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He leans forward to kiss me. “Got lots to do today.”
And with that, he’s out the door.
I don’t see him for most of the day. He wasn’t at breakfast or lunch. Dinner was awkward with my brother and Nico staring at each other, as if they were trying to set each other on fire with their minds. Cesare and Giuseppe act like they’ve been besties since they were in diapers.At least someone’s getting along.
Nico won’t even look at me and seems distracted, checking his phone every thirty seconds. It wouldn’t piss me off so much, but he’s paying extra special attention to Cosima tonight. He keeps getting up and whispering into her ear every so often. She’s enjoying it too much. I just might set her on fire myself. Not with my mind, either.Okay,so the bloodlust is back.Stop.He just told me he loved me. Did he change his mind already? To snap out of my thoughts, I shake my head.
Marcella and I make small talk. She’s a sweet woman with a lot of patience. I guess you have to have it being the wife to a capo and mother to three boys all with tempers. We get along well. She can’t cook, either, so we’ve spent a lot of time driving Valentina crazy in the kitchen, though I think she secretly likes having us around.
“So, tell me, mia dolce bambina, what have you been up to here?” Cesare asks me.
Before I can answer, Dom grunts, and Dante inserts himself into the conversation.
“Training. She can kick some serious ass. A natural,” Dante says proudly.
I roll my eyes. Dom’s gripping onto his knife so hard his knuckles are turning white. I’m afraid the utensil will turn to dust. He doesn’t like the fact that I’ve grown so close to these men.
“Of course she can. Paid a lot of money to ensure that,” Cesare says proudly, with a chuckle.
“Dom, you should spar with us sometime. I’d love to see you try and take on your sister,” Dante says, and the table goes silent.Why must he taunt him?
“Sure thing,” he says before taking a bite of his steak.
The rest of the evening goes by smoothly. Dom has considerably calmed down, but he doesn’t say much.
I keep trying to make eye contact with Nico to get some reassurance, but he still won’t look at me. When we all get up after dinner, Nico is already heading out the door without a second glance.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Nico
“She’s an outsider, Nico,” Father expresses before sipping his whiskey.
We’re in Bash’s office, sitting on the leather armchairs by the fireplace. Bash is sitting on the couch across from us. I twirl the dark liquid in the glass before sipping it. He wasn’t wrong. Traditionally, we almost never married outside of the Cosa Nostra. Alliances rarely lasted, so marrying outside of your syndicate was outdated.
“I love her,” I tell him.
“I’m not saying you don’t. It only took me a day to know your mother was the one. I’m saying she’s an outsider,” my father states.
“She’s not some random nobody off the streets.”Although, if she was, I was certain we’d still be having this conversation.“She might not be Cosa Nostra, but she’s Triad, and high born at that. Hell, she outranks me.”
“Exactly. She’sTriad,” my father says.
The “we can’t trust them” is implied. A man of few words.
“You’re right, Father. But this could be good for us if we take Li out,” Bash interjects, to my surprise.
“And if we don’t, and if this fails? You expect us to use our resources and possibly lose men because of some girl? What if they don’t accept her?” my father asks, then downs the rest of the liquid before refilling his glass.
“We won’t. Have some faith in our men. Her, too,” Bash says.
“She’s not just some girl, Pa,” I say to my father.
“This marriage could benefit us,” Bash pipes up again.
Wow, I really didn’t expect him to back me up like this.
“The Triad’s weak. They have nothing to offer us. She has nothing to offer us. She’ll have to turn things around significantly. Otherwise, shewilljust be a nobody off the streets,” Father retorts.
