toes curled while Niccolo was playing with me some more. I was wet in between my thighs. “Come on, come on,” I told him, “I want you, Niccolo. I’ve waited for this
Twenty-two:Niccolo Capaldi After the moment I had with Daniela on the couch, I couldn’t stop touching her. I didn’t want to. I had told her that we were going to take things slow though. Really, I just wanted to savor her. Giuseppe had been talking about me starting to take on more responsibility after graduation and I knew then, I wouldn’t get to be with Daniela. I also knew that I probably wouldn’t see Daniela again. I’d seen her looking through college brochures the previous year and I knew she was going to graduate top of our class. Money would be the only thing that she struggled with but I’d overheard Giuseppe talking with Augusta, saying he would help Dani if she wanted him to. “That girl is practically my family,” he said.I think he was holding out hope that we would get married. And the longer I spent with Daniela, the more that idea didn’t sound so terrible. If she were my wife, I could protect her. Of course, I had no idea what Daniela wanted. What I did know was that I
Twenty-three:Daniela Berni After that whole thing with Niccolo trying to make things up to me for my first date getting canceled, there was this weird shift between us. He didn’t totally hate me but he didn’t go out of his way to make my life miserable either. Niccolo lived in Beacon Hills, and I lived in Roxbury. It was good thirty minutes, give or take, depending on traffic. Before my mom died, most days, I took the bus to go to the fancy private school Giuseppe helped pay for. One morning, when mom had already left for work, I was walking myself to the bus when I heard the purr of a car engine. I glanced over and I saw Niccolo’s silver Ferrari pulled up to the side of the curb. The passenger side window rolled down, and Niccolo flashed me a smile. “Thought you could use a ride.” I hesitated. Niccolo Capaldi had never once driven me to school. Sometimes, Giuseppe would have his driver pick me up if he knew that my mom was going to ha
Twenty-fourNiccolo Capaldi The first time I remember I shot something, I was fifteen years-old. It was my birthday. My father let me and my brother skip school that day. Luca and me weren’t twins, but we were born a year apart. We’d started school at the same time because my mom hadn’t wanted Luca or me to be lonely. “Where are you taking us, Pop?” Luca asked. We were in the back of a black sedan. “Maybe we could catch a movie,” said Luca, “or go to that diner Mom used to take us to after church.” Giuseppe shook his head. “No. Today, you’re going to work with me. You know our family owns much of Boston. We’re trying to buy a particular borough of the city. There’s another family that would like to have that same part. We’re meeting to give them. I think you’re old enough to see what the family business is up close.” I glanced at my brother. Luca’s face fell. I knew he’d been hoping for a normal afternoon with Pop, but that wasn’t the k
Twenty-fiveDaniela Berni We were leaving. I woke up to the sound of Niccolo’s alarm on his phone. His arms were wrapped around me tightly. He let out a groan. “Fuck!”I sighed. “Time to go?”He pressed his forehead against mine, and he stroked my cheek. “My guess is that whoever is after us has probably arrived in Italy by now. It will be only a matter of time before they catch us. It’s not safe for us to be here.”“I know.”We got up, and I started to dress in the same clothes that I had worn before.“What are you doing?” he asked.“Getting dressed,” I said as a shrugged on them on.He shook his head, and smiled. “Come with me.”“Okay, but the more time that we waste, the more time that we are going to easily accessible for the scary people with guns to come after us.”He smiled. “I am a scary person with a gun.” He kissed the top of my head. I blushed, and he opened a door in his bedroom that I hadn’t noticed before.“Where’s this go to?” I asked.“It goes to the walk
Twenty-six:Niccolo Capaldi There were some things that I could never tell Daniela. It was one of the many reasons that I had pushed her away in the beginning. I hated the idea of lying to her. We’d been in the thick of things though, and she showed no signs of running. I wouldn’t have blamed her. Of course, we were both in shock over seeing my father dead on the ground. Luca was missing. And Audrina had disappeared.I had a theory about that, but I wanted it to be wrong.Daniela had so few people that she could count on. I hated the idea that now, there was one person less in her circle. She would always have me but I wouldn’t blame her if this was the last straw. If once she got somewhere safe, that was when she decided to leave and get the hell out on her own. Plenty of people would do the same thing and never think twice about it. Daniela said she was ride or die for me, and I had to believe her.I never told her about what happened the day that we saw the man we’d thought was Da