He said nothing as he stared up at me, unblinking, refusing to agree to the obvious.
“That’s why we’re staying. You feel safe here.”
It made sense. Why he hadn’t raided the castle and demanded that we be set free. We were not prisoners; we were welcome guests. Giulio Cesare was getting close, one person at a time. And after Brando and his brothers made the decision to retaliate for the threat on my life, the game officially began.
“This is as safe as it’s getting. For the time being.”
“Did you plan this? Ettore and Vincenzo taking me and Mia?”
The anger that rose inhimmademycheeks flush hot crimson. His jaw ticked. The vein in his forehead swelled right before my eyes.
“Don’t even say such a fucking thing tome.”
You of all people should know what last night cost me. His look finished what his mouth refused to.
All of his anger transferred to me, and without thought, I was on my feet, slapping his hands away. Because I realized what he’d done the night before. “You rode that damn bike here! Even though you knew that lunatic is out there! How could you do such a thing?”
“To get to my wife and daughter? I’d have stolen a million fucking cars. Killed everyone in my path. But it’s not me he wants, Scarlett. Crushing me on my bike would be too easy. He wants to steal the heart from my chest. There are worst things than death. He knows it.
“Men like me, we all know it. You take one thing—just one fucking thing—from a man who rarely loves, and you crush it before his eyes, and you inflict more pain than opening his chest and stealing his heart.”
Men like me.
“You’renothinglike them,” I said, turning my back on him, going to get ready in the bathroom.
He caught me by the arm, holding on tight. His warm and secure touch sent all the bravado I’d been saving out of me in one huge breath.
Collapsing against him, I cried silently until another tear couldn’t be shed. Then I stuck my chin up and prepared myself for what would come next.
10
Scarlett
The children were all invited to the luncheon. Therefore, Brando didn’t have to feel torn. Mia and I would be in the same place at the same time. We still had no idea why we were going, or even who invited us, but we all had inclinations. Whether they turned out to be true or not, time would only tell.
It would be, even if we suspected it, not the smallest of surprises. And first (or even second) impressions were important in this family.
I’d decided to go with a skin-tight black leotard top and a pink tulle skirt that landed above my ankles. Violet found me a pair of open-toe heels to match.
My mother had dresses and clothes sent over from her shop in Florence, all items that Brando had paid for. After Ettore had taken us, Brando had ordered a few men to stay behind, giving them a brief description of what to collect—cose. Which meant “things.” But seeing as the men were in a rush, I couldn’t seem to find two items that matched, so my mother took care of it.
The closets in the villa brimmed with new and fashionable designer clothing—they were already hanging in the closets when we arrived. (Damn Vincenzo and his shirt stunt!)
Brando wouldn’t let me touch them.
For Brando’s wife to wear clothes purchased by another man was an insult—My wife’s wealth comes from me, and so do the clothes on her body, becauseItake care ofher.
He allowed Mia to wear a dress from her own closet, a beautiful lavender number with a matching cardigan, stockings, the finest Italian shoes, and a flowered headband for her thick chestnut hair.
For his daughter to wear clothes purchased by family was accepting a gift—she is your blood, it stated boldly.
It was a fine line, but a line nonetheless in his eyes.
In the specific language of the Faustifamiglia,gestures spoke louder than words. And there was a thin line between respect and disrespect. Sometimes the situation, or what would follow, came down to a simple action and what stood behind it.
Well versed in his own language, Brando read between the lines every time.
Encompassed in a daze as strong as the fog that hovered on the ground in autumn evenings, I felt as if nothing was real as I readied myself.
