Page 20 of Satin Empire

Nobody spoke. I wish someone would stop this nightmare. Maybe if I can pinch myself, I’ll wake up in bed with Niccolo, the little monster with stinky breath and a dumb smile on his face, and we can watch Ninja Turtles together all morning. But I’m not asleep, and nobody’s coming to help.

Orsino grunts into the silence. “Let’s sign and be done with it. We have an alliance to celebrate.”

Renzo ignores my stepfather and stares at me, his lips pressed tight together like he’s trying to figure something out, and I feel withered and small under that gaze. His mouth opens, and I want him to stop—if he asks me if I want to get out of this, I’ll tell him the damn truth—but he only shakes his head and gives me a pen.

“Sign here,” he says, indicating the spot for my name.

I manage to make a reasonable scrawl. Carlo does the same with a grunt and a flourish.

“A few more places,” Renzo mumbles, walking me through the paperwork. Nobody speaks and the only sounds are the clinking of ice against glass, pen scribbling on paper, and my own heart trying to beat its way out of my chest.

Then it’s over. The papers are signed. Renzo collects them, makes sure nothing is missing, and tucks them into a folder.

“Congratulations,” he says, sounding like he’s announcing a terminal cancer diagnosis. “You’re married.”

Chapter 10

Alana

“Happy fucking day,” Carlo says and I stare down at the desk, trying not to cry. It’s bad enough, going through this farce, but I don’t need my freaking husband to act like a total prick during it. “Can we have the room?”

Renzo looks surprised. “If that’s okay with Don Orsino, it’s fine with me.”

Orsino grunts and is already walking back to my mother. “They’re married. Might as well let them get to know each other.”

“Let’s clear out and give them some room.” Renzo nods at his family, and the group of them shuffle toward the door.

Allegra excuses herself from the herd, walks over, and pulls me into a tight hug. “You’ll be okay,” she whispers. “Carlo’s a good guy.”

She releases me and is gone. I stare after her, not sure if I’m annoyed about her laughter or immensely happy that she showed some measure of compassion.

I’m overwhelmed. It happened too fast. Carlo walks to the door and closes it behind everyone.

“I thought there’d be flowers and music and stuff,” I say and my voice sounds tiny like it’s emanating from a minuscule speaker buried in my throat.

“Did you want all that?” His eyebrows raise. “Renzo had a slightly more elaborate plan. I bet we could rustle up a holy man to say some fancy words under the trees outside if you want.”

“No, and you don’t have to be an asshole about it,” I say, surprised by the sudden anger. I thought I was too afraid to be pissed, but apparently not.

Carlo brings out the best in me.

He only shrugs and walks to the drink cart. “Want something?”

“No, thanks. It’s like ten in the morning.”

He refills his glass. “I tried to get you out of it. If that’s any consolation.”

“It’s not.” I turn my back on him and stare down at the folder with the documents. What would happen if I ripped them to shreds? Renzo would just make new ones and I’d have to sign all over again, and Orsino would take it out on my mother.

“Are you willing to rethink the truce I offered? Now that it’s all official.”

I stare straight ahead, but I can’t see anything. My hands are fists, and my knees tremble. I don’t want to be here, but the worst part is, there’s nowhere else I could go.

“You know what I keep thinking about? If I had managed to get out of this thing we just did, some other girl in my family would be dragged up here in my place. She’d have to sign like I just did. The second Orsino chose me, I was trapped. I’ve always been trapped.”

His hand presses against my back. I flinch and turn around, ready to tell him to back the fuck off, but he’s giving me this strange, sad smile, and there’s no anger or malice in his eyes, not even any pity, only a deep understanding that makes my lips fall open. I came here thinking some magic wand might wave and make all my troubles disappear, but that isn’t how the world works. If something’s taken from one place, it’s returned in another. There’s a balance in the universe. If it wasn’t me standing in this office, it would’ve been someone else, and no matter how selfish I am, in the end, I couldn’t have let that happen.

“We’re in this together now,” he says, his voice gentle. “You know what’s fucked? Renzo had it all planned out. Today, I mean. He had this whole thing planned and didn’t tell me until this morning. When I saw the fucking chairs?—”

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