Page 15 of Now and Forever

Em clenched his teeth, his jaw tightening. “Once you’re married, you’ll belong to them. Papá can’t save you. I’m not supposed to save you.”

“I don’t plan on needing to be saved.”

My brother lowered his voice. “I will though. I don’t give a fuck. If he treats you…if he does anything…”

I reached for Em’s arm. “I love you, too.”

The two of us were less than two years apart in age, and while Camila and I had a bond, there was something possibly stronger between Emiliano and me.

“Fuck.” He pulled his arm away and ran his fingers through his dark mop. “There’s something I should have told you.” He paused. “Nick told me Dario went to Wanderland with others from the famiglia when they were here for the engagement.” Nick was our cousin and Mireya’s older brother. He was a year older than Em. Like Em, after high school—or probably before—Nick went straight into the family business, working for their father, Uncle Nicolas.

Wanderland was a cartel strip club in Uncle Nicolas’s jurisdiction that catered to wealthier clientele. I’d never been there, but I’d heard about it, mostly from Em.

“That was six months ago,” I said. “You’re telling me now.”

“What would you have done with the information? Call off the wedding because Dario likes strippers and…”

“And” —I inhaled— “he used a back room.” It wasn’t really a question. Even the women in our family knew about the private entertainment available in back rooms.

Em’s gaze darkened. “The whore was in bad shape. Dario paid extra for her missed work.”

My stomach lurched. “He hurt her?”

Em lifted his hands. “It’s what Nick told me. No one is backing up the story, but no one is denying it either. Even the whore won’t talk. The Lucianos know how to buy silence. I’m sure Patron and Vincent don’t want the publicity, either.”

I sat down on the sofa in our living room.

Em crouched down near my knees. “Listen, it’s not too late. You leave the country and there’s trouble. That bastard hurts you and I kill him. Seems like there’s trouble either way. Think of it as saving his life.”

Tears threatened my makeup. Mama, Camila, and I had spent the morning at the spa. “I can’t back out.” I met my brother’s stare. “I’m not weak, Em. I’m not. I want the marriage to work, but I won’t be abused.” I had a thought. “Remember when you taught me how to use your knife?”

Em nodded. “I remember.”

“Is it bad luck to give someone a knife as a wedding gift?”

Em smiled. “I’m not sure, but if you’ll take it, I can loan you one.”

My brother was known within and beyond the cartel for his skill with knives. As he put it, they were quieter than guns and more satisfying.

“Maybe in the next two weeks you can give me a few more lessons?”

“Cat, you wouldn’t kill a person.”

I shrugged. “Maybe I’d only wound him.”

“No. If you want lessons, you have to promise me that if you need to use it, you’ll go for the kill. It’s the only way.”

“I guess you don’t need to look for a wedding gift.”

An hour later, with a smile plastered on my lips, I sat surrounded by the women of my and Dario’s family. His mother and sister were present, along with numerous cousins and aunts. There were also non-relatives, wives and daughters of top-ranking Mafia men in their famiglia. I tried to remember names, but decided with all I had on my mind, it was a futile task.

Mia, Dario’s sister, sat to one side of me and Camila on the other. Together they compiled the appropriate list of gifts and names for my future thank-you notes. Mireya was beside Camila with Aunt Maria to her side. Our cousin Sofia, a year younger than Camila, was also present. Her father was the youngest brother of the Ruiz lieutenants. They lived in Northern California and sadly, Sofia’s mother had passed away about a year ago and Sofia still seemed sad.

Not to be outdone by the famiglia, wives and daughters of high-ranking cartel members were also in attendance. Before I’d been told about my own wedding, Papá had said Uncle Gerardo would need to remarry after a respectable length of time. I wondered if any of the single women in attendance were on my uncle’s menu.

It was as I opened Mia’s gift that I felt the temperature rise.

The gift was no doubt luxurious as shown by the Saks emblem holding the tissue paper in place. Opening the box, I moved the tissue paper to find the skimpiest lingerie I’d ever seen in my life. My cheeks warmed as I lifted the sheer teddy and robe set, complete with a nearly sheer G-string panty.

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