“You did what?”
“You will see to it that this union takes place. It will join our family to the Arias and ensure a strong front against the D’Angelos and their allies. Bianca is the smarter option as Nicolleta and Giana are in school.”
“Bianca is, too,” Romeo hissed.
Luca waved his hand to silence his son. “Dance school,” he spat derisively. “Nothing important or useful.”
I clenched my teeth to keep from popping off at my boss. Romeo had a little latitude where his father was concerned, but I was not his son nor heir. I was the offspring of a capo. He’d never let me openly question his directives. He’d have Gino put a bullet in my head first.
“It’s important to her, Father. You can’t do this to her right now. She has a big performance coming up, and an audition for a dance company.” Romeo tried to push him to reconsider, but we both knew he was wasting his breath. The Morelli Don didn’t listen to anyone, though Gino had the best chance at getting Morelli to delay. Not that he’d concern himself with Bianca’s well-being or wishes.
“It’s done. They will be married in two months. That should give Bianca time to plan the wedding.”
Antonio Arias, Sr., and his son had been silent up to this point, but they stood to show that the matter was settled and their business was complete. The men turned to stand face to face with Romeo and me.
“I trust you will not stand in the way of my son’s marriage to your sister. If you interfere, there will be ramifications.” The threat was delivered with a smirk and cold indifference. Luca was the devil we knew, allowing us to operate around him as needed. The head of the Arias Cartel was something else entirely, and Bianca was unknowingly caught in his crosshairs.
Chapter Two
Bianca
My body was hurting in the best way by the end of rehearsal. I was so close to my dream of dancing with a dance company. Not only would I get to tour and perform, but it had the added bonus of getting me far away from my father and his business.
Sure, being a mafia princess came with some benefits. Namely, the money and safety it provided, as people knew not to fuck with the daughter of such a powerful man. However, no one ever considered the other side. The cruelty he inflicted on his own children, or how damn lonely it could be because nobody wanted to be friends with you either. The world I was born into was simultaneously safe and dangerous.
I was tired of living in it, and dancing was my way out. I’d worked hard over the years–poured my blood, sweat, and tears into my career. My dad let me dance when I was younger to keep me busy and out of the house, but I kept it up because it was my escape.
“Bye.” I waved with a small smile toward the others; some returned it, others nodded, but none returned the smile. I couldn’t blame them. None of them had an armed escort taking them everywhere they went.
“You ready, Miss Morelli?” Mossimo Costa was standing outside the practice studio when I exited. He was big and burly with tattoos covering his arms and hands. He had a thick black beard, and his long hair was in a ponytail at the base of his head.
“Yes, Mossimo.” My brother made sure Mossimo was polite to me, and I returned the courtesy. Romeo hand-picked the guards who watched over us after he was named underboss. At some point, he would become the head of the family, and I could not wait for that day. None of us could.
Father was on borrowed time, and once Romeo was in charge, we’d all be safer for it. Until then, I’d stay focused on my goal of getting out from under my father’s control and away from the home that held so much pain.
“Let me get your bag.” He smiled and took it from my shoulder. “Are we heading to the house, or did you have errands you needed to run?”
I took a deep breath. “You’ve played babysitter enough today, Mossimo.” I wish I had anywhere else to go, but my circle basically only contains my siblings.
“It’s no problem, Miss Morelli.”
“I’m never going to get you to call me Bianca, am I?” I smirked. It was an ongoing argument between us. All the other guards did, and I’d heard him do so with my sisters. But for some reason, Mossimo refused to use my given name.
“Not likely.” He grinned, then opened the back door to the SUV for me.
“I will never bug you about it again if you give me a reason, Mossimo. You do it with Giana and Nicoletta, so why not me?”
“Because I value my life, Miss Morelli, and that’s all I am going to say about that.”
“Matt and D both call me Bianca. Why is it okay for them and not you?” I put my hands on my hips, not believing a word of his excuse. There was more to the story, and I was determined to find out what.
“You call him Matt?” Mossimo grinned. “I bet he loves that.”
“No, he hates it. Which makes it all the more fun.”
Mossimo threw his head back and laughed. “Just another reason I don’t fuck with you, Miss Morelli.”
“Why?” I asked as I climbed into the back seat and buckled myself in. Mossimo got in the front, his eyes meeting mine in the mirror, but he didn’t start the car as he quietly considered his answer.
