“And to keep her as a hostage so we can squeeze as much money from these people as possible in exchange for not harming her. Or at least… not harming her outwardly.” An evil grin spreads on his face, and I’m surprised with myself at how much I’m worried for her.
“Fine.” I put the watch on, even though I’m skeptical about all of this. I suppose it makes sense, but it’s such a simple device it makes me question whether or not this was well-thought-out. “But isn’t there a better way to do this?”
Gio shrugs, his dark eyes going wide as he looks back and forth between Marco and I. “I only heard about the plan this morning. This is what I could come up with.”
I don’t hide my glare from Marco, who’s seated at his desk. Why hadn’t he informed Gio of this sooner? He’s probably hoping that I die during the reception as well. I stand up, done with this conversation.
But Marco’s voice prevents me from leaving his office.
“It’s so simple, even you can handle it. I don’t see what you’re worried about,” Marco gets up from his desk, his eyes narrowing as he looks up at me. “However, I had a dream last night.”
He pauses as if he had told me something profound. Marco believes that he’s some type of sorcerer who can see into the future with his dreams. Must be a side-effect of his narcissism and psychopathy.
I sigh, playing along to hurry him up. “And what was that dream about?”
“That you fucked everything up and Vincenzo died.”
“Sounds like a delightful dream to me.”
“This is no joking matter!” he shrieks, pointing at me. I force myself not to smile or laugh at him. He used to be so intimidating, but now he’s nothing more than a frail old man. I look down at him and notice how much shorter he is than I am; it’s like he shrunk overnight. He adds, “We all could die today.”
“Then why are we doing this?”
He shoves me against the wall. I let him, even though I could easily have gotten away.
He doesn’t answer my question, but I think I know the answer: hubris. I wouldn’t be surprised if there have been whispers from our enemies, or even those that work under him, that he’s becoming soft in his old age. And doing some asinine stunt like killing the leader of another crime family at the event that’s supposed to unite us, sends out a signal that he still ‘has it’. But if this goes horribly wrong…
He grins at me. “You’ve always been such a smart ass. After everything I’ve done for you. I should have left you as the skinny sewer rat you were when I tracked you down for Elena. I know that you would have ended up dead like your whore of a mother if I never took you in.”
That last statement makes my stomach turn. It’s the effective insult he always reaches for when he wants to get under my skin.
Marco chuckles, letting me go.
I twist the watch around my wrist, knowing that if I said anything to defend myself that it would only escalate thesituation, and I simply want to get the fuck out of here. “I should get ready.”
“Go.” He smirks. “And remember your place or I’ll chop off your tongue.”
Oh, the number of times he’s threatened that.
I say goodbye to Gio, then leave Marco’s wing and head to mine, making a plan in my head for how I’m going to lead my men. They will not be on the front lines in this bullshit. No. I’ve cultivated too much loyalty for any of them to die for the sake of Marco’s self-esteem. And honestly? This plan failing in some capacity is in my best interest since that would make Marco look weak and foolish.
I’m so lost in my head that I almost don’t notice Sofia in her wedding dress, walking in the same direction I’m heading. If she’s attempting to get to the courtyard for the ceremony, she’s going the wrong way.
“Are you lost?” I ask when I match her pace and walk beside her.
Her eyes go wide and then quickly narrow when she sees that it’s me. Her beautiful curls are tied back intricately. Her eyes are made up dramatically to make her brown eyes pop even more. Her lips, painted red.
“What are you doing? It’s bad luck to see the bride in her dress before the wedding.”
“Are you the superstitious type?” Part of me is upset that I’m seeing her made up in this way in this narrow, dimly lit hallway rather than the beautiful courtyard.
I nearly stop myself in my tracks at that thought. Why do I fucking care?
“I’m not superstitious; I was hoping to get a few minutes of freedom from you before it’s official.”
“Right.” I laugh. “Then why are you heading towards my living quarters?”
She stops and bites the inside of her cheek, then looks up at me with a determined expression. “So, maybe I am lost. Hmm. I think I’ll ask you for directions since you’re incapable of being helpful. You’ll send me the wrong way in this maze of a castle, and I’ll be late to the ceremony. Maybe they’ll call the whole thing off.”
