“An Italian Mafia man.”
“Wait. You’re going to marry Ciara to an Italian? The fuck? Why? And why wasn’t I included in this decision?”
“Because you’re a hot head,” Dad says point blank. “And I’m in charge, not you. So I made the decision. Now, you both can complain about it, but it’s happening. I invited Marco over for dinner in a few days and I expect both of you to be on your best behavior.” With a whistle, he walks past us.
Cormac whirls around to face me. “Are you ok with this?”
“No,” I snort. “Not one bit.”
“Then I’ll help you. My sister is not marrying a fucking Italian. They cannot be trusted. Does Dad not realize this? They’ve pushed us down for years. They’ve taken so much of the money we could have earned because they have more power than us. I will not let you marry that man. I will stop it.”
“That could lead to more problems.” I smile. “So, yes. Let’s do that. Help me, Cormac.”
“Of course. You’re my sister. I’ll fight for you. Dad is in the wrong. The last thing we need is an Italian in this house.”
Chapter Two
Marco
Ihaven’t seen my brother in years.
Not when he decided to leave the mafia world behind and settle in a mansion in the New York suburbs.
I’m not surprised he looks surprised when he opens the door and finds me on his front porch.
“Marco.”
“Antonio.” My brother still looks good for his age, despite being almost fifty. With our ten years between us, we were never close but it’s still good to see him after all this time.
“What are you doing here?”
“Can’t a baby brother come see his older brother?”
“I haven’t spoken to you in years.” His eyes flick down to my hand. “Are you ok?”
“I was injured. But I’m fine now.”
His lips sneer. “Injured by being a part of the mafia, I assume.”
“Yes. I know you don’t approve.”
“I don’t. I left that world behind to protect my daughter. Arianna doesn’t know anything about that and I want to keep it that way. So I will not let you inside.”
“She’s here? I haven’t seen my niece in a long time.”
“Not since she was a kid.”
“But she’s not a kid any longer,” I say. “Does she need protection like she once did?”
“Yes, she does,” he says in a hard tone. “I will protect my daughter no matter what. I will not let your mafia ways impact her life. She is safe here. No one knows about her. I want to keep it that way.”
“I just came here to tell you that I’ll be getting married.”
His hard expression doesn’t change. “Who’s the unfortunate girl?”
“I haven’t met her yet. An arranged marriage.”
“For power, I assume.” He shakes his head with a sigh. “You always wanted to gain more power than you needed. I did hear about your war with Enzo Bianchi. Going against your own people. Marco, what has gotten into you?”
