Scarlett caught me by the arm, and when my eyes met hers, there was so much knowledge there. More truth than any history book written on this family could share.
She shook her head at me and mouthed, “You can’t stop this.”
Why? Because Renato had already claimed me?
She nodded, like she’d read the thought in my head.
Fuck. I didn’t even like him, but he had made a claim on me. Maybe he felt I’d challenged him at the event in Venice? Because I wouldn’t dance with him?
Nazzareno had made a claim on me too.
Two opposing claims, and I knew what this situation spelled: danger.
Then there was Luca, sitting behind his desk, looking over all of us in his kingdom, moving our pieces around whenever he felt like it.
My eyes quickly looked over the men that were around us. Brando’s eyes were no longer on his wife, but on the two challenging lions standing nose to nose. Dario. Romeo. The men in Renato’s group. They all seemed to be salivating at the thought of bloodshed.
“These men love nothing more than shedding blood for love,” Scarlett whispered so softly in my ear, I shivered. “They turn into something other than men. They turn into beasts for it.”
“Because it means they earned it?” I matched her tone, but I thought maybe mine came out even lower. I didn’t expect her to answer, but she did.
“That’s a big part of it.” She squeezed my hand. “You’re intuitive—you read deeper than just the words on the surface of the page. You’ll need that keen sense to survive in this family.”
These men love nothing more than shedding blood for love. They turn into something other than men. They turn into beasts for it.
I could understand it if the man was free of obligation, free to love who he wanted in the light and dark, but Nazzareno was not free. He had given his word to commit his life to someone else.
This fight was a waste, given our situation.
As far as I knew, I couldn’t be forced to stay with Renato forever. He could try to seduce me buttrywas the main word in that sentence. Sooner or later, Renato would have to let me go, and that was that.
But after that…if Nazzareno wanted to see me again, would he still have to fight him? Or would he be ordered to stay away from me, since he had a wife and I was only the side chick?
Grr. This family and its rules were so complex!
And…
Fighting over a side chick.
Shame was not usually an emotion that washed over me, but I was being supported by all these respectable wives, and it almost sucked me under.
Even if Nazzareno’s marriage was for show, it was still going to be a marriage, and I was going to be the third wheel of it.
My attention snapped away from the thought and focused on the two growling men when Rocco said something in Italian.
A second after, a cool breeze glided over my back, and Rosaria Caffi stepped out.
She rolled her eyes at the two men. “I do not even want to know.” She looked at me. “You must be the nosy little journalist from New York.” She stepped back. “Come in.”
I looked at Nazzareno, but he was too focused on Renato to look at me. I didn’t know what to do.
Romeo Fausti seemed to make the decision for me when he gave Scarlett a subtle nod and she took me by the hand and brought me into Rosaria Caffi’s private dressing room, closing the door behind us. Rosaria was already sitting at the vanity, looking over her reflection in the mirror. She was still in costume.
Scarlett turned to me, blocking Rosaria.
“There’s nothing you can do about what’s going on outside of this room…right now.”
“You make it sound like I have a say in any of this,” I whispered.
