Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 91238 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91238 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Which is the point of the place. We want visitors to feel awe and terror at our might. It’s basically some bullshit branding, but it works.
Saul’s sitting at a desk in the library. A fireplace is on the right, dead and quiet, and he’s to the left, sitting back in his chair and scrolling on his phone. He glances up as I step inside and shut the door behind me.
“Gian,” he says, sounding surprised, but not unhappy. I nod at him and approach, stopping behind the two green leather chairs reserved for guests. I don’t sit. This isn’t a sitting conversation. “Didn’t know you were coming up today.”
“It was a last-minute decision.”
“Is this the first time you’ve been to the house since you got back?”
I nod once, not in the mood for small talk.
It took a lot of willpower to work up to this meeting, and I don’t want to waste any of it on meaningless chatter.
Saul’s smile wavers slightly. He must sense my black mood. My older brother’s in a simple suit, no tie, top button undone. He’s my height, slightly heavier, with a thick beard and dark eyes. His wavy hair’s kept cut close. Out of all of us, he looks the most like Papa, even though he’s temperamentally the opposite. I’m reserved, while Saul’s calm. Renzo’s steadfast. Carlo’s chaotic. We complement each other in some ways and drive each other crazy in others. I think I get along with my brothers the best when I’m halfway across the country. Then there’s Stefania—I’ve never been close with my little sister. I think because I’m the closest to her in age. We used to fight like crazy when we were younger.
“You’re marrying Allegra Rinaldo.” I force the words out. They hurt worse than I expected. I’ve been carrying this weight since I heard from Carlo about the match and it nearly broke me.
Bad enough that Renzo was going to do it, but I know my oldest brother. He had zero interest in Allegra—she was all about making a good alliance with her family. I can understand politics. I can even accept it. And since Renzo is the Don, there was nothing I could do about it at the time.
When I heard that Renzo’s engagement to Allegra fell through, the relief was nearly unbearable.
And the nightmare was doubly worse later when I got the call about Saul.
“That’s the plan,” he says, leaning back. He’s watching me with that calm, scrupulous stare. I know what he’s thinking, and I don’t like it.
“Why?” I ask. A simple request, but it’s loaded.
There’s too much history in this house.
“You know why.” He’s talking softly. Like he’s trying to keep a wild animal calm.
“Renzo didn’t know about me and her. I couldn’t be angry with him for that.” I take a slow, deep breath and blow it back out. “But you do.”
Saul’s expression doesn’t change.
He’s the only one in this family who knows what happened between me and her.
Which makes this so much worse.
“That was a long time ago, and this wasn’t my choice. You understand that, right? Renzo told me I have to marry her, which means I have to marry her. That’s how this works.”
“Should that make me feel better?”
“I don’t know how you should feel. I wish you could understand and let this go. I thought it’d been long enough.”
“It hasn’t been. I’m not sure it ever will be.”
“That’s a shame, but there’s still nothing I can do.” He holds out his hands to the sides in a helpless gesture which only infuriates me.
“Turn him down. Renzo won’t make you do it if you push back.”
“And then what? Piss off the Rinaldo Famiglia? Make Don Rinaldo angry? We’re in the middle of a war, Gian. The Russians and the Irish are working together for the first time in history, and we’re their main target. Carlo was nearly killed because of them. Things aren’t going so great, which you’d know, if you were around more often.”
I tighten my jaw. I don’t need him to remind me of my shortcomings. I’m all too aware. “Don’t try to turn this back around on me. You know about me and her. You know what happened and what I did. You really think you can still marry her? Even after all that?”
“If it’s not me, it’ll be someone else.”
“I don’t give a shit. Let it be anyone but my own brother.”
“You really don’t care? You think it’ll be fine? Who knows who she’ll end up with. At least with me, you can be sure she’ll be treated well.”
I take a step forward. Fury burns deep into my heart at the thought of her being treated any type of way by him.
“This is about me and you,” I say softly, staring him in the face. “This is about me and Allegra and nobody else. When it was Renzo, I told myself I’d stay out west, I’d never come home, I’d try my best to pretend like you all didn’t exist. But then it fell through and I felt like I could breathe again. I didn’t even realize I was carrying around all that weight until it was suddenly gone, and I was free. But then I heard you were next in line—”