Mateo parks the car in front of the stone steps leading to our front door. Tension seeps into the air as we sit in silence. The armedsoldatiguarding the front of the house briefly glance our way before they resume staring straight ahead. “I won’t tell him.” He turns around to level me with a somber look. “But you can’t pull shit like that again. This is more than just upsetting Papa or the Grecofamiglia. This is about your reputation, Natalia. You are ruined without your reputation.”
Maybe that’s what I should do. Purposely sleep with someone and make sure the monster finds out about it. I know I’d be shunned. I’d be an embarrassment, the black sheep of the family. But if it gets me out of marrying thatstronzo, perhaps it would be worth it.
Mateo’s eyes narrow as he watches me—as if he has delved into my head and heard my thoughts. Leo’s intense stare bores into me, and I look away as I nod. “I know.” I grip the door handle. “I won’t mess up again.”
“Nat.” Mateo stalls me as I have one foot out of the car. “I know you’re frustrated, but you have had years to accept your fate. This is the way it is for women within thefamiglia. Virgin brides are revered, and wives are cherished. You will want for nothing. I know you are unhappy, but it will all work out. You’ll see.”
“That’s bullshit, and you know it!” I cry out, instantly enraged. “Would you have accepted your fate if it wasn’t one of power? If you had no control, whatsoever, over the rest of your life?”
“We’re not talking about me, and you’re acting childish. Pull your shit together.”
Right now, I really want to take a swing at my brother, but what’s the freaking point? Mateo is so much like my father at times it’s scary. The awful thing is, I truly believe he buys into that crap. As much as he adores me, and I know he does, he still doesn’t see anything wrong with the fate lying in wait for me. I don’t know why I bother protesting anymore.
He will never see things my way.
I plaster a false dutiful smile on my face. “I’m going up to my room. Tell Mama I called you to come and pick me up because I felt ill.”
“Vabene.”
Leo’s gaze holds a glimmer of sympathy as I exit the car, but it’s gone so fast I’m not sure I didn’t imagine it. I slip quietly into the house, removing my shoes and tiptoeing up the stairs to my room. I spend a restless night, tossing and turning, lamenting the futility of my life and sobbing into my pillow over my unrequited love.
The next morning, I am uncharacteristically quiet at the breakfast table, but I blame my fake illness when Mama asks me what’s wrong. Truth is, I am heartsick with longing and hurt at Leo’s refusal to see me as more than a sisterly figure. I’m also incredibly embarrassed over what went down last night. It’s so humiliating, and I’m angry Vaughan got caught in the crosshairs. He did nothing wrong, apart from liking the wrong girl. My thoughts and my emotions veer back and forth, and I’m a certifiable mess. A black cloud has descended over me, like a shroud, and I can’t summon the energy to pretend I’m not melancholy.
After pushing food around my plate, I ask to be excused and head out to walk the grounds of our estate.
Papa built a walking trail for Mama years ago, when they first moved here from our penthouse apartment in the city, and I follow the path leading around the back of the house. Armedsoldatiguard the perimeter of the property, out of sight, giving me the illusion of privacy. I tap out a message to Frankie, reassuring her I’m okay and telling her I will see her at school tomorrow.
Footsteps thud on the path behind me as I reach the entrance to our apple orchard. Mama also has a vegetable patch and an herb garden, and she grows tomatoes, peppers, and strawberries in her greenhouse. I glance over my shoulder in the direction of the approaching footfalls, and my pulse instantly quickens as I watch Leo advance.
“Hey,dolcezza,” he calls out, smiling.
Sweetness.I equally hate and adore Leo’s pet name for me. I love he calls me something no one else does, but why does it have to be something so innocent and pure and sisterly?
Leaning against a tree, I wait for him to catch up.
“Do you mind if I join you?” he asks, pinning me with those gorgeous silvery-blue eyes. A light breeze blows strands of his brown hair across his brow, and my fingers itch with a craving to touch the silky softness. A five o’clock shadow darkens the contours of his stunning face, only adding to his appeal.
“Sure.” I shrug, feigning nonchalance as we walk along the path between rows of trees laden down with vibrant red apples. The sweetest scent hangs in the air, like always at this time of year, and I inhale deeply, drawing comfort from the familiarity at a time when I feel so lost. This is the middle of peak season, and our pantry is already bursting with apple jelly, apple pies, and apple strudels.
“Are you okay?” he asks, as the lingering breeze lifts the hem of my white knee-length dress.
“I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” I arch a brow as I look at him, skimming my hand along the bark of the trees we pass by.
“Don’t do that with me,dolcezza. I know you were pissed last night, and I saw the wheels churning in your head. Mateo isn’t the only Mazzone with a reckless streak. Please don’t do anything rash.”
I snort out an incredulous laugh. “When the hell would I get the opportunity to do anything rash or reckless, Leo? And don’t pretend you’re not prone to bouts of wild recklessness yourself. You have gone along with more of Matty’s crazy schemes than anyone.” The difference is Leo knows when to pull back, and he’s smart enough to be responsible when he needs to be so no one can tell he’s a little bit of a loose cannon too.
“We’re not discussing me. This is about you. I’m worried.”
I shake my head as bitterness creeps up my throat. “I’m a virtual prisoner, and very soon, I’ll be exchanging one jail for another.”
“I know you don’t want this, and I hate that asshole is the one who has been chosen for you, but it’s pointless to fight it.”
Leo is usually on my side, and his defeatist talk is not what I want to hear now. My anger resurfaces in a nanosecond. Spinning around, I fix him with a sharp look. Steam is practically billowing from my ears as I pin my hands on my shapely hips while I lash out. “So, I should just let him fuck me before the wedding because he’s going to be my husband soon anyway and I have to obey his every command?”
“Hell to the no.” Leo frowns, and concern glimmers in his eyes. “Has something happened?” A muscle ticks in his jaw. “Did he do something?”
I gulp over the lump wedged in my throat. “Not yet, but he has made his intentions clear.”
