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Only Aurora surveys my features, then Luca’s, but doesn’t say anything.
There’s a buzzing sound, and Christian pulls out his phone. "Michael wants us home, let’s get going."
Forty-five minutes later, I hold a glass of champagne in my hand, in the front room of Michael and Karma’s place. The view from the adjoining terrace is spectacular. Miles of sand and the blue-green waters of the Mediterranean stretch out in front. Theresa mentioned to me that all the brothers own independent homes next to each other on this private beach. There are guards outside the perimeter of each house and around the belt of land that borders all of their homes. Luca’s home is a few buildings over, after Christian’s, Axel’s, Seb’s and Massimo’s. Adrian’s is the outermost one. Seems he likes to keep to himself a lot more than the rest, that one.
The brothers and their wives toasted our wedding, then the men disappeared inside. Presumably for their whiskey and cigars, or whatever it is that Mafia men do when they get together.
"Doesn’t it bother you?" I turn to Elsa, the newest member to marry into the Sovrano family. She and her husband Seb had joined us in time for the toast. Then, Seb had kissed his wife, as had all the other married Sovranos, before swaggering off. All that testosterone in one place was, frankly, overpowering. Luca, on his own, is larger-than-life and quite intimidating. Put him under the same roof as his brothers, and they seemed to reflect the machoness off each other until my skin prickled with awareness. Now I know how an antelope feels when faced with a pride of lions.
"Doesn’t what bother me?" Elsa looks up from where she’s put her daughter Avery to sleep on the large settee. The little girl is surrounded by pillows and her cheeks are flushed in slumber.
"All this posturing that the men indulge in. Not to mention, how they treat the women like second-class citizens."
Silence envelopes the crowd.Oops.I glance about the faces of the other women to find them staring at me. "Um, I didn’t mean to offend—"
Theresa bursts out laughing, then Karma and all the other women follow.
"Second-class citizens?" Elsa chortles.
"She has no idea, does she?" Theresa wipes the tears from her cheeks.
"Oh, my god, I can imagine what it feels like looking in, especially when the guys decide to steal away for their ‘business meeting’." Karma makes air quotes with her fingers. "Guess she doesn’t know who holds the reins in this clan."
"No, she doesn’t." Elsa says between bursts of laughter.
"Your face. Oh, my god, you should see your face in the mirror." Theresa stabs her finger in my direction, and that sets all of them off again. Even Aurora, who so far, has contented herself with a smile, ends up grinning.
"Is this an inside joke or something?" I raise the glass of champagne to my mouth, then put it down on the table. I still need to get to rehearsal, so I can’t really drink. Already, my sleepless night is telling on me. I stifle a yawn, then narrow my gaze on the women.
"Is someone going to enlighten me or what?" I say crossly.
Aurora moves toward me. "It’s very simple, my dear. Things aren’t always what they seem."
"What do you mean?"
"You think because the men left us here and disappeared inside to catch up, that means they’re acting like chauvinists."
"Aren’t they?"
She taps a finger to her cheek. "Mind you, I am not saying they’re not chauvinists."
"Or sexist," Elsa interjects.
"Or way too possessive," Theresa adds.
"Don't forget, autocratic," Karma says with a smile.
"And all of us came up against it when we first met our men. Karma, here, was kidnapped by Michael before they fell in love. Christian first proposed a fake marriage to Aurora. Axel married Theresa with the intention of spying on the Sovranos—"
"Hold on, Axel intended to spy on the Sovranos?" I blink.
"Then he gave up his career as an undercover agent to start his own security company," Theresa murmurs.
"Brought to heel by the love of an honest woman." Elsa runs her fingers through their daughter’s hair. "As was Seb, who proposed to me because he wanted to get married to keep his word to his Nonna. If I agreed, he’d help me get custody of Avery from my ex." The brightness in her eyes dims a little.
"So, he did help you get custody of Avery from your ex?"
She glances up at me. "I shot my ex, actually. Cass, Michael's housekeeper sourced the gun for me."
