“No.” He gave me a disappointed look. “It would have been suicide.”
Luca bristled. “Ember’s not wrong to want his blood.”
“I didn’t say she was wrong,” Giovanni replied, taking a slow sip. “I said her plan was shortsighted. And a smart male always has contingencies in place.”
“I did not kill him, as much as I wanted to,” I seethed, leaving off the part about Marcello’s sad eyes and my own pathetic hesitation. “I stuck to your plan, and you abandoned me. Then you sold me off like a fatted cow to a family you claim to hate.”
“Apparently,” I gave my brother the side eye, “I’m marrying Gabriel Dominico in three fucking days.”
“You had no right,” Luca shot to his feet. “You don’t get to throw my sister at the Dominicos like… like a sacrificial lamb.”
Giovanni’s mouth tightened, as if he’d somehow expected Luca to blindly agree with his ridiculous plan to sacrifice me for the greater good. He deliberately set the brandy glass down, untouched, and turned to fully face us.
“You are angry. Anger is useful. But if you let your emotions blind you, you will be dead before the week is out.”
“Stop saying I’m going to die,” I glared daggers at him, wishing they were real. “It’s like you have no faith in my abilities.”
“It’s also true,” he shrugged. “Unless you start thinking bigger than vengeance.”
I leaned forward, the leather creaking under my hands. “Enlighten me, then. Because from where I stood, all I sawwas you offering me up as a pretty solution. ‘Oh, Don Marcello, my niece is so very sorry she was mouthy. Perhaps your son should marry her instead of killing her.’”
A muscle jumped in his jaw, both at my tone and my insolence. “Those were not my words.”
“They might as well have been,” I bit out. “Marcello agreed to the Right, andIconvinced Gabriel to be the arbitrator. Our plan worked. Then you turned a valid accusation into a brewing Dynasty war to be smoothed over with vows and rings.”
He watched me closely. “Is that what you think?” he asked. “That you are being fed to our enemies to pacify their pride?”
“What else would you call this? True love?” I demanded.
“Leverage,” he intoned, and the word landed between us, heavy as an anvil.
“Your father spent decades trying to get close to the Dominicos,” he placated. “He wanted to learn the scope of their operations, have full access to their network of spies. We tried for years to get a seat at the table and were always kept at arm’s length. Useful, to a point, but not trusted.”
“Enzo never wanted their trust,” I countered. “He never wanted anything from Marcello.”
“You’re wrong. Enzo wantedeverything,” Giovanni argued, voice sharpening. “But my brother understood you don’t topple a Dynasty by charging its gates with swords drawn. You bring them down from the inside.”
That doesn’t sound like Father.Luca’s nostrils flared, his eyes fixed firmly on our uncle.He never showed any interest in ruling this Dynasty.
I agree, brother. I’m wondering if we are just now discovering our uncle’s true nature.
Before father’s death, I’d trusted Gio completely, all theway down to my soul. Now, I thought about everything Gabriel had told me tonight. The way he’d sold me off so cavalierly. Now, I wasn’t so sure.
“You think I sold you.” He perched on the edge, brandy glass dangling from his fingers as I shored up my mental shield. “I offer you the chance Enzo wanted more than anything… a way into their house.”
I stared at him. “As what? A broodmare? A pretty ornament on Gabriel’s arm?”
“As a spy,” he said simply. “As a blade at their throat, they won’t see until it’s too late.”
“You’re insane,” Luca shook his head. “They’re not fools. Gabriel certainly isn’t. Marcello hasn’t survived this long by trusting anyone except family. They will never let Ember close enough to hurt them.”
Giovanni smiled faintly. “You’d be surprised how close males allow what they think they own.”
My cheeks burned. “You are disgusting.”
“Accurate,” he replied. “At first, they will keep you under guard, but eventually, you will earn their trust, Emberline. You will play the tragic, grieving daughter who accused the Don in her pain but is now brought into the fold as a gesture of unity. Gabriel will doubt you at first, but… you will earn his trust. You are an accomplished actress; you know how to work people well enough, especially males. He will tell you all of their secrets. Eventually.”
I thought of the way Gabriel had bandaged my hand, carefully, like he was protecting something that belonged to him, and warmth bloomed in my chest. Yes, Icoulddo this.
