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Jacob lunged for me, his eyes wild, but Gabriel intercepted him and held him back as he struggled to get out of his hold. “Get the fuck in control of yourself,” ordered Gabriel. “I understand you’re upset but this isn’t the way to handle things,” he growled.
“Upset? You think I’m upset?” He shook his head, closing his eyes for a moment. “That doesn’t even begin to describe it. How would you feel if Nancia had been defiled before marriage?”
I would kill anyone who touched Nancia before her marriage, and we all knew that. “Look, Jacob, it’s done now and we’ve dealt with the issue. My father is no longer here to prey on Jessica or any other woman in the Società.”
Jacob’s eyes reflected a hunger for revenge—a feeling I knew too well. “If your father was still here, I’d kill him with my bare hands, Capo or not,” he said furiously.
“It’s over now, Jacob,” reiterated Gabriel.
“It’s over? Are you fucking kidding me?” Jacob leaned over the desk, bracing his arms over the tabletop as if trying to keep himself upright under the weight of his burden. “Of course it isn’t over. She’s still married to you and has to share your bed every night,” he said, stabbing his finger toward me. “What sort of sick man would force a woman to share his bed after what his father had done to her?”
I clenched my fists and strode toward Jacob, Gabriel grabbing my arm to stop me. “How I act with my wife is none of your fucking business,” I said, my voice dangerously low. “I’ve never forced Jessica to do anything, nor will I.”
Jacob straightened up. “Oh, so you’re telling me that you asked her on your wedding night if she wanted to sleep in your bed with you? Because I don’t seem to remember you asking her that when you took her up to your bedroom while your men made their sleazy comments about what you were going to do to her.”
“That was just drunken banter that every couple gets before their wedding night,” I said dismissively. “I’ve never disrespected Jessica, and you would do well to remember your place.”
Jacob was breathing hard and gritted his teeth. “But how many of your men already knew about what had happened? And what about your two soldiers who drove Jessica to the clinic, the ones who were in charge of her protection that day?”
“They’ve been eliminated and as far as we know, they didn’t tell anyone about what happened that day.”
“They were supposed to look after her that day, not hand her on a silver platter to your perverted father.”
“Tell me, Jacob,” I said slowly. “Why the hell weren’t you or your men protecting your sister that day?”
“Because you told my mother that your soldiers would protect her at the clinic,” he yelled.
“I didn’t tell your mother anything. It was all my father’s doing. When will you get that through your thick skull? Do you really think I would let anyone do that to any woman, let alone my own wife-to-be? Anyhow, it’s over now and there’s nothing any of us can do to change the past.”
“Of course it isn’t over. Do you think it’s over for my sister? You’re still married to Jess. You’re still forcing her to share your bed. It won’t be over until the marriage is annulled.”
“What sort of message do you think that would send to the rest of the Società?” said Gabriel.
“All you care about is your reputation—the reputation of your precious Santino family.”
“No, you’re wrong there,” I cut in. “All I care about isJessica’sreputation. If we go for an annulment, everyone will talk and probably speculate that she was damaged goods.”
“Don’t you fucking dare talk about my little sister like that!”
“It’s the truth, though,” Gabriel commented. “That's the exact phrase people in the Mafia world like to use, and we won't be able to stop them. You know that an annulment would only be sought if the girl wasn’t a virgin. What sort of life would that leave for Jessica? I doubt your parents will take her back.”
“I’ll look after her. I’ll take care of her,” said Jacob obstinately, his hands shoved in his pockets. “I’ll get my own place and she can live with me.”
“And when you get married one day—what will your future wife think about your sister with her sullied reputation living in your home?” Gabriel questioned, thinking about the reality of such a situation.
“She’ll do whatever I tell her to do, including having Jess live with us,” he snapped in a cold voice.
I narrowed my gaze at my brother-in-law. “Jessica is mine now, and we won’t be getting an annulment.”
Jacob just continued to stare at me, looking like he would like nothing more than to kill me at this very moment.
I sighed, running my hand over my chin. “I know what’s happened is fucked up. But I swear to you on my honor that Jessica won’t be hurt like that ever again.”
“She didn’t deserve to be hurt like that in the first place,” he murmured, his body slumping in despair.
“I know,” I said quietly. “That we can both agree on.”
When it was clear that there was nothing more either of us could say, Gabriel suggested we get back to the women.
