Page 8 of The Mafia’s Fiancee

“The fewer people who know about you, the better,” Jimmy said.

Fine. Whatever. “I didn’t come here to chat about my old man. Where is Emma? Did you have her taken?”

He shook his head. “No. I swear it.”

“Emmalina Giordino?” Sean asked.

I nodded. “You know anything about her being taken?”

“No, sir.”

“Sir?” I huffed a laugh. For fuck’s sake. I wasn’t a sir and never would be one.

“But I am not surprised that she was captured. She is promised to marry Antonio Marchese,” Jimmy said.

Wrong. Emma agreed to marry me.

“And that’s why I warned you,” he added sternly. “You’re starting a war with taking what isn’t yours.”

“It’s her life. It’s her choice. And she chose me.”

“It doesn’t work like that,” Jimmy argued.

“It will now! I refuse to lose her.”

Jimmy looked to the side, grimacing. “She’ll probably be killed for not going along with her father’s orders. If you’re hoping to find her, don’t plan on it. Either Damon Giordino captured his own daughter with the intention to kill her for her defiance or Antonio Marchese will for her defiance in not staying a virgin and belonging to him as he expected.”

Those weren’t good odds. But I’d overcome them.

“Where is she?”

He shook his head.

I grabbed the front of his suit jacket, baring my teeth. He stiffened but didn’t lose his cool.

“Where can I find her? Tell me.”

“Not yet,” he argued.

Rage boiled hotter in my veins. I reacted on impulse, rearing back my fist to punch him. “You know? You know where she is?” And won’t tell me?

He still didn’t react, cool as ever, despite me almost hitting him. “I have my guesses.”

He’d referenced her father and the man who wanted to marry her. He could tell me how to find the Giordino and Marchese residences.

“What the fuck do you mean, not yet?”

“You have a fight tonight.”

I looked at the ceiling, releasing him roughly. “A fight? I don’t give a shit about a match.” How could he not understand me when I said I wouldn’t give up Emma? That included not giving up on finding her.

He held up a hand. “After the fight tonight—where I can get a better judgment on how the Marchese men are acting—I’ll tell you where to look.”

I was too angry to accept that. “That’s not good enough.” I approached him again, intending to beat the answers out of him now. Sean caught my arm though, holding me back.

“It’s all I can compromise, Luke,” Jimmy said as he watched me seethe and fume, hellbent on attacking him. “You have started a fucking war, and sometimes, you need to stand back and assess the next move.”

“Don’t give me that shit.” Every second I waited was that much longer that Emma could be hurt.

Or killed. He’d said it. This was a grave situation, not one to procrastinate on.

“I promise. I will help you after the fight,” he repeated, serious and not showing a single tell of lying.

I wanted to believe him, but as I settled down a bit from the urgency to attack him, I recalled that I’d trusted this man my whole life. And he’d lied to me. He’d kept the truth from me for years, and in this circumstance, I took his advice and applied.

Stand back and assess my next move?

I did that now, eyeing this man who seemed more like my enemy. My uncle may be my enemy, but he was the one I needed to keep close if I wanted more answers about Emma’s location.