AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What is it for, this event? Who’s hosting it? Is it a fundraiser?”
At first, it seems as if he’s not going to answer, and then he heaves a sigh and raises his gaze back to mine. “The event is an engagement announcement for the host’s daughter.” He bares his teeth at me in a parody of a grin. “For anarrangedmarriage.”
“Oh. Great.”Shit.
“The host, by the way, is Gianni Martelli.”
Double shit. Everyone has heard that name. He’s as infamous in the media as Rio himself. Many years older than my husband, and known to be involved in criminal activity but with apparent Teflon-coated armor. He has a similar reputation for wielding power with an iron fist.
He was the only family head not at the meeting Rio arranged, I remember suddenly, and there was some murmuring about one of Martelli’s men possibly being the one involved in the sabotage.
Whether Gianni Martelli is Rio’s enemy, or whether they are in business together, then my hopes of guiding my husband toward a more moral path are useless.
Stupid, naïve, and useless.
It may be easier to try convincing an African lion to become a vegetarian.
18
“You can’t get anywhere in life without taking risks.”
Esme Bianco
Bianca
I thoughtthe engagement event would be held at a fancy hotel in one of the more expensive areas of the city, but the Rolls-Royce that collects us at the airport travels north and finally glides to a stop at a grand old home in the Potomac area, according to the signs we pass. The estate reminds me of Rio’s, though this one is built in an older style with a cream façade and huge columns that give the place a Greco-Roman feel.
Obviously, we are partying at the Martelli mansion instead of somewhere public. That fact makes me even more nervous than I already was. What if Martelli’s security isn’t as good as Rio’s? What if someone breaks in and shoots us all, like Anders did, and I end up as dead as Francine?
Stop being silly, I chide myself.Rio won’t let anyone hurt us.
I’m surprised to find I actually believe that thought. Mostly.
Funny how I’ve come round somewhat to trusting my husband with my safety, instead of being afraid of his wrath all the time. There’s a sense that Rio’s protective instincts have kicked in when it comes to me, and that is definitely the case in relation to Emilia.
The realization that he sees us as worth protecting sends warmth through my body. I cling to his arm when we alight from the vehicle and are escorted into the building by several suited men. Men who don’t bother trying to hide their weapons.
I glance around, looking forourgoons, but can’t see any familiar faces.
Rio seems to sense my unease because he leans down to whisper in my ear, “Relax, little bird.”
“Is Danelli here? Or his men? Lee? Where are our guys?”
“Ourguys?” His lips twitch. “I like that you describe them that way. Unfortunately, we have had to agree to leave most of our team at the gate. Danelli has been granted permission to enter, and he is already inside. If he had seen anything untoward, he’d have been in contact already. I have been given assurances by the host that we will be safe here this evening. I would not have brought you here if I did not believe that to be true.”
I nod without answering. I am certainRiobelieves that, but whether I believe the assurances of someone I’ve never met is a whole other thing altogether. Still, there’s nothing I can do except hold tight to Rio, with my hand tucked in the crook of his arm, as we follow others who have just arrived through a grand entrance foyer and into a huge parquet-floored ballroom.
The space is decked out with floral displays and white-cloth-covered tables arranged around a cleared space in front of a small orchestra already playing softly. And in the center of the room’s entry, where no one can miss it, is an ostentatious display that features an enormous ice sculpture of a young couple set in a bed of lily-pad-topped water.
Holy hell.This is decadence on a scale I’ve never seen before.
“The happy couple, I presume?” I murmur to Rio, staring up wide-eyed at the sculpture.
“It is,” he confirms, before frowning. “It isher,at least,” he corrects himself. “The fiancé is a damn sight older than this depiction.Thislooks like the man’s grandson.”
Oh. Before I can process that thought, Rio reaches out and snags drinks for us both off a tray carried by a passing waiter.
There are hundreds of people already milling around, and unlike the last gala event at which I knew only Rio and Carlos Rossi, this time I recognize several faces from the various meetings Rio has allowed me to attend.
