By Fate I Conquer （Sins of the Fathers #4）
Cora Reilly
Twelve years old
I was only a young girl, dressed in my favorite tutu, when I came to the realization that the men in my family were like the monsters in the scary movies that Nevio loved to watch.
And a piece of my heart broke.
Screams and laughter rang out, filling our backyard, and the lingering smell of charcoal tickled my nose.
Mom caught my eye where she lounged on a sunchair next to our huge pool landscape where my twin Nevio, and cousins Alessio and Massimo had a water battle with Fabiano’s son Davide and my uncle Savio. The women of the family lounged on the sunchairs around them, having drinks. Only Aurora who was three years younger than me stood at the edge of the pool watching the fight as if she might want to join in. I sat on our patio, needing space, but even here the sounds became too much. It had been a long day filled with presents, cake, singing and hugs as Nevio and I celebrated our twelfth birthday.
If it was just my birthday, I wouldn’t have celebrated at all, but it was also Nevio’s day and so I braved the excitement.
I sent Mom an apologetic smile and rose from the chair. She nodded, a few blond strands falling out of her messy bun. She knew I had to leave and find peace in my room for the rest of the evening. I glanced around, looking for Dad to say good night as I always did. I found him, Nino and Fabiano in the common area of our mansion. It was a place that was busy most days. With three families living under this roof, everyone always used this area to gather—to celebrate and to argue alike. And Fabiano, who was like a brother to my dad and uncles, though he wasn’t blood, was over often too.
They were talking in quiet voices. I could tell something was up. A nervous energy was in the air, one that made my skin prickle in a way that made me long for a dark corner to hide. Dad fell silent when he spotted me. For a moment his dark eyes—the same dark brown as mine—held a gleam I couldn’t read before they became tender. I went over to him and briefly hugged his middle. “I’m off to bed.”
“Do that.” He kissed the top of my head before I pulled away and gave Nino and Fabiano a smile that felt a little tight from overuse today, then I headed into my family’s wing and into my room.
Until a couple of years ago, Nevio and I had shared a room but when I got overwhelmed by events, I often sought absolute quiet and Nevio wasn’t the quiet type. His room was a zone of war while mine was organized and spotlessly clean. Yet, our rooms were joined by a door so we could easily visit the other.
I got ready for bed despite it being only eight, but I felt tired and preferred to read in bed.
It was nearing eleven when I realized my mind and body wouldn’t find peace any time soon. I was still too overwhelmed by the day. Outside it had gotten quieter.
I got out of bed and put on my favorite white leotard, tights, tutu and ballet shoes before I headed downstairs. Through the French doors I could see that Mom, Nino’s wife Kiara, Savio’s wife Gemma and Fabiano’s wife Leona were still talking and drinking wine. Farther down, I could also make out movement, probably the other kids.
I decided against my ballet room in the small garden house. I didn’t like to dance there when so many people were in the garden.
Instead, I headed for the basement. Dad didn’t want me to be down there. But since Nevio had figured out the code for the steel door, I often went there when I couldn’t find solitude anywhere else.
I’d always loved the dark. I sought the nooks and crevices of our mansion to hide when the world around me became too much, when the sounds and smells crowded in my brain like an avalanche, threatening to bury me beneath. On countless nights I’d roamed the sprawling tunnels and rooms beneath our mansion and the two neighboring houses. One of them belonged to Fabiano and his family and the other was mostly vacant. Dad had bought it because he didn’t want direct neighbors. My uncle Adamo and his family lived there whenever they visited Las Vegas.
Tonight, something felt different about the basement. It took my eyes a moment to get accustomed to the dark, and that’s when I realized that light was coming from somewhere farther down the hall. I followed it until I reached the first corridor below the neighbor mansion. It was illuminated. My brows puckered when I heard low voices from behind one of the doors.
Shuffling, like shoes being dragged over stone, sounded further down the corridor and I slipped into the room beside the cell. It wasn’t dark either and when I turned, I saw why. The room had a floor length window looking into the neighboring cell. Dad and Nevio were inside but they didn’t seem to see me. This was like a one-way window. I moved closer, wondering what was happening. Nevio’s hair was still wet and he was barefoot. The door to the cell opened, and Nino and Fabiano entered, dragging along a very tall but skinny man.