He bites into his apple with a loud crack. “You’re not wearing a ring.”
“Huh?”
“Your wedding ring. You didn’t wear it the first day or today. Cosimo was surprised to hear you’re married.”
Nerves prickle over my nape. Now that the Ferraros know about Blake, I’ve really got to figure out what the endgame is here. How long are they going to have me doing grunt work for Alessio? There are plenty of other guys who could do this shit instead of me, and while it’s nasty business, it’s far from the worst thing Gino could have put me on if all he wanted was to make me suffer.
“If I die, Blake will be under Rafaele’s protection,” I say firmly. “Whatever happens between us, you can’t touch her.”
Alessio takes another loud bite. “I won’t hurt her. I like her.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Why?”
“She wasn’t scared of me. Most girls are scared of me.”
That’s because she’s got no idea how fucking cuckoo you are.
I lean back against the stainless-steel counter. “What about your brothers? You better not have given them any ideas.”
He shrugs. “I don’t speak for them, but in general, we don’t target women unless they’ve really earned it. You should talk to my dad about Blake and make sure you’ve got an understanding.”
I nod. “I will.” I have no choice at this point.
“You can talk to him tonight. Mom wanted me to invite the two of you for dinner.”
Fuck me. I wanted to keep Blake far away from all the mob shit. She’s not gonna like it, and she’s definitely not gonna be happy that the first time I’m letting her leave the house is to sit down for dinner with my boss and his wife. But I’m not going to delude myself into thinking we have a choice about going.
I run my fingers through my hair. “Let me call Blake.”
Alessio pops the apple core into his mouth. What is he, a fucking horse? “Go ahead. You can take breaks, you know? Wouldn’t want your wife to yell at me again about the working conditions.”
Shaking my head, I walk out of the room and make my way outside.
It’s cold as fuck. January in New York is almost as miserable as February. Did Rafe’s private shopper get Blake a warm enough coat? I sure hope so, or I’ll have to take her shopping. Depending on how tonight goes, Blake’s house arrest might be over. If Ferraro promises he won’t touch her, my excuse for keeping her locked away will disappear, which makes my anxiety spike. It’s better when I know she’s safe and sound, but at the end of the day, I know I need to give her a bit of freedom if I want her to ever be happy in this city.
Alec picks up his cell phone immediately. “Mr. De Luca?”
“Can you bring the phone up to the penthouse? I need to talk to my wife.” I really need to figure out a better way for us to communicate. Maybe it’s time I give her a phone as well.
“Of course, sir.”
A minute later, Blake comes on the line. “Hello?”
“Hey, Sunshine. The Ferraros want to have dinner with the two of us.”
“Why?” Suspicion bleeds into her voice, but she hasn’t snapped at me for using her nickname. I’m going to take that as a good sign.
“I don’t know,” I admit. “The invitation came from Vita, Gino Ferraro’s wife.”
“Why can’t you go on your own?”
“The invitation is for both of us. I thought you were itching to get out of the penthouse.”
“Yeah, but breaking bread with a family of mobsters is not exactly what I had in mind,” she grumbles.
A grin tugs at the corner of my lips. She’s such a grump sometimes.
She sighs. “All right. Never mind. It’s fine.”
