Even if I was jealous that it wasn’t me he took back to his office but the blonde, who sent me a dirty smile on her way. I got his shirt and took it home with me. I slept in that shirt for a couple of days until his smell was gone.
I exhale deeply and lie down on my side, facing my obsession. I close my eyes and think about what I should do. This alliance is what we need, and securing it with a marriage will ensure Nico’s position with the Commission and the families, but I can’t let any of those bitches have him. And that leaves me with only one option.Me.
I laugh like a maniac in the darkness of my room. Maybe this is how it’s supposed to be.
I pack up my secret box and put it away, but first, I need to make sure the girls my brother has in mind are out of the picture. No one can know my obsession. Not even Nico.
Suppressing a smile, I enter my father’s old home office. Nico doesn’t like it; he refuses to use it unless it’s like now, for destruction. He said he would tear the whole house apart before he made himself comfortable in it.
I halt at the scene unfolding in front of me because, when I said destruction, I never expected Nico to tear the furniture apart. And the triplets are just sitting like nothing is happening.
Nico turns his attention toward me when the door behind me closes. “You!”
I narrow my eyes and wait for his attack. I expected that. “You told me you would make them agree to the marriage. None of them agreed, and better yet, their fathers didn’t either.” He stomps in front of me in two strides. “You had one job, and you failed.” He points a finger at my face. “And if you want to keep your place, you’d better find me a bride.”
I slap his hand away. “Everything I’ve done for you until now, no one could have done it better. One failure and you want to get rid of me? I thought you were better than that.” I shake my head and look at the triplets. “Why aren’t you judging them for their failure?”
Max is the first to speak. “What have we done now?”
“I’m talking about failing to keep your boys in line, Max.”
“Cut it out!” Nico’s penetrating voice cuts between us. “These two situations are completely different.” He looks at me. “These boys, as you call them, are fighters. They fight for me and my profit. You just had to convince some ladder-climbing bimbo to agree to this marriage. A marriage that will strengthen the alliance between the Camorra and the Cosa Nostra, which willgive us security.” He studies my face. “Do you get the difference now?”
I nod. I knew the difference all along. This is just part of the play for my plan to work. I watch him turn and pace up and down the room for a few minutes, then walk the few steps into the office.
“How about me? Would that make you happy?”
He stops in his tracks and turns toward me. “You?”
“Yes, me. Or am I not up to your standards?” I curl my fingers against my sides, protecting myself from his scrutiny.
He tilts his head to the side and inspects me carefully. “What about all the things you said to me when you demanded to be my consigliere?”
I chuckle. “I didn’t demand a thing; I just laid out the reasons why I should be your second in command. Just like I can now tell you why it’s me who would be the best wife of the second in command in Cosa Nostra.”
He narrows his eyes at me. “I’m listening.”
“I can be your eyes and ears. Our bond to them would be tighter.”
He shakes his head. “I would never ask you to put yourself in danger by spying for me. Even if you're right about the bond, I’m not sure.”
I shrug. “There isn’t anything you need to be sure about. It's me who needs to be, and I’m good with it.”
His sincere gaze locks onto mine. “Still, it's Cosa Nostra, not Camorra. I don’t have any influence there. I can’t protect you there.”
A self-assured smile tugs at my lips. “That’s the thing, my dear brother. I don’t need your protection. You can be sure of that.”
He shakes his head, closing his eyes. I’m not sure if I’ve convinced him until a smile spreads across his face. “I guess I need to look for a new consigliere.”
I bite the inside of my cheek to hide my smile. Everything is exactly as I want it.
I can’t wait to see Gabriel’s face when he realizes he’s marrying me.
six
Gabriel
When De Angelo proposed that our families tighten the bond with a marriage, I never expected he would give his sister as a prize. Especially when she's his second in command.
