Reflexively, protectively, I rose, and then I gave him my back to block the view before he found out. I didn’t want him to see her. I didn’t want him to listen. I didn’t want anybody to see her or listen. She was mine, and the music she was playing now was for me. After she thought about me while she pleasured herself. Only me.
“A little girl in the opposite building. She’s good.” She was a lot more than good, and she was no longer a little girl, but he didn’t have to know that.
“She is. Does she play every night?”
“Not every night.” But I hoped she would.
“Is that why you rented this place? To listen to free music whenever she did?”
I froze for a second. Then I spun, meeting his eyes, reading him. Was that a simple joke or was he trying to drag words out of my mouth? Did he know or suspect anything about me and Angel?
He chuckled. “I mean, look at this place. City line view. Free show. If I had your money, I’d do the same just for those.”
“You know damn well you can have my money and more if you want to, but enough of thattalk.” I took another sip from my whiskey. “Since when do you like classical music, Leo?”
“Since now.” He winked. “Is she pretty?”
My face burned with rage. My hand clenched around the glass, almost shattering it. “Who?”
“The little girl with the violin.”
“The fuck I know? She’slittle.”
“For you, old man, but probably not for me.” He squinted playfully, cupping the air in front of his chest as if it were tits. “How little are we talking about here?”
Brutto stronzo!I forced a smile on my face when all I wanted was to punch him speechless. I loved him to death, but talking about my girl like she was a piece of meat, talking about my girl at all, even from him, simmered my blood. If he was someone else, he’d be missing, at least, a tongue now. “Speaking of little girls, are you with anyone?”
“Not really. I mean…nothing serious.”
With Leo, that was always a good thing. When things got serious, he… I pushed away the memory of how he ended things with his last girlfriend. “Allora, when are you gonna announce your engagement to Claudia? The Lanzas are waiting for you to set a date.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I can’t believe you right now.”
“Did I say something wrong? She’s been promised to you since she was born. The poor girl loves you to bits, and she finished school this year. Her family expects a wedding very soon.”
He gulped his drink and downed it in one go. “I’m not marrying the Lanza girl or any other Mafia princess. Haven’t I made that clear months ago?”
A surge of fury burst through me. I went back to my seat and leaned forward. “TheLanza girlis Enzio Il Tagliatore Lanza’s cousin.” Half-sister actually. That family had always been fucked up, but who cared? They were our best allies, and I fucking loved Enzio. He was like my best friend. “When it came to family honor, he had no trouble killing his own twin brother. Do you have any idea what’s gonna happen if you don’t marry Claudia?”
“Her heart will be broken for a couple of days, but she’ll live. The Lanzas will have no trouble finding her another prince, one who is a kiss ass that cares about nothing but Mob power.”
I slammed my glass against the table, and he flinched. “Che cazzo?! You think this is a joke? You’re not a kid anymore, Leo. Anything you say or do has consequences. You might reject our ways, but you damn well know how it is in our families. She’s been engaged to you. No other man has been allowed to think of her as a wife. Leaving her now means one of two things. She’s not good or pure enough for you or you’ve already fucked her. Either way, it’ll be a scandal. She won’t be good enough for anybody else because nobody likes a hand-me-down.”
He shook his head, swearing under his breath.
“A man doesn’t break his promises, Leo, and certainly doesn’t do something that shameful to a Mafia princess. Bellomo’s son won’t treat an innocent girl from one of the best families out there with disrespect.”
“I didn’t make that promise. You did.” He got to his feet. “So why don’tyoufucking marry her?”
“Basta!” I hurled my glass against the wall, smashing it to pieces. “I gave you your freedom before because I had no doubt you’d come back to your senses with age, but obviously, you’re abusing my patience.”
His eyes, no longer mocking, widened at me, his chest heaving.
I ran both my hands in my hair, taking a deep breath. “If this is about college, fine. I’ll entertain that, but you’re going to become made first before you go. You’ll take your omertà, you’ll go through with the ceremony, and then you’ll marry Claudia after you finish freshman year.”
“Or what?” He infuriated me again with his reckless indifference.
“There will be fucking war!” I lunged at him and squeezed his arm. “You think the Lanzas will let you ruin their daughter’s reputation without blood?”
