“Oh,” he said, “I do. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything.”
Big Bismo slapped his hands together. “That takes care of that—”
I shook my head. “You only want to collect me.”
“I love to collect beautiful things,” he whispered. His eyes were getting heavy, his lids lowering, trying to spark a connection between us.
“I’m a fucking person,” I said, ice water in my tone. “I belong to whoIsay I belong to. Even if you get this—me—I still won’t be yours.”
He searched my eyes, and then he leaned in close, his mouth close to my ear. “You will be. You’ll be in my bed every night. You can’t get more mine than that.”
I shoved at his chest, but he wouldn’t budge. Even when I tried to put distance between us, he kept me pinned. His hand was on my arm, his grip more painful than Big Bismo’s.
It was ultimately the look on my face that made Ben drop his grip, but he didn’t move. He couldn’t.
Aniello stood behind him, a gun to the back of his head. Big Bismo stood behind him, sweat dripping down his face. He started to move toward his desk.
“Stay where you are,” Aniello said, not even looking at Big Bismo. His eyes were on mine.
Big Bismo stopped at Aniello’s order as if the puppet master had pulled his strings and left him dangling.
“I thought you had rules about this, Giuffrida,” Ben said, using Big Bismo’s real name. “Isn’t this punishable by death in your world?”
“Tell him the general rule,” Aniello said.
Big Bismo belched but tried to muffle it. “If you try to kill a mark and miss, you don’t try again. He gets a pass.”
“Tell him my rule,” Aniello said.
“If the gun comes out—lights fucking out. You don’t pull unless you’re going to use it.”
“That’s the only two rules I have,” Aniello said. “And I don’t miss.”
“You kill me,” Ben said, “you kill her.”
“Come to me, Rosalia,” Aniello said in Italian.
I didn’t hesitate. I slipped right past Ben, standing next to Aniello. Ben didn’t even put up a fight, which made me think there was more to this than what I was seeing. Aniello had embarrassed the Daltons. He had shifted some of the power they’d held after the pictures went live on every news outlet willing to share it.
Was this Ben’s way of getting back at him? He wanted him to do something stupid so that the organization would have cause to kill him right away? Was he trying to prove there was something between Aniello and me?
Aniello kept the gun pressed against the back of Ben’s head. I had a moment of panic when I thought his finger pressed against the trigger, and I was staring through Ben’s skull at the picture his head was blocking hanging on the wall. But my eyes were playing tricks on me, because he was still standing when I blinked.
“You’ll keep your head today,” Aniello said, lowering the gun. He looked at me briefly, and it was the first time I truly understood what he didn’t have to say.Only because you’re here.
Manners never go out of style.
Ben turned to face him. “I never took you to have a soft spot, Assanti. Not after everything I’ve heard.”
“This meeting is over,” Big Bismo said to Ben. “Candle had the right this time. Touching our girls without permission is not allowed. Neither is speaking real names.”
“My girl.” Ben pointed to his heart.
Aniello’s eyes moved slowly, from Ben’s face to the center of his chest before they met his eyes again.
Ben ran a hand over his tie. Then I noticed something on his face that wasn’t there before. A droplet of sweat running from his temple. “We’ll be in touch, Giuffrida,” he said, moving to the door. “My father is going to take care of thismess, and after he does, it’s going to be hell on this place if we don’t get what we’re owed. August is coming soon.”
It dawned on me then. Why he was waiting until August to force the marriage. Not only did his mother want to plan a huge occasion, but he was also hoping Aniello would be dead by then. I worked at this place, and I had been around men who behaved this way my entire life. I had learned more than a thing or two about how they thought and how they operated.
