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“And obey,” I added, trying to keep from laughing.
“Whereas you’ve declared your intent to be married, let us pray.” As the priest offered a blessing in Italian, the man I’d promised to love and honor through anything life would throw our way squeezed my hands, rubbing his thumbs across my palms.
As he placed the ring on my finger, I glanced at the gold circle wrapped in diamonds, shuddering as the ugliness of what we’d face drifted into the back of my mind. We weren’t safe nor were we protected other than by the weapon he had nestled in his suit jacket. They would come for us, challenging our love and our sacred oath, but the danger and difficulties would be worth being able to share this day.
I was shaking by the time I slipped the plain golden band on his, my heart shifting from fluttering to a hard thudding. “D’Artagnan, receive this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
Our marriage would be kept a secret until the right time, used as a weapon to alter the course of several syndicates. But in exchange, his rise to power and our nuptials would send a strong warning to the Bratva. Would it be enough? There was no way of knowing. We both feared upheaval within the respectiveFamiglia, retaliation sought.
When his lips touched mine, the world around us faded. There was nothing but the two of us, two souls damaged from a single horrific act. Two people trusting in each other to withstand the fires of hell if necessary.
And two souls destined for tragedy.
* * *
D’Artagnan
Marriage.
I’d never contemplated it before, not even as a young man searching for a place in the world. The fire had not only taken away people I loved but had also given me a sense of urgency with my life. The thought of being attached to anyone for any length of time had seemed irresponsible. And children? Not a chance. Bringing a child into the dangerous world where I lived, ate, slept, and worked was repulsive.
Yet as I studied Lucia’s face, the shimmer from tears in her eyes, I realized that what I’d thought would be my destiny had merely been a placeholder for this moment. She’d stopped asking questions about the terrible deeds I’d performed. She’d also ceased trying to pick apart reasons for why we were being hunted.
In my mind, we both knew exactly why the spiral of lies and deceit had finally reached a cataclysmic point. Power. It was all about controlling a portion of earth with an iron-clad fist, annihilating anyone who dared get in the way.
With power came influence, not just over Italy but significant portions of other countries. In claiming the leader position, wealth always followed. The actions of those inside the Five Families for generations had molded corporations, stock markets, commodity value while generating a decent income for millions of people.
At least for those who were loyal.
If loyalty was spelled in blood, every street within Italy’s borders was painted in crimson red.
I took her hand, noticing how cold her fingers were, shaking to the point I clamped my palm over them. Her pulse was rapid, her lower lip quivering but the threat of danger lurking in every corner couldn’t dampen the love I witnessed in her eyes. I kept asking myself whether I was doing the right thing or if I’d condemned her to a gilded prison or outright death. The answers were there, fracturing a portion of my mind.
But I refused to let her go.
The priest had been coerced into performing the ceremony, although I’d never tell her his agreement was under duress. She knew what I was capable of but at the moment, she chose to look the other way.
Or maybe we were just fooling ourselves.
“Puoi baciare la tua sposa,” the priest half whispered as he backed away. You may kiss your bride.
Fear laced his aging eyes, his full understanding of who I was and the distinct possibility he could be caught in a violent crossfire written on his wrinkled face. I nodded in reverence before taking her into my arms, pulling her tightly against me.
As I cupped her face, I refused to allow a sense of urgency to destroy the beautiful moment. We were finally as one, an occurrence I thought could only happen in the afterlife. Only there wouldn’t be green pastures and flowers, unicorns and rainbows when I took my last breath. I’d already made my peace with God and what was left of my soul that I’d been spinning in the flames of hell for all eternity.
“Sei metà della mia anima, l’unico motivo per cui sono sopravvissuto, l’unica aria di cui ho bisogno per respirare. Sei il mio tutto.” You are one half of my soul, the only reason I survived, the only air I need to breathe. You are my everything.
“My lover. My husband. My master. You are mine,” Lucia breathed then tipped her head. After all the years I’d spent enraged, vengeance the only thing on my mind, I realized she’d been waiting for me the entire time.
And I would not fail her again.
* * *
There were no territories drawn out on a map, yet the locations ‘owned’ by the fiveFamigliashad been known and respected for generations. Rarely were lines crossed or mistakes make. Confusion was no excuse. It wasn’t as if individuals from other territories weren’t allowed to cross invisible barriers. However, it was unwise to do so alone and always had been.
The Lazarro territory was considerably large, stretching from the southern tip of Italy in the boot to just outside Naples. Franco had control of the area surrounding Rome from one coast to the other while the Romanos kept Sicily and Sardinia locked down. That left the Rizzos and Caldones splitting the northern portion.
While it had once worked, the five Dons coming together at least once a year in order to talk business and keep the peace, the burdened export business with various international agencies crawling the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Seas had tempers increasing over the last two decades, already at the boiling point prior to hearing of a possible Russian invasion.
