I stop typing and find my bride to be’s wide, fear-filled eyes staring back at me. “What is it, baby?”
“How can we possibly get married? We don’t even know if we’re compatible as a couple,” she argues.
“Compatibility is not something that should concern you. We already know how good we are together.” I’m hard just thinking about it, but perhaps now isn’t the best time to tell her that. “Just think about it, baby.IfGianni is responsible for kidnapping your brother andifMaurice kept it a secret all this time, Caspien will see that as an admission of guilt. Hiding his son from him instead of returning him like he should’ve been,” I explain.
“I’ll tell him none of you knew. It was that Gianni person’s fault. Not Nazario, or any of yours.”
“It’s not enough, Althea. You’re just being stubborn.”
“I amnotbeing stubborn. My father will never honor a marriage contract of convenience and forgive me if I don’t wantto be stuck in a loveless marriage because your family fucked up!” She shouts. “You’ll be lucky if he doesn’t put a bullet in your head for trying to force me into such an arrangement without his permission.”
She doesn’t want to marry me because she doesn’t think she can love me.
Anger and something I don’t quite understand hit me like a truck, and I find myself struggling to keep myself together.
Is this what hurt feels like?
“Well, that’s too fucking bad. You want to find your brother and I, for some Godforsaken reason I can’t think of now, want to keep you alive. So put away whatever fairytale dream you had about your perfect wedding to Prince Charming and prepare to walk down the aisle and say I do, because that’s the only way both things are going to happen,” I snarl. Althea flinches slightly at the harshness in my voice.
“You’re blaming me for this? I’m not the one who stole a child from his family! I’m also not the one trying to force anyone into a sham of a marriage.”
“Do you see any other way out of this? Because I don’t!” I roar, getting to my feet and pacing the room. “My family believes you are in some type of arrangement with our enemies, and I won’t be able to convince Nazario otherwise. Not while he’s still dealing with Santo’s recovery and cleaning up the mess The Bishop and his cronies left for the family to take care of.” Laying my laptop down, I move toward the bed, stopping near the edge. We’re in a stare-off with one another. “Get ready, Miss Drakos. Because the only way I can see for you to make it out of this shitshow alive is by hitching yourself to Death.”
23
ALTHEA
We arrived at Eliseo Venatti’s luxury home overlooking the Tuscan coast. Like everything these men own, it’s huge, surrounded by privacy, and every detail is well thought out and intentional. For example, the seven smaller ‘guest homes’ that surround the main house I learn are meant for family to stay in when they visit. I thought they were for hired help to live in while caring for the family or the property, but no. The staff have a small apartment-like building at the bottom of the hill where they stay, except for the security team, house manager, and the chief cook.
In Las Vegas, our head of security stays on the property, as does the house manager, who oversees the day-to-day care of our home and the people who work for us, but this isinsane.With the number of people who work here, it’s like a five-star hotel on crack—and I own casinos.
“What the hell is all of this?” I quietly ask myself merely because I’m in shock and it all seems like overkill to me, but Enzo answers anyway.
“When Nazario told Nonno and Eliseo what was going on, they upped security. It’s a precaution in case Caspien comeslooking for you. It’s also in part because The Bishop has gone into hiding and no one has been able to track him down. The Mesias took out Ephraim as a show of good faith since he attacked both my cousin and Devante that night,” Enzo explains, sounding upset.
“You sound disappointed.” I smile at how pouty this grown-ass man has become over the fact he didn’t get to kill the man responsible for shooting Santo. It’s almost laughable, but I’m not going to push my luck. We’ve both been on an emotional rollercoaster for the last couple of days. Laughing in the face of a cold-hearted killer while he’s wound tight doesn’t seem to be in my best interest.
Still funny though.
We’re greeted immediately by Eliseo and his wife, Vella. She welcomes me with a warm embrace. I must be tired, because I return the comforting gesture. When she pulls back, she’s smiling.
“Oh, aren’t you beautiful? Well done, Enzo. She will make a fine wife and such beautiful children.” She claps her hands together with excitement. “Don’t you worry about a thing, dear. I have all the wedding plans underway. Nazario sent me an email with a list of everything you and Enzo have requested.”
I send a sharp glare Enzo’s way. “I wasn’t aware of any plans being made.”
Vella looks between us and waves me off. “It will all be ready by Saturday evening as requested, and your friends and will arrive with Nazario tomorrow evening to help.” She beams. “Enzo, Giselle will arrive on Friday morning. Her last class is Thursday morning, and the stubborn girl refused to miss even one day of lectures. But Angelo will accompany her on the plane over along with her guards, as you requested.”
Enzo nods.
“Saturday? That’s a week away.” I turn to Enzo. “I can’t miss that much time at work. I need to get back home.”
“Your resignation was already sent in and accepted,” he says so bluntly I want to slap him.
“You quit my job for me?” I have to bite the inside of my lip to keep from screaming at him and making a scene in front of his aunt and uncle. But when I get him alone, I’m going to lay into the meddling fucker. “You had no right to do that. It’s bad enough you’re making me dothis,” I wave my hand between us. “Without my full endorsement. You had no right to end my profession too.”
“Let’s not pretend that you wanted to work for the Dallas precinct as a real profession. We both know you took the job to be able to tamper with evidence and keep up with the newest technology to better cover your tracks,” Enzo says mockingly.
“That is not—” I’m cut off when his uncle beams with pride.
