Page 39 of Now and Forever

“There’s no such thing when it comes to my wife, Uncle.”

“Give us a little more information, Dario,” Carmine said. “It’s been a long time since my bloody wedding.”

The men laughed and cheered, again with the exception of Catalina’s brother. To my disgust, Andrés joined in the merriment. What kind of father would sit and listen to a roomful of men discuss the loss of his daughter’s virginity?

“Mia was so tight,” Rocco said, “I ripped her open. She bled like a sieve. You’d have thought I used a knife instead of my dick.”

My eyes narrowed as I waited for my father to admonish Rocco for speaking that way about his daughter. Of course, no reprimand came. Instead, there were more laughs as the married men chimed in with stories of their wedding night.

Dante nudged me with his arm. “Let’s get some coffee.”

With a nod, I turned toward the buffet where the house staff had multiple silver pots and cups.

“In the kitchen,” my brother said. Once we were out of the dining room, he continued, “You have to give them something. They’re like a pack of hungry wolves in there.”

“Two packs.”

Dante nodded. “Two packs who are ready to rip out each other’s throats. Fuck, your wife’s brother would as soon kill you as look at you.”

I hummed. “He gave Catalina a knife and holster for her wedding night.”

Dante scoffed. “No shit.”

“No shit. He probably hoped she’d kill me.”

“Points for Catalina,” Dante said. “You’re still here.”

In my opinion, she deserved kudos for more than just not killing me. Her beauty had captured my attention, but her loyalty, honesty, and resolve were beginning to wear away at my coldness to this marriage. As she said, neither of us wanted it, but here we were.

I thought about the tension in the dining room. “There are a lot of unspoken death threats out there, aimed at about everyone.”

“You can cut the tension with a fucking knife.”

“You can cut more than tension.”

Dante nodded. “Then give them a bone to chew so we can get the cartel assholes out of here. Otherwise, this alliance will be over before it starts.”

“They are my wife’s family.”

Dante lifted his hand. “Calm down. You have to admit this is some strange shit.” He didn’t wait for me to answer. “You know I’m right. If you would have pulled your knife on that asswipe Aléjandro, you and I might be the only ones left standing.”

He was right.

“They’ve had their fun. When we go back in there, I’m changing the subject.”

After getting our coffee, the two of us went back into the dining room. I tapped Rocco’s shoulder. His glare only lasted a second before he stood, giving me the chair beside Moretti.

“When can we expect our next shipment?” I asked, speaking to Roríguez.

ChapterTwelve

Catalina

I’d survived the comments about being a woman and managed to walk without grimacing. The most difficult part of the morning was saying goodbye to my family. Standing near the cars on the driveway, the summer breeze teased my hair, blowing renegade strands from my ponytail around my face. My long sundress fluffed in the wind.

Watching my family leave was heartbreaking. I’d lived all of my twenty-four years under my father’s roof and protection. I couldn’t remember a day without Em or a time after Camila was born that I didn’t see her and talk to her. There were tears in my eyes as we embraced.

“The plane is waiting,” Uncle Nicolas said as Mireya, Camila, Sofia, and I stood hugging.

---