I choke down the tears. I cried all the way here in the car, and my eyes are red and puffy. I have to meet my future husband tomorrow night, and I don’t know how I’m going to pretend that this engagement is anything but coerced if I can’t stop breaking down.
“I’d say congratulations, but this doesn’t look like something you’re happy about. Who are you marrying?”
I give a panicked kind of laugh. “That’s a good question. I should probably pretend I’m over the moon about this proposed engagement.”
Adora looks more confused than ever. “But why?”
“Because Mom and Dad are arranging my marriage to your cousin, Andreas Montoni.”
Adora’s expression is shocked. “Andreas?”
I was already feeling pretty bad about this engagement, but now I feel even worse. “Why do you say it like that? What’s wrong with him?”
It takes Adora a moment to recover. “Nothing’s wrong with him that I know of. I’m just surprised. I didn’t think the Barones had ever met him.”
“I met him once. At a gala at the Corinthian. He made my skin crawl.”
Adora winces. “That bad?”
“His smile never reached his eyes. He looked at me like…like I was merchandise he was evaluating. Damiano wanted to break his fingers for the way he was looking at me.” I shake my head. “And now I’m supposed to marry him.”
Adora’s eyes are troubled. “Lucy, I’m so sorry. I wish I had better things to tell you about Andreas.”
“Tell me anyway. I need to know what I’m walking into.”
She hesitates, choosing her words carefully. “Andreas is ambitious. He wants to prove himself to Cristiano, to be seen as more than just a cousin. He’s smart, but there’s something desperate about him. Like he’s always trying to show he’s the most powerful person in the room.”
“Does Cristiano trust him?”
“I think so?” Adora frowns. “But Andreas seems envious of Cristiano’s position. My brother doesn’t talk about family business with me much, but I know Andreas has been pushing for more responsibility lately. He wants to be a made man. To have real power.”
“And marrying me gives him that,” I say bitterly.
“Marrying a Barone daughter definitely helps. It connects him to one of the most powerful families in Malus.” She squeezes my hand. “I’m sorry. I wish I had better things to say about him.”
“Is he cruel? Will he hurt me?”
“I don’t think so. He’s not violent, as far as I know. But he’s…calculating. Everything he does is for his own advancement.” She meets my eyes. “Just be careful around him, Lucy. Don’t let him use you.”
I stare into the glass clutched in my hands. I don’t think I’ll have much choice about that.
“There’s something else,” Adora says slowly, and something in her tone makes my stomach drop. “A few weeks ago, Andreas was asking me questions. About the Barone family. About your father’s operations. Your security. Where your warehouses are located.”
Ice slides down my spine. “Why would he ask that?”
“He said he wanted to be prepared for a possible alliance between our families. That if the Montonis are going to becloser to the Barones, he should understand your business.” She shrugs. “It seemed reasonable at the time, though there wasn’t much I could tell him, of course. But after what Vincenzo told me happened at that restaurant tonight, the Sokoli attack, I’ve been wondering…”
“Wondering what?” My voice comes out sharper than I intended.
“How did the Sokolis know you’d all be there? Someone had to tell them. What if Cristiano told Andreas, and Andreas told the Sokolis?” Her eyes are troubled. “I’m probably being paranoid. But be careful, okay? Watch what you tell Andreas. Watch what he asks about.”
I nod slowly, my mind racing. The warehouse explosion that almost killed Damiano. The attack at the restaurant where Antonio was shot. Both times, the Sokolis knew exactly where to strike.
Could it be a coincidence?
Or is Andreas Montoni asking questions for a dangerous reason?
“Lucy?” Adora touches my arm, pulling me from my thoughts. “There’s something else going on, isn’t there? Something important you’re not telling me. If you need someone to talk to, I’ll be Adora, your friend, not Adora, Cristiano’s sister and Andreas’s cousin.”
