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I laugh at her comment. “Honestly, that’s exactly what was going through my mind at the time. I don’t know what happened, but it’s like my mind shuts off when he’s around.”
“Well, this could be good for you. You’ve always had to hide yourself. No more hiding, Anya!”
“Ugh, I miss you. It’s been killing me not being able to talk to you,” I confess.
“I miss you, too. So much. I know it wasyourwedding and all, but I don’t even care, so I’m gonna say it. What aboutME? You’re being selfish. I was supposed to be your maid of honor! What about Maya?”
She’s yelling, but I can tell she’s not actually mad.
I laugh at her. “We’re still going to have a wedding. You’re still going to be my maid of honor, but you can’t tell Maya any of this. At least not yet.”
“Yeah, we told her you had a mental breakdown, so you needed a few weeks off at some cushy rehab,” Donna responds nonchalantly.Uh,thank you?“If you’re still planning a wedding, why couldn’t you wait? You don’t think he rushed into this for other reasons? Are you sure you want to be married to him? You’ve only just met!”
“Well, it’s too late now, either way. But we didn’t want to wait. It’s definitely soon, but you know how things are in this world. You’re either married or you’re a whore. I can’t start off in the Triad as the Italian’s whore. They’d never respect me. Hell, they might still not, even if I’m married, but at least I’m not a harlot. Plus, I thinkyourbrother made things worse and accidentally sped up the process.” I laugh.
“Yeah, trust the dumbass to only make things worse for himself. Ugh, and why’s he onlymybrother when he’s being an idiot?”
I laugh. “I really do love him. I can say it’s for an alliance and use all of those other excuses to justify why we got married, but it’s really not that complicated.”
“Wow. I honestly didn’t think you had feelings, so I can’t help but take you seriously,” Donna says, genuinely.
It wasn’t that I didn’t have feelings—I was just always trying to blend in. Getting too close to someone could put them in danger. I always knew there was a chance I’d be found. It didn’t feel right dragging someone into this world full of monsters.
Nico, being the bigger monster, is perfect. He wouldn’t go down without a fight and neither would I. He wouldn’t judge me just as I wouldn’t judge him. He knows this life. We’re not good people, but it didn’t make us any less of a match. He knows all of my baggage and chose me anyway.
“This isn’t a good look for me, Anya,” Donna continues. “Everyone is already calling me a spinster for still not being married and almost thirty!”
“You still have a couple of years. Besides, Dom’s older, and no one gives him shit.” I laugh, since Donna has drilled into us that she will never be getting married.
“Because he’s a man,” she says with so much attitude I can practically feel an eyeroll.
“Well, it’s a good thing Papa will never force you to marry.”
“True,” she sighs.
Before I can respond any further, Nico appears at the door and nods, telling me it’s time to go. We’re all meeting in Bash’s office to discuss the plans and everyone’s roles to take down Andrew.
“Donna, I have to go. As soon as I’m home, I’ll tell you everything else. You can help me with the wedding plans and come up with a cover story with Maya,” I promise her before hanging up.
Nico
Bash sits at his desk. Enzo and Dante sit in front of him. Cesare and Father each take a chair by the fireplace. They won’t be a part of the mission, letting the next two capos take the lead, but they still sit in the meeting. No one will dare say anything out of respect and fear.
Dominic, Tony, and Franco take the seats in front of my wife and me on the couch. I smile, noticing Matteo isn’t in attendance. Anya looks tense. She spent the morning going over the blueprints with Dominic, Bash, Franco, and Dante. Since she is head of her house, and all of this was for her, she needed to be present to come up with the plan. I’m curious to hear what else they’ve come up with now that everyone is here. This is her first mission, after all. I wanted to be there, but with Bash’s morning consumed, I had to take care of other business.
“All right, let’s get this plan straightened out. We’ve sat on it for too long,” Bash says as we all get settled.
I can’t wait to get this over with. I should be spending my days in marital bliss, fucking my wife until she can’t walk. It must be on my face because she slaps my chest as if she can read my mind. I smile, take her hand, and kiss it. I hear Dom grunt, but I don’t give a shit.
Franco and Dante then step up, and Dante clicks a button with the remote in his hand. The screen above the fireplace comes to life as my wife stands.
“I would first like to thank you all for being here. I am grateful to have your alliance as I claim my rightful place as the dragon head of the Triad. With that being said”—she nods at Franco—“let’s begin.”
“This is the blueprint of the grounds. There’s a single level above and ground and two more below.” Franco shines a red laser at the blueprint.
He continues. “Around the property, there’s an electrical fence, as well, anywhere from twelve to fifteen guards surrounding the perimeter at all times. There’s only one way in and one way out.” He points the laser at what I assume is the entrance.
Dante chimes in. “The door is made of reinforced steel. Not only that, but there’s four additional doors you have to go through, all with different access codes, before you can even enter the facility.”
