Page 33 of The Sound in Silence

Itoss the phone onto the bed and stand, quickly striding into the bathroom and away from that stupid piece of technology. It taunts me with availability and ability—being a method to contact my wife, even when I really shouldn’t be bothering. It’ll cause her to end up with unrealistic expectations of me. Ofus.

But when I learned about her birthday, even I couldn’t be that much of an ass. Some deep instinct knew she’d like a piano. After I was sent the pictures of her notebook, I poured over her lyrics. The pain in her chosen words. Being musically challenged and unable to understand the notes she was assigning to some of them, I can’t even pretend to imagine what her songs would sound like, but a curiosity certainly struck me.

Then I was supposed to have it delivered, and Sebastian show it to her, and that was it. Never a phone call. Certainly not a video call when I realized a regular call requiring the use of voice wouldn’t be enough.

But when her face filled my screen, every fight I’ve been having with myself vanished. Fuck, she’s beautiful. There’s misery in her eyes—deeply wedged—but it began fading over the course of our call.

I scowl at my cell phone as I finish readying for the day, and have to slide it into my pocket. Vegas never starts their days early, so it’ll be hours until the city is bustling. Hell, it should have been hours more until I was up too, considering, according to the time on my phone, I only went to bed four hours ago after the meeting ran late, and the afterparty ran later.

Father never appeared at the meeting, and through every casual conversation with a head, I was one more minute away from finding his ass and determining answers. But the party after the meeting is tradition. With all the heads together, they enjoy making it worth their time, and for all Caladin’s bitching about being present, he continued to slide drinks my way, somehow understanding what I needed.

The alcohol never got me drunk though, when thoughts of my new wife home alone was sobering enough. I feel like an asshole—guilty even when the emotion has no place here. I shouldn’tbeguilty about following my own rules. About maintaining the necessary distance so I can continue leading theFamigliawithout stress or concern of another person’s feelings.

But the alcohol didn’t stop my planning, or me scouring the pictures of her songs again. Or emailing my staff until someone got me the contact information for a music store in New York.

The look on her face made everything worth it.

And got her out of her room. Hopefully by now, she’s eating too.

I exit the condo, placing all thoughts of Ariella into a box in the back of my head as I continue to focus on why I’m in Vegas at all. She can’t distract me when I have stuff to deal with.

The meeting yesterday was productive, even if I was only half-listening. If it wasn’t for Caladin’s frequent jabs in my side, I might have zoned out completely. TheFamigliahas had a lot of progress in recent months, which meant plenty of updates. A few distant relatives praised me for bridging the connection between us and the Corsetti family, while others grumbled. The consensus is split over abandoning a decades-old hatred of Lorenzo Corsetti or letting it go entirely and moving forward for the benefit of the organization. Either opinion, no one commented on my bride switch, which was wise of them.

Once in the elevator, I text Caladin, who’s also staying in one of the condo apartments in this building, to meet me at the car in the underground parking lot. Knowing him, he’ll be a few minutes as he drags his ass to get ready.

Sure enough, twenty minutes later, the elevator doors open and my rumpled cousin strides out and into the open back door of the town car.

He settles into the seat across from me, his mouth open in a wide yawn, his eyes still lined with sleep. “Do you not fuckin’ sleep anymore? I have a headache from hell.”

“Called a hangover. Next time, don’t get drunk.” I tap the car’s roof, signalling to the driver we’re ready to go.

“Whatever. Why’re we up so early?”

“You know every time my father or I are here, we prefer to stop into our Vegas locations directly, regardless if documentation is checking out. Since I’m up and it’s still before noon, which means half the city is still passed out, we can get a start on it.”

“Believe me,” his eyes narrow into slits, “I’m aware half the city is passed out still and I’m insanely fuckin’ jealous to not be one of them. But why dowehave to get a start on it?”

“Because with me becoming Boss tonight and you also sliding into a new role, we need to ensure we’re a united front, even now. Consider this a prime opportunity to show people why you’ll be by my side.”

His arms cross over his chest as he slumps deeper into the seat. “Fine. But if you want any sort of conversation out of me, we need to make a coffee stop.”

* * *

Once Caladin’s slurping noisily on his coffee, we begin our trek to the nearest address I provided the driver earlier. He’s two sips in when somehow the drink of life begins its work and wakes him up.

“So. You end up finding the perfect gift for Ariella?”

I glance up from my own cup. “How did you know I was looking?”

He rolls his eyes. “All last night, it’s all you spoke about. Going back and forth between options. Kept talking about your guilt.”

Fuck.“Did I admit what I was guilty about?”

My asshole cousin drags out the suspense for longer by taking another sip of his drink, grinning around his cup because he fully knows what he’s doing. “’Bout leaving her so soon after the wedding,” he finally answers. “I mean, youdidstay for a few hours, right? Consummate the marriage and all that.”

Any other family member would have gotten an immediate lie, but the guy who’s like a brother to me, who’s the only one to ever earn all my truths instead watches me shift in my seat as I admit, “No.”

His mouth falls open. “Well, fuck, no wonder the guilt. I wouldn’t be surprised if she threw that gift at you the moment you finally walk through the door. You realize, if anyone in the organization learned you didn’t consummate, it’d reflect badly on you?”

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