Page 26 of Unwanted Marriage with the Mafia Boss

“Should I do a toxicology test on you? Because you’re not yourself.” I can’t let him provoke me into killing him because I still don’t know anything.

But Domenico will get tired. He’ll get hungry and thirsty. He’ll beg me to finish him off, and then I’ll ask him again. If he chooses to suffer until then, that’s his choice.

I lower the knife and just punch Domenico again. And again. And again. Blood coats my fingers and my clothes are stained with it as I exit the room.

“Did he tell you anything?” Rocco asks.

“No. He’s babbling nonsense.”

“Some of the guys have seen him in the park a few days ago with a woman. They don’t really remember enough to describe her, but maybe she’s a spy or working for Matteo. He could’ve gotten his orders then. She might have offered him a lot of money.”

“Or he fell in love with her, and Matteo or Gennaro threatened her life or kidnapped her. Money just doesn’t seem like a powerful enough motivator for something like this.”

“But why won’t he tell us then?”

“When someone you care about is in danger, you don’t think rationally.” And it’s the main reason why I can never allow myself to care for someone like that. “They might have told him they have spies among us, and if he says anything, they’ll kill her. So he’d rather die than put her life at risk.”

“Wouldn’t they kill her anyway?”

I shrug. “Depends on how complicated it would be for them to cover it up. Sometimes it’s not worth the effort, and if she hasn’t seen or heard anything important, you can let her go.”

“Will you let Chiara go? She’s now seen and heard a lot.”

“This isn’t about Chiara.” I’ll decide what to do about her later.

She’ll probably be too terrified to talk to anyone, and she and her family will know I can just kill them if they don’t make things easy for me. And once I have everything I need to start building the Gaviani Resort, I’ll get myself a new apartment. It’s good to change buildings and apartments often anyway. If you’re in one place for too long, people can learn things about you and study your movements. It’s easier to get a new building.

“Keep an eye on Domenico,” I say. “And don’t leave anyone alone with him.”

He frowns. “Do you think there might be someone else like him?”

“There better not be, because it’ll seriously piss me off.”

The whole thing might be about Gennaro trying to unsettle me further. Or it’s Matteo. Matteo always used to brag that he was Gennaro’s real son. He would constantly try to rub it in my face and say that I’d never be like him.

Even in school, whenever someone called me his brother or just by my last name, he’d tell them we were not related. It bugged me for a while, and once we were alone, Matteo would sometimes say he was only joking. But I’m not a kid anymore, and Iama Gaviani, whether Matteo likes it or not.

I curse under my breath as I unlock the door to my room. There’s blood all over the handle and the key. I’ll have to clean it up later. After I enter, I lock the door again. No one’s going to just waltz in here.

I yank my shirt over my head, and just as I let it drop to the floor, I look straight at Chiara. She’s staring at me and at all the blood. Her lips are parted in shock, her eyes bulging.

It’s insane how distracted I am lately. But I don’t want to go to another bathroom, and Chiara has seen everything. She already thinks I’m a monster. A little bit of blood won’t change anything. I slam the bathroom door behind me.

CHAPTER 14

Chiara

I swallowpast the lump in my throat. If the idea of Adriano as a villain wasn’t clear enough to me, well, it is now. He showed up all covered in blood, and now he’s in the bathroom.

Whose blood is it? That guy’s? Is he dead? I don’t even know who the guy was, and why he wanted to free me. What did he mean when he shouted that Adriano wasn’t a real Gaviani? Asking Adriano is obviously out of the question.

Have my mom and dad realized what’s going on with me? The fact that I know nothing and have no way to find out drives me crazy. I only have to hope they’re all right and safe, maybe still at my uncle’s place.

The sheer amount of men who stormed the room to take that guy away was scary. They have to be very close nearby all the time. Always ready. Even if I get out of this room, I’ll run into them.

I chew on the inside of my cheek. Coming up with a plan is hard when I don’t have any weapons or anything within my reach. Adriano will always overpower me, and he has a gun. I haven’t even gotten any sleep. Even before the guy showed up, I was too restless.

The bathroom door swishes open, and I gape at Adriano. He’s only wearing a towel. Drops of water are still gliding down his strong body as he runs a hand through his wet hair. He glances at me and heads toward the closet.

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