Page 11 of Reign of Hope

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Zano

Dante and Elena leave right after dinner, which is fine by me because I’m zonked. In the midst of it all, the doctor arrives on Reno’s orders. By the time all is said and done, I’m ready for bed, and by the looks of it, I’d say that Allegra is more than ready.

“The spare room is made up for Allegra,” Mom says. “Victorio can have Elena’s old room.”

“He can stay with me, Mom,” Elio says.

“No, he can bunk with me,” I say. Victorio has made too many bad decisions to leave him alone for the night. Elio must be thinking the same.

“You need a good night’s sleep. Victorio is going to stay with me.” He turns to Victorio. “Say good night and come help me move the mattress into my room.”

Victorio doesn’t argue. He goes to his sister and kisses her on the cheek. “Night, Ally.” He then says good night to the rest of us and follows Elio up the stairs.

“I’ll show you to your room. I put out a pair of Elena’s old pajamas on the bed,” my mother tells Allegra. “Elena will be back tomorrow with fresh clothes for you and Victorio.”

“I’ll take her, Mom. I’m going up myself,” I say. I can’t explain why, but I wish Allegra could stay in my room tonight. I would be happier knowing that I’d be there if she woke up in the middle of the night. This isn’t about sex. Allegra’s whole future changed in one afternoon, and she’s scared. I imagine it wasn’t easy to approach Raffaele, not that she got that far. But it took courage to ask for help from the man who took your father’s life, only to be turned away and find yourself facing three thugs standing between you and your car. Still, the guest room is across the hall. If Allegra needs me, I’ll be close.

There’s not a chance in hell my parents would allow her to stay with me. Propriety is highly valued in our traditions. I find it strange that inNostra Casa, we have no qualms about taking the life of an enemy, but it’s a sin to share a bed with your fiancée before the wedding.

Elio and I were born into chaos. Dad taught us our roles from the time we could walk. Family comes first. Dad served Reno’s father as a soldier, then Reno became capo, and my father’s respect and loyalty never wavered. Elio and I follow in Dad’s footsteps, and we do it proudly. When Dante and Elena married, it elevated our position in the family, but along with it came more responsibility and hard work.

Nostra Casais our destiny and has been since birth. I knew one day I would marry, but not for a long time to come, and definitely not to a woman whose family was ousted from a former rival family. I’ve been told that the day I was born, my father told my mother that I was the child that would cause the most chaos.

I’ll admit, I’ve done my share, today included, but I’m not the only one. Elena and Dante started their relationship when our family’s restaurant was riddled with bullets and Elena tackled Reno to the ground. I think our family is destined to have dramatic marriage beginnings.

I open the door to Allegra’s room. “Here’s your room. I’m right across the hall, if you need anything.”

“Night, Zano,” she says quietly.

“See you in the morning, cuoricina.” I wait for her to close the door before moving to my own room and bed.

SEVEN

Inappropriate

ZANO

It’s the middle of the night when I finally cave and take a pain pill. My arm is aching, and I’ve been tossing and turning for hours. The rest of the house is dead quiet. I finally give up on sleep and decide to go sit downstairs for a while. Watching mindless television always puts me to sleep.

I put a pair of pajama bottoms on, just in case anyone wakes up and finds me on the couch. Mom would have a hissy fit for sure. I move as quietly as I can. Only the creak of the door might give me away. Luckily, no one’s around.

As I’m about to walk by Allegra’s room, I notice her light is on, shining underneath her door. I wonder if she’s just forgotten to turn it off. I give the door a gentle knock.

“Come in,” Allegra says quietly. I turn the knob and look inside. She’s in the middle of the bed, her eyes puffy from crying, and the pile of tissues on the nightstand says this has been going on for a while.

“Can’t sleep,” I say, stating the obvious.

“Not really.” She pulls her lower lip between her teeth. “I’m sorry if I woke you.”

“I was up too. Do you want to come downstairs and watch TV with me?”

She nods and shimmies out of bed. She’s wearing powder-blue pajama bottoms that have lips all over them, and a plain matching blue tank top. “Grab the blanket,” I say, pointing to the one on the armchair. Allegra scoops it up and comes to me. I take her hand and lead her down the stairs into the living room. I settle us on the couch, then turn on the television. “What do you want to watch?”

“Whatever you like,” she replies. She snuggles under the blanket, but stretches it out so it’s covering me as well.

I flip through the channels. “Mission Impossible?” I ask. I figure we’re safe with an action flick that we could both enjoy.

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