Page 89 of Sin & Secrets

I meant it as a joke, but Rocco’s face grows serious. “I wouldn’t let you take the Guild’s oath.”

“Why? Would you get sick of me?” I tease him, trying to bring some lightness to the situation.

“It would be a life sentence.” He stares at a point over my shoulder. “And apparently, two months is already grating on you.”

I bite the inside of my cheek. “At least then I’d actually be able to do something instead of sitting around the house all day.”

He shoots me a warning look. “Trust me. It’s not a life you would want.”

There’s a part of me that wants to argue for the sake of it. But really, what qualifications did I have that would make me an effective mafioso? My one attempt to help had been a complete disaster.

So, instead, I change the subject. “I just want to sing again. Is that really so bad?”

“It’s dangerous, Cas,” Rocco sighs.

“What if I had bodyguards?” I press. “Your mother had them, right?”

His hand weaves through my hair and gently combs through the loose, brown waves. “It would take some time to make preparations.”

A glimmer of hope ignites within me. “I wouldn’t need an entire entourage, just someone to make sure I got home okay.”

“You will have whoever I say you need to have. I won’t negotiate on that.”

I grit my teeth, imagining how humiliating it would be to arrive anywhere surrounded by Rocco’s mafioso guards. “I don’t want to put you out. It’s just one performance, so there’s really no need. I’ll be back home before you know it.”

His eyebrow quirks up. “You assume I’ll be waiting for you at home.”

“I only meant…you’re away half the time, and I know you’re busy…so.”

“My favorite singer will be performing at theCandelabra.I wouldn’t miss that for the world.”

23

ROCCO

“Martino says she’ll be on stage soon,” Teo announces as he takes a seat next to me at theCandelabra’sVIP table.

I nod at this, taking in the familiar atmosphere of the packed club.

Alessandro is in the corner with a few of his men, feigning a drunken stag party. Dante has positioned himself on the other side of the room, his own team posing as South African tourists.

Not to mention the handful of lieutenants that had come along for kicks. Each of them had approached the VIP table to offer their sly smiles and transparent intentions: to see what all the fuss was about.

Even Mia is off work tonight, drinking with Marco by the bar. Her fiery gaze narrows on me every few moments, but so far, she has kept her distance. As far as I’m aware, Cas hasn’t been in contact with her since the last time we were here.

How many of them I can trust, I don’t know. But so far, Teo and I have been able to keep her surname from becoming public knowledge.

“No sign of him?” I ask. I’d given Claudio Lazzaro very specific orders to make himself scarce tonight.

Thankfully, Teo shakes his head. “Martino hasn’t let her out of his sight.”

I’m paranoid; I know I am. But you don’t make it far in this business if you’re not.

“Good.”

“Boss…Rocco…” Teo sighs.

I cut him off. “I don’t want to talk about it tonight, Vitale.”

---