Page 58 of The Fighter

Her shock is completely understandable. The truth is, I’m reeling too. If Ali is Vidone’s daughter, she’s a mafia princess. Just like Estela. And her father needs to marry his daughter off to secure a business alliance. Just like Estela.

I’ve fallen in love with Ali, but I have a dreadful feeling of déjà vu. I feel like I’m on the edge of a precipice, and even the slightest breeze will send me falling.

“I’m sorry,” Antonio responds gently. “I really am. Perhaps it’ll help if I tell you what I know.” He steeples his fingers. “Vidone Laurenti works for Il velo delle lacrime. VDL for short. He’s the VDL underboss.”

“Tomas said that,” Ali murmurs. “I didn’t really believe him.”

Antonio gives me a searching glance before turning back to her. “He’s not lying. VDL is a relatively new outfit, mostly composed of former Cosa Nostra members. Your father is no exception. He killed his first man when he was fifteen in a robbery gone wrong, and a trail of blood has followed him since. Valentina has a dossier.”

“Oh.” She bites her lip. Her hands shake as she takes the paper file from Valentina, and she makes no attempt to open it. “How do I come into the picture?”

“Vidone had a daughter, Sabrina. A little over a week ago, she was killed in a car crash in Tunisia. Sabrina was engaged to Damir Malinov. Damir’s father, Gregori, controls the Kutuzovo OPG.” He sees her look of confusion and clarifies. “Russian mafia.”

She still doesn’t understand. Why would she? In her world, fathers don’t use their daughters as collateral for business deals with Russian mafia bosses. In her world, people marry for love.

I explain further. “Sabrina is dead,” I say, my voice harsh. “But if you are also Vidone’s daughter, he’s going to want to marry you off to Damir Malinov to fulfill the terms of the alliance. That’s why he tried to abduct you.”

“No.” She stares at me, a world of hurt in her brown eyes. “I don’t believe you. Abducting me and marrying me off to a complete stranger? This is crazy. He wanted me to visit, that’s all.” She pushes the file back to Valentina. “All of this is conjecture, and I don’t buy it.”

My heart aches for her. I hear it in her voice—how much she doesn’t want it to be true. Growing up, it was just her and her mother. I hear the loneliness that she keeps hidden, the longing for family.

But not all family is created equal, and Vidone Laurenti isn’t the father figure of her dreams.

Antonio leans forward, his face harsh. “It doesn’t matter whether or not you believe us. Laurenti knows by now that his attempt didn’t work. He’s already desperate enough to try to snatch you off the streets of Venice, and things are only going to get worse. In Venice, I can put guards on you, but my reach is limited outside the city. I could try to protect you, but I can’t promise I’d succeed.”

“What should I do?” she whispers.

“Are you sure you don’t want to marry Malinov?” I quip, keeping my tone light with effort. “After all, he’s a rich and powerful man.”

Her head snaps up, and she stares at me as if I were insane. “What the hell would I want to do that for?”

A weight seems to lift from my heart. Still, I keep going. “Money? Jewelry? Fancy vacations? Gregori Malinov owns a mansion in London, a villa in Barcelona, and more.”

Fire flashes in her eyes. “You’re joking, right?” she grits out through clenched teeth. “I’m wearing a T-shirt that’s advertising my gym and yoga pants. No jewelry because it gets in the way during a fight, not even earrings. Do you think any of those things are important to me? And then, this morning—” She stops herself abruptly. “I’m not interested in marrying anyone, rich or not.”

This morning… what? What was she going to say? How was she going to finish that sentence?

“I have an idea.” Dante speaks up for the first time, and we all turn our attention toward him. Dante’s nickname is the Broker—making deals is what he does. “Call your father. He won’t come to Venice, so offer to meet him at a neutral venue. Someplace outside Italy. Valencia, for example.” He looks pointedly at me before turning back to Ali. “And if he brings up Malinov, either now or when you’re there, you’ll know the truth.”

“And if you’re right?” Ali asks. “What’s to stop him from kidnapping me in Valencia? What if I wake up in Moscow, married to a stranger?”

Kutuzovo is based in St. Petersburg, not Moscow, not that it’s relevant.

“Two reasons.” Dante counts off on his fingers. “First, Tomas will be going along for protection. And second, the two of you are going to get married first.”

“What?” Her mouth falls open. “No way. I’m not going to marry Tomas.”

Her response isn’t a surprise, but it leaves a sourness in the pit of my stomach. I push her rejection down deep inside. “What about pretending we’re engaged?” I suggest. “Dante’s right. You can’t go into that meeting alone. And the presence of a fiancé might give Laurenti pause.”

There’s a long moment of silence. Finally, she nods reluctantly. “Okay. I’ll do it.”

39

ALINA

Six hours later, I’m still reeling.

Valentina discovered an MMA conference that was going to take place in Valencia next weekend. Watched by Antonio Moretti and his henchmen, I called my father and told him I was going to be there. “I know it’s short notice,” I said hesitantly. “But I’m only planning on attending a few sessions. If you could make it to Valencia?—”

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