“Did Max tell you?” Dad says, leaning back against the wall.
“Savannah.”
He sighs. “Nick never learned to shut up. Well?”
“Well? Well!? So, you knew about this and decided he was a good match for me anyway?”
“Look, the story is worse than it actually seems. It’s like a sick game of telephone. Every iteration of the story gets worse year after year. We’ve had eyes on him, and he’s not a serial killer. He’s not some torturing sadist. He’s killed, however…”
So has he, my brother, and every other male member of my family.
I nod.
“Anyway,” he continues, “our spy got so bored watching him—always focused on isolating himself and reading or stargazing or… I can’t remember what he’s into. But we don’t think there’s anything to be concerned about.”
“Well, he’s also a complete jerk, so I’m concerned about that.”
“What did he do? And what are you two talking about?” Mom stands up out of the chair she was lounging in, glaring at Dad.
“He made fun of me when I left the dining room yesterday, said that he hated me already, and the way he looks at me it… it…”Turns me on a bit.“Makes my skin crawl.”
My internal dialogue sends a wave of confusion over me.
Mom opens her mouth, but Dad cuts her off. “I’ll take care of it.”
“What does that even mean?” I ask. “Surely, that little bit of complaining didn’t convince you.”
“I’ll talk to him, and explain that if he lays a hand on you or hurts you in any way, then it’s war.” He shrugs as if it’s nothing, but I question if he’s just saying words to make me feel more comfortable seeing that we’re already bending over backwards for these people. “We get you out of there and then nuke their castle.”
I doubt what he’s saying is as easy as he makes it out to be, but it’s oddly comforting.
My mom envelopes me in a hug despite my horrible smell. “Oh, it’ll be alright, Sofia. Sometimes men act like fools around beautiful, intelligent women. Maybe it won’t be so bad once he gets to know you.”
“Maybe you’re right.” I doubt it, but I don’t want her warm smile to drop.
I guess I’ll find out in a few days.
Chapter 6
Alessandro
Iwashopingtoavoid Marco on my big day and focus all of my efforts on acting pleasant to Sofia—that will make kidnapping her easier during the reception. But he has to talk to me now, when I was just about to get ready for the ceremony, so I’ll have to hurry afterwards and get dressed. I suppose it doesn’t matter too much; all eyes will be on Sofia and I can simply throw on the suit jacket at the last minute for this sham of a wedding.
The door is open, so I step into his eccentric office. While technically clean, it’s cluttered with random junk that makes my eye twitch—as if he raided the home of a ninety-year-old woman and threw all of her shit into his office. Yes, woman and not man. There are weird sorts of dolls and trinkets that you wouldn’t associate with the boss of a crime family, but with Marco it strangely works. His oddities make him more intimidating thanless. Sometimes I wonder if he does this to bait someone into making fun of him just so he can retaliate in the most brutal way possible.
I nod at Gio, who is seated across from him at his desk, and there’s a small black box in front of him.
“I don’t have much time. What is it?” I join them and take a seat.
Marco gestures towards Gio, who pushes the box towards me. I open it to see that it’s a basic black, smart watch.
“A watch? I already have one of these from when I was trying to get into cycling.”
“It’s for the reception,” Gio says. “Marco wanted you to have a short warning before everything goes down this afternoon, so somebody will call this thing and it’ll buzz. Then, when that happens, take the girl somewhere else in the castle so that she can’t get caught in the crossfire.”
“We need her as a hostage. If she dies, this will be pointless,” Marco adds.
“I thought the goal was to kill John and Max Calabrese?” I ask.
