“Aria doesn’t really look too sad to see you gone either,” I said when Luca joined me in the elevator.

He smirked. “We already said good-bye twice this morning. What about you? How was your wedding night?”

I couldn’t stop the grin. “Better than yours.”

Luca’s eyebrows rose in silent doubt. “So did she put out?”

“She did,” I said. “And I was her first.”

“Did she tell you that?” Luca asked doubtfully.

“No, she didn’t. She was furious that I found out. But there was no way she could have hidden it.”

“Good for you,” Luca said, clapping my shoulder. “So are you still into her or have you come to your senses now that your cock isn’t ruling your thinking anymore?”

I gave him the finger. “What makes you think my cock isn’t still in charge?”

Luca sighed. “Suit yourself, but don’t come bitching to me when she starts to annoy you.” The elevator stopped and opened to the underground garage. “Now let’s focus on business. You’ve wasted enough time. I need your full attention now.”

“Don’t worry,” I said, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t be easy to get Gianna out of my head. The image of her naked body beneath me had burned itself into my brain and I wasn’t too keen on letting it go.

Gianna

Aria dragged me toward the sofa, away from Luca and Matteo. We sat down and Aria reached for my fat lip with a frown. “I can’t believe Father hit you so hard.”

“He’s done it before,” I muttered.

Romero was watching us from the kitchen. I really wondered how he could stand being trapped in this penthouse with Aria all day. I doubted many soldiers had vied for the job.

After a moment, Aria leaned toward me, whispering. “Are you okay? How was last night?”

I glanced in the direction of Luca and Matteo but they had already disappeared in the elevator and were off to God-knew where.

“Gianna?”

“I’m fine,” I said, sending my sister a comforting smile. She looked like she hadn’t slept much last night. Had worry for me kept her awake?

“And? How was it? Did you sleep with Matteo?”

I laughed. Aria reminded me of myself after Aria’s wedding night. I had been so terribly worried for her. “Don’t sound so anxious. I’m really fine.” I was oddly fine. Maybe even too fine. It had been too easy finding my way back to my old life, as if the life I’d tried to lead in the last few months had never really fit. This morning I hadn’t wondered where I was, hadn’t had to remind myself of my current pseudonym. I was me again.

“You don’t look fine. Please tell me what happened. I drove Luca crazy with my anxiety last night.”

That made me smile. Everything that soured Luca’s mood did. “I slept with Matteo.” My mind returned to the feeling of him inside me, of his intense gaze, his strong body, his touch, and my core tightened again. I wasn’t sure how I could stop my body from being so eager for Matteo’s attention but I knew I had to figure out a way if I ever wanted to hold some sort of power in this marriage.

“You look like you didn’t mind,” Aria said with a teasing smile.

“Like you said, Matteo is good-looking, and he knows what he’s doing, so it wasn’t bad.”

“Did he notice that you hadn’t slept with anyone before?”

“Yeah. You were right. It hurt like hell. He was so damn smug about it. I really wish he hadn’t figured it out. I feel like he’s got more power over me now that he knows.”

Aria shook her head. “You need to stop thinking like that. You and Matteo need to find a way to get along now that you’re married. It’s a good thing that he knows the truth.”

“Matteo doesn’t exactly make it easy for me either. He’s always so arrogant. And he’s the one who started with the games. And do you know what else he did?” I lifted my leg with the stupid ankle bracelet. I still couldn’t believe Matteo had actually put that thing on my body, like I was a dog who needed a collar. Of course from his standpoint it was probably the normal thing to do. He was a controlling, possessive, power-hungry killer after all, but that didn’t mean I liked it.

Aria grimaced. “I know. Luca mentioned it to me this morning. It was his idea.” She paused with an apologetic expression. “I tried to talk him out of it, but he said he won’t risk any more conflicts with the Outfit by letting you roam free.”

“As if Father or anyone else in the Outfit would care if I ran off again. I’m not their problem anymore, remember?” I wiggled my fingers, showing off my wedding ring.

“Luca and Matteo would look weak if you managed to get away again, and that would weaken their position. Things between New York and Chicago haven’t exactly been going smoothly in the last few months.”

“Because of me?”

“Not just because of you,” Aria said. “Luca and Dante don’t get along very well. They are both alphas who aren’t used to working with equals.”

“I don’t suppose you know of a way how to get rid of this thing?” I tipped my finger against my black shackle.

“No. Is it very uncomfortable?”

I shrugged. “Not really, but I hate it. And I can kiss short skirts and dresses good-bye unless I want everyone to think I’m a criminal.”

Aria touched my arm lightly. “I’m sure Matteo will take it off soon.”

“I doubt that.” If I were him, I wouldn’t trust me anytime soon. Probably never.

Aria’s eyes darted to my hair again. She’d been doing it since she’d first seen me with the new color.

I smoothed a hand over my hair. “You hate it, right?”

“I’m not used to it. Maybe it’ll grow on me. But I miss your red hair.”

“Me too,” I said. “Matteo hates my brown hair as well.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to stay a brunette because you want to annoy him?” Aria asked with a knowing look.

I wasn’t that childish. Maybe six months ago that would have been my reaction but being on the run had helped me grow up. I wouldn’t keep my hair in a color I didn’t like to annoy Matteo. There were other ways I could make his life harder and I hoped to explore as many of them as possible. “I’ll change it back to my natural hair color as soon as I get the chance. Do you think Matteo will freak out if we leave the apartment in search for a hairdresser?”

“Probably. You’ve been married for less than a day. Maybe you should try to stay on your best behavior for today at least.”

“I’ll do my best,” I said sarcastically.

Aria got up. “It’s almost lunch time. Let’s grab something to eat and I’ll give my hairdresser a call and ask her to come over to do your hair, okay?”

I pushed to my feet. “Perfect. I’m starving.” I followed Aria toward the kitchen area. Romero put his phone down on the counter, eyes and posture alert as we approached. Sandro had probably warned him of us. That reminded me of something I’d wanted to ask Aria ever since I’d run off. I waited until she’d finished her call with her hair dresser and fixed us a salad before I bridged the topic.