I smiled.
Her expression turned dubious.
“What the fuck, Valentini?” Lucas snapped as soon as she’d left.
“This has nothing to do with me.”
“Bullshit. She’s never been interested in anything the family’s involved with. You come along and suddenly she’s a mob wife without a marriage certificate?”
“You believe Raisin, then.”
“Makes sense that she’d try to hide it. She knew we wouldn’t approve.”
“Who’d you prefer for her? Some asshole on Wall Street?”
“Yeah, to be honest. Someone not in the life. That’s for sure.” He scraped a hand over his head. “I wanted more for her, and instead she’s been reeled in no matter what I’ve done to protect her.”
“What does that mean?”
“It doesn’t matter,” he echoed hollowly.
“Yes. It does. You and she have a contentious relationship, don’t you?”
“She thinks I’m heavy-handed.” A mean laugh rattled from him. “Christ, if she only knew.”
“Knew what?”
“Da, before he died, put out feelers for a marriage contract. I’ve avoided requests since she came of age.” He jerked his chin at the door then repeated, “I wanted more for her.”
“She will have more.”
“She’ll be tied to the mafia,” he thundered, fists balling at his sides. “Which part aren’t you getting? I’ve worked night and day to make sure my sisters don’t have to be a part of this world. Instead, she’s done one better and sullied herself not only with another faction, but one of the highest-ranking mobsters in the country.”
I knew I could punch him for that. But I didn’t.
I sensed his genuine concern for her. His regret. Also sensed the bittersweet actions of a boy doing the opposite of what his father wanted while desperately clinging onto the family honor and embracing those decisions with his whole chest.
God, we’d been cut from the same cloth.
“I won’t apologize for loving her, Frasier, but I can promise you she’ll be protected.”
“Because you’ve done such a great job so far.”
“That was different. We’d met days before she was kidnapped. I had no way of knowing she’d be targeted.”
“How did they figure out she was a pressure point then?”
My mouth tightened. “Probably because I brought her back to my house.”
“At least you’re not a manwhore,” he grouched. “If I find out that’s bullshit and you’ve been dating in secret?—”
“We weren’t. Raisin’s wrong about me. I’ll say this one more goddamn time—I met Kitty once at the hospital. But I was being discharged and didn’t talk to her. She met me on other occasions where I was incapacitated.
“We shared a flight.Thatis where we officially met. In the airport lounge. Then, we were seated next to each other.” I shoved my hands into my pockets. “I won’t repeat myself. We were very new, but now we are still new and I’m treating her like she’s my bride.”
“What does that mean?”
Kitty stepped into the room and I directed at her, “Tell him what it means to be mine, Kitty.”
