AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“For appearances.”
He frowned. “Appearances?”
“I refuse to believe Dominic is a part of the underworld.”
“Then you have been plagued with the stupidity of Americans.”
I lost my voice momentarily. Grandfather Niccolò was hell-bent on getting this wretched point across, and I was becoming tired of it.
“Grandfather, I don’t want to argue with you. Please.”
“Good, because this back and forth is for nothing.” He leaned in, making sure he held my attention. “Prepare yourself. Next week, you will meet your husband, and you will not embarrass me—or so help me God, you will live to regret it.”
I stared at him in disbelief. The first time we argued about this was when he’d arrived at my school unexpectedly threatening to harm Dominic if I didn’t oblige. And since then, I’d hoped I could convince him not to do this. But he was as stubborn as I remembered.
“What was the purpose of sending me into hiding if you were just going to turn around and throw me into the lion’s den!?”
“This is keeping you safer than being in the open unprotected! But you’re too stupid to see it!”
“Admit you don’t care about my protection. You only care about what you want!”
Tears clouded my vision, and he went blurry. I dropped my face in my hands and wept, sank to the floor, and screamed at the top of my lungs.
A tirade of Italian expletives dropped from his lips, and the next thing I knew, I was being dragged across the floor by his capos.
“No!” I screamed. “No! No! No! Grandfather!”
My chest burned from the anxiety that built in me, and I trembled and used my strength to fight off the men.
Grandfather Niccolò followed as they dragged me through the halls to an empty bedroom at the end of the corridor.
The capos released me, and I quickly sprang to my feet.
SLAP!
My knees hit the carpet before I felt the sting from my grandfather’s backhand.
“Oh!”
I crumpled to the floor and cried, throwing my arms around myself.
“You will do as I say,” he said, staring at me with disgust. “There is no room for love in the underworld. You play a major part in what happens next. The sooner you get that through your skull, the better.”
Grandfather Niccolò squatted and snatched my cell phone from the floor.
“After your wedding, you’ll get your phone back. But not before then. Arrangements have been made to withdraw you from school. Your new life starts now.”
He stood, glared, and left me on the floor.
5
Dominic
One week later
Something was amiss.
I stood on the rooftop of a Masonic lodge, watching the traffic going in and out of the Cappallis’ new safe house.
