Page 41 of The Last Vendetta

His stern tone held authority that I couldn’t ignore. Despite his handicaps from his injury, Dario was still a hard-edged Acardi man. Had he not been wounded when I was just a child, he’d be the spare brother, the younger brother to Father. If he were “whole” and not weak and unable to bear children, things would be so different.

The Family wouldn’t be falling apart with Father dead. Dario would have simply stepped up and done well. He was the one who taught me to pick locks. He was the relative who didn’t go out of his way to dismiss me as a stupid girl.

If things were different, he would’ve been in charge now. Just like Renzo had to adjust to taking Luka’s place.

“They were there,” I replied, choosing my words carefully. “But they only talked about a drug trade. Nothing about Luka, nothing about Father.” I frowned. “Nothing about me, either.”

He sighed but then sharpened his gaze. “What do you mean? Why would they talk about you?”

“Did Father approach the Romanos about arranging a marriage between me and Nickolas?”

He scoffed. “No!”

“You’re not aware of that?”

He shook his head. “Hell no. Rocco wouldn’t have been that stupid. With Cecilia marrying Luka and Nickolas to marry you, Marcus Romano would control the next two most powerful Families.”

A monopoly.

He was so quick to catch up. Uncle Dario had a lesser role in the Family, but he didn’t miss anything. Shrewd.

“Did you kill Father?”

He rolled his eyes. “No. Why would I have? What would that do? For power?”

I shrugged, feeling like I was grasping at straws to make sure he didn’t ask too much about what happened tonight.

“Would you support arranging a marriage for me now that Father is dead?”

“No.”

“But we have no stability. No man to lead the Family. No sons who would soon lead.”

He shook his head. “Absolutely not. I can’t speak for Isabella. She’s been acting sick in bed all week, but I’ve heard her on the phone when I pass her room. She'd better not be arranging you in anything. That’s the only leverage we have to use. Your remaining unattached and unclaimed is the only power we have to prevent the Acardi name from being owned by someone else.”

Too late. It’s far too late for that.

I was attached. I had been unofficially claimed in the truest sense of that word.

Renzo had. He’d taken me.

“And we need to keep it that way, Giulia.”

I nodded.

“Until all of this settles. Until we have a better idea of who is an ally and who is our enemy.”

It still won’t matter. I had sex with the enemy. He’d owned me sexually, but I knew he wouldn’t be so stupid as to announce it. He wouldn’t want to risk Giovanni’s wrath by suggesting he align our Families together now.

It was a fluke moment. A perfect one, now that I could sit and think back to the feeling of him stretching me and pushing me past the pain to experience so much pleasure.

I wished Renzo could keep me forever. To repeat that bliss. To show me more. He was rough and controlling, but at the end of it all, I hated to admit that I’d enjoyed it. I reveled in it, and I felt terrible to want it again.

I’d never counted on having any power, no right to choose my lover or man.

But now that the deed was done, I couldn’t deny the deep, twisted sense of pride and satisfaction in knowing that Renzo was the one to take my virginity.

No one else.

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