Page 14 of Now and Forever

“Dario…”

He clenched his jaw. “For purposes that are only important to the famiglia, you will wear white, and I will swear on my life that it is merited.”

Swallowing all the words I considered saying, I nodded. “I will wear white.”

“We don’t need to speak of this again, and I trust you won’t share unnecessary information that would make anyone in my family question it.”

“This is just between us,” I said, unsure why I didn’t tell him the truth. Instead of reassuring my fiancé and asserting my purity as my mother suggested, I was lying by omission and letting him believe I wasn’t pure.

Dario offered me his arm. “I believe there’s a meal waiting for us downstairs.”

I obediently laid my hand on his arm. Despite my smile, I couldn’t fight the sadness that he hadn’t tried to do more than briefly hold my hand. No attempt at a kiss.

Swallowing that uncertainty, I walked alongside my fiancé out of the office, down the staircase, and into the dining room, where people were just beginning to sit. Mama had me seated at one end of the large table next to Camila. Dario’s mother, Arianna, and his sister, Mia, were also at the end with the women. Em, Papá, Dario, Vincent, and Rocco were seated at the other end.

Lola and Isla served the different courses.

The women congratulated me and took turns looking at my ring while the men ventured into conversations about their different organizations. I learned that Rocco was Mia’s husband. There was another brother, Dante, who was busy with business and unable to attend the engagement.

Not once during the meal did Dario turn my way. Yet more than once, I noticed my brother’s less-than-friendly expression as he assessed my new fiancé.

ChapterFive

Catalina

Two weeks before the wedding, many women from Dario’s family flew to Southern California for my bridal shower. It seemed odd to be celebrating with women I didn’t know in preparation for a marriage to a man I knew less. I hadn’t seen or spoken to Dario during the last nearly six months. However, he’d sent me expensive jewelry for Christmas and my birthday in March.

Mireya and Aunt Maria held my shower at an upscale restaurant in San Diego. Originally, they wanted to host it at their home, but Uncle Nicolas refused to allow the famiglia in his home. If I could believe Em, there were more than a few of the higher cartel officers unhappy about Patron’s deal. In a nutshell, the officers believed that after the wedding, the Italians wouldn’t hold up their end of the bargain.

“What does that mean for me?” I’d asked my brother the morning of my shower when we were alone.

His forehead crinkled with concern. “I think it means you should change your mind.”

“I can’t.” It wasn’t that I hadn’t thought about changing my mind many times; it was that doing so would reflect poorly on Patron and Papá. If I backed out, it was the cartel breaking the deal. If the Italians didn’t follow through, it would be them breaking the deal.

Em reached for my elbow. “I have some money. Papá doesn’t know, but I can send you away.”

“Where?” I asked incredulously. “Down to Mexico where Patron will find me?”

“Europe,” he offered.

“Like the Lucianos don’t have connections in Italy. If I run, it won’t only reflect poorly on us, but on the famiglia, too.”

“You don’t owe anything to Dario Luciano. What has he done other than give you that giant rock on your hand and a few expensive pieces of jewelry?”

“He’s busy.” It was what I’d been told. “Dario is supposed to take over for his father shortly after the wedding. There’s a lot that goes into a power change.”

Em furrowed his brow. “What do you know about what goes on in the Mafia?”

“I’ve been trying to learn.” When Em just looked at me, I went on, “I want my marriage to work.” Now and forever. “This may not be my decision, but I have the choice to do all I can to make it succeed.” I was relaying the self-talk I’d had with myself many times. “I can be more than a wife on paper, one that gives Dario stability.” I’d heard that term too many times. “I want to be what he needs. To do that, I need to understand his life.”

“You will be nothing more than his wife on paper, a testament of the alliance. Men like Dario don’t spend their time working on their marriage. I’d bet he has a mistress or regular whores who keep him satisfied. Don’t fool yourself. He’s not taking a wife to love.”

I knew that my brother was speaking the truth. That didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

“Cat, we can’t trust them. They’re going to cheat us, and then they’ll have you.”

“Patron trusted them enough to make this deal.”

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