Page 2 of Risky Vows

"Do you have a wire somewhere? You want me to implicate myself so I'll get in trouble with the woman I haven't even married yet?"

She smiles and sits up on the bed, naked. "You can come and check. Maybe a small wire is hidden somewhere inside me you haven't seen."

Doubtful. This afternoon, I checked each and every hole this woman has. "I can't."

"What does she have that I don't?"

"Her family name."

Daphne waves me off. "Does she have any brothers? What if I marry one of her brothers? I can join her family too," she says, and I think she's only half joking.

"Her only brother is in a coma." Three years ago, Alonzo got into a nasty fight and could have died. Should have died. Now he's in a room at her parents' house, with all the care in the world, hooked to machines. Doctors said he wouldn't wake up, but her parents didn't give up. That's why they want me to marry their daughter—they'd rather an enemy take care of their declining criminal empire than lose it.

"Sounds like he'd make the perfect husband."

I finish getting dressed and glance at my phone. My family has been calling and texting me, wondering where I am. I'm sure my escapade has them worried. I sigh.

"He's definitely the perfect brother-in-law," I say dryly. "One less son-of-a-bitch to annoy me."

She chuckles. "I'll miss you."

"Me too. Don't get in trouble, okay?"

I see the small bob in her throat. Tears brim her eyes, and she nods quietly. I can tell she's trying not to cry. "Okay."

I can't stay and comfort her or make promises I won't keep. As I look around her bedroom, a concrete block lands on my chest. Saying goodbye to Daphne isn't hard. Welcoming the next phase of my life and marrying Amara… that will be a different fucking story.

2

Amara

"You look beautiful," my mom, Vittoria Montefiore, says behind me.

I take in a breath. When I was a little girl, I gathered my dolls and pretended they were getting married. Of course, back then, Barbie loved Ken. She wanted to marry him, move away from her hometown, and become a scientist or president. Barbie had grand plans for humanity.

Barbie didn't think that her parents would make her marry a man who was the equivalent of a human grenade. Dangerous and unpredictable.

"You didn't lose those few extra pounds like we hoped. Thankfully, the stylist did a good job," my mom continues.

I ignore her jab. "She's a miracle worker."

"Yes. I know the last few years have been hard for you… with everything that happened with that boy. But now a new chapter begins."

Boy? I bite my lower lip. The man I fell in love with was no boy. He was twenty-five when we met two years ago. But because he didn't have a high-paying job, my parents got rid of him.

They had him killed, and I watched it—it served me right for trying to be with someone of my choice.

Since my older brother Alonzo slipped into a coma, my parents showed more interest in my role in this family. My brother was supposed to follow my father's lead, and he did until he was in a fight.

I made it clear that being the head of a criminal family wasn't my calling. They acquiesced but then decided that if I wasn't following in their footsteps, I had to marry someone who would elevate us.

It all makes sense.

The Gallo family immigrated to Chicago a couple of decades after ours. So even though they have injected money and a unique way to do crime, my family has access and contacts to parts of Chicago and even New York that they haven't managed to infiltrate yet.

Meanwhile, due to my brother's coma and my father's early dementia, diagnosed a few years ago, our financial situation has steadily declined. So, my mother made a deal with Aldo Gallo, their patriarch.

They'll sort out our financial problems and take care of our businesses. We can give them access to areas where my family has thrived—before my dad's dementia shows signs. A win-win. My mom will be able to retire in luxury as planned.

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