Page 66 of Convenient Mafia Vows

“Abigail is safe here.” Mom’s voice is steady. It’s impossible not to believe my mom, she always speaks with such utter conviction and loyalty, that no one dares question her. “Today’s unfortunate situation should never have happened but—” she takes Victoria’s hand and rubs it as though trying to coax her to dive into the deep end of the pool on her first swimming lesson “—we’ll all learn from it.”

Victoria swallows. The inference that she should have stuck close to her bodyguards isn’t lost on her. “I-I thought I saw Mason. I was trying to catch up with him before he left Macy’s, but I lost him and then…” Her voice trails off. “Then he was gone.”

Mom smiles and releases Victoria’s hand. “No harm done. You’re both safe and well.”

“I’ve increased security at the Wraith,” I confirm.

Victoria seems to slump against me, the fight draining from her as she realizes that this is out of her control. Just like when I fucked her in the elevator.

“Does this mean that I’m stuck in your apartment?” She sucks on her bottom lip, and I can’t help wishing that I was the one doing the sucking.

“On the contrary,” Mom says before I can respond. “We want you to continue as if nothing has happened.”

“Mom.” The warning note in my voice is totally missed by my mom but not by Terry and Kyle who both hide behind their drinks. “I’m not risking Victoria?—”

“No one is risking anything.” Mom talks over me. “Your wife is going to plan her wedding reception, buy an outfit worthy of thecover ofVoguemagazine, get her hair done, visit her new family, and act like the happy new bride everyone expects her to be.”

“But I—” Victoria begins.

“One thing you must learn about our family,” Mom continues regardless, “is that we provide the tabloids with a united front. No matter what happens.”

Her gaze slides my way and back again, a warning not to undermine her even when the discussion relates to my wife.

“We will all be beside you every step of the way. No one will get to you unless they get through us first.”

Victoria smiles tentatively. “What about Abigail?”

“Goes without saying.” I reach for Victoria’s hand and entwine her fingers with mine, a gesture that isn’t missed by my mom. “But you must let the bodyguards do their job.”

Victoria lets out a sound halfway between a chuckle and a sob. “Will there…”

She blinks back tears, and I’m reminded how overwhelming this whole situation must be for her. She’s sitting in a room with one of the wealthiest and most prominent families in New York City having been shot outside a restaurant and followed by a mafia mobster while we all discuss keeping her and her niece alive. She probably regrets the day she accepted the job as temporary concierge at the Wraith, and who could blame her?

“Will there be trouble at the wedding reception?” she asks in a small voice as though scared to voice her concerns out loud.

“Not on my watch.” Terry drains his drink, and peers into his empty glass.

“You have nothing to worry about,” Mom says. “You have the word of every single one of us in this room.”

Kyle clears his throat. “I don’t think we can guarantee there’ll be no trouble at the wedding reception.”

“I’ve told him to abandon the plan we agreed on yesterday.” I refill my glass, and tip Victoria’s towards her lips.

Despite the gravity of the conversation, my mind is already drifting towards fucking a tipsy Victoria later when I have her all to myself. Sober, she offers me her body with complete and utter abandon; I can’t wait to see what happens when she’s softened by booze.

“What plan?” Victoria asks.

Kyle answers. “It’s fair to say that my brother’s fake marriage, rather than prompting her to back off, has ignited a fuse beneath our friend Olivia Dragonetti. So, we decided to provide her with a distraction. Aka me.”

“No.” Victoria shakes her head, and Mom flashes me a warning glance.Control your wife; she isn’t part of this family. “Why would you do that? What about Suki?”

Kyle smiles. “Suki was just a date. She was happy to be seen out with me because it keeps her social media profile current.”

“But Olivia Dragonetti…” Victoria swallows the remainder of her drink in one mouthful as if requiring fortification. “She told me that Caleb’s car was waiting for her outside the restaurant the other night.”

“Precisely my point.” Kyle spreads his hands wide like he’s addressing members of the jury rather than his family. “I realize that she’ll use me to get to Caleb, so I intend to drip feed her tinycrumbs of information about my brother’s rocky relationship with his bride of a few weeks.”

My fists clench, and I set my glass down on the table before I crush it. “No. I’m not faking a rocky marriage with Victoria.” I realize the irony a beat too late when Kyle shakes his head.

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