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I cock my head, knowing that even though it wasn’t a conscious thought, it was in my plans. And Dante somehow knew.
With a curt nod, I agree to his request. Then I raise the bat, bring it down on Giovanni’s knee, and watch the bone explode with a shower of blood.
Chapter 39
Christine
6 Weeks Ago • December 30th
Setting up a meeting between the Lucatellos and Terlizzis was not easy.
My grandfather wanted reassurance that nothing would happen to him or his sons if he agreed to come.
Dante offered a hostage, a lesser-known Terlizzi cousin I’d never met. Leonardo required more, demanding that Salvatore stay with the Lucatello family in exchange. He said that it was to ensure if we drew first blood, they could avenge the loss with ease.
Then, there were debates over where the meeting should take place. I foolishly suggested our home, but Grandfather said that wasn’t a neutral enough location. In the end, someone rented out the backroom of a restaurant as if this were a celebration instead of a sit down to discuss my future.
Once that was decided, Niccolo didn’t want me to attend. “If you’re in the room, they might try to take you. Or they’ll force you to leave with them.”
I had to get all the Terlizzi brothers involved in order to secure a place at the table. Niccolo was willing to fight every one of them to keep me safe, but ultimately, Dante won.
“She has to be there, Nicci. If she isn’t, they’ll send someone to the university to find her. By the time we leave the meeting, who knows where she’ll be.”
I never thought about my family kidnapping me to keep me safe, but when Dante brings it up, I fight the static feeling that slithers down my spine and enters my bloodstream. I’ve learned through all this that my family isn’t who I thought they were.
But a week and a half after Christmas, we finally sit down in a private room in the back of Nico’s to discuss everything.
“The wine here is shit,” Leonardo complains.
Dante looks at the glass in front of him before calmly asking, “Didn’tyoubring the wine?”
Never willing to take the blame, Leonardo squares his shoulders, straightens his back, and meets Dante’s gaze head-on. “Yes. And it’s shit. What do you want, Terlizzi?” Leonardo shifts his weight in the chair from one hip to the other, causing his weathered leather boots to scuff against the hardwood floors. A subtle wince of discomfort creases his face, a reminder that the battle-hardened veteran has been in the game longer than most of us have been alive.
Dante informed us last week that while Leonardo’s presence means he still has some control over his family, Giovanni is the one to whom we are presenting the offer. However, out of respect for the older Lucatello, Dante nods his head deferentially to Leonardo before addressing my uncle. “It has come to myattention that my brother would like to marry your niece. We are aware of her arranged marriage to Rocco Castiglione, and we respect that you are making moves that will benefit your family.”
“Then why are we here?” Giovanni sprawls back in his chair, shifting his body until he finds the perfect position. “If you respect it so much, why call a meeting?”
“As I said, my brother would like to marry your niece.”
Giovanni parts his lips, ready to speak, but my grandfather holds up his hand to interrupt. The atmosphere in the room shifts, quieting to a tense hush as all eyes turn toward the two men locked in a silent battle of wills. “Five years ago, I was at a similar table with your father, Dante. He and I brokered what should have been an advantageous marriage between his son and my daughter. Unfortunately, my daughter passed away. Instead of coming to me and asking if there was anything he could do to benefit my family, Niccolo stole my granddaughter and went his own way.”
My grandfather paints an interesting picture of how the events after my mother’s death played out. I don’t remember Niccolo stealing me away. I remember my uncle offered to take me back to Kansas City, and I made the decision to stay where I had a community of friends.
Dante seems to remember it the same way as I do and speaks in his brother’s defense. “If I’m not mistaken, it wasChristine’schoice to remain in Manhattan. She was in high school at the time, and it was agreed upon that disrupting her education would be detrimental at that phase in her life.”
“It’s funny you use the word‘detrimental’,” Giovanni reenters the conversation. “That’s precisely how I’d describe how her reputation is affecting the family.”
“What reputation?” Niccolo snarls. “She’s done nothing.”
Giovanni’s anger boils over as he slams his fists down on the sturdy wooden table, causing it to shudder and creak in protest. “She’s doneyou, Terlizzi. That’s the problem. Now, no man of substance wants her.”
A playful smirk dances on Niccolo’s lips as he leans in closer, chest pressed against the table. “Are you saying Rocco Castiglione isn’t a man of substance?” His eyes glint mischievously as he speaks, his voice low and velvety.
Tension settles in the room, putting everyone on edge. We all know what he’s alluding to—Rocco’s very public image as a wife killer. Giovanni might have told me to my face that he’d rather see me dead than with Niccolo, but that’s because there weren’t any witnesses. With Niccolo’s brothers around and the Lucatello family here to witness the interaction, Giovanni doesn’t repeat his earlier outburst.
“Marriage to Rocco Castiglione is a fine outcome for a woman of Christine’s reputation,” he says between gritted teeth.
I didn’t think I had much of a reputation, but I guess I was wrong. I feel like I’ve kept my private life pretty quiet, but not according to my uncle.
