Page 116 of Dangerous King
Like a fucking errand boy.
I don't knock when I arrive. The guards know better than to stop me, and his staff scurries out of my way when they see my scowl. Like I'm a hurricane they've seen coming on the horizon that is now making landfall. I push open the heavy doors to Edoardo's office without waiting for permission. If he wants to summon me like some lackey, he can damn well deal with the storm he called. He's at his usual post, behind the massive antique desk with carved gold lions on the corners. How tacky can he get?
"Enrico," he says without looking up, scribbling something in looping script on heavy vellum paper. "You've been busy."
"Comes with the territory." I sit without being asked. "What can I do for you, Don?"
He finishes his writing. Folds the paper, places it in a drawer, and then looks up. His face is calm, smooth, and unreadable. That alone puts me on edge. "I hear you're thinking about marrying Catalina Costa."
I meet his gaze without blinking. "Not thinking," I say. "I am."
Silence engulfs us. It stretches and stretches, long enough to feel like a noose tightening. It's a standoff, and I'll be damned if I cave first.
Edoardo leans back slowly, steepling his fingers. "That's a bold move."
"I'm not here for your blessing."
"Good," he says mildly. "Because I'm not offering one."
He takes a sip of his drink and sets it down with deliberate grace. "Roberto still has loyalists. Half of them believe Catalina is still his. The other half don't care but know how to weaponize gossip. Her father's standing has already taken a hit. And as of this morning, the mayor's port shipments have been stalled. Customs. Inspections. Sabotage, perhaps. All since she moved into your house."
"I'm aware," I say through my teeth.
He raises a brow. "Are you also aware that this move places pressure on all of us? People are watching, Enrico. Theywant to know who you're loyal to—your family… or a very inconsequential woman."
I lean forward, pressing my fists into his desk so I won't slam them into his face. "If she's so inconsequential, why do you care?"
He doesn't flinch. But I see the faint tic in his jaw—a crack in the mask.
"I'm not warning you off," he says. "I'm reminding you that a capo's marriage is a declaration. And yours goes against my wishes."
"It's a good thing, then, that I'm not a capo yet." I dare him, leaning back.
His eyes flash. The quiet, simmering tension boils over into fire.
Edoardo stands, slowly, like a man holding back an explosion. "You arrogant little bastard, you owe me loyalty and respect. You swore an oath."
"I did not. My father did." I remind him. His face turns beet red. He's in his early twenties, but I'm worried for his heart health if he keeps this up.
He slams both palms down on the desk, rattling the crystal decanter on the tray beside him. "You think this is a game?"
"I think you're mistaking independence for insubordination." I stand too. Not slamming, not shouting. Just rising, calm as ever. Ice to his fire. "You don't get to tell me who to marry."
His eyes are narrow slits. "Maybe I don't, but your father will. I will order him to disown you."
I laugh dryly. He wants to come between my dad and me? "Good luck with that."
I turn to the door before I really say something I'll regret.
"You'll regret this." He yells after me in complete incompetence. A real Don would have shot me on the spot. I doubt Edoardo even knows where the trigger is.
"What did he want?" Silvano wants to know as soon as I get back into my Hummer.
"To tell me who I can and cannot marry."
"Oh shit," Silvano arches an eyebrow, shaking his head.
"Oh shit is right."
