Page 13 of Dangerous King
Now that Giovanni has taken Izzy? I see it for what it is.
Calculated chaos. Divide and conquer.
Unfortunately, burning one family to the ground isn't enough to topple an emperor. I'll need more allies. But who? Except for Toni's, I don't trust any of the other families enough to align with them. If Edoardo so much as suspects I'm coming for him, he'll turn every capo in the city against me.
He'll try to have my throat slit. He'll organize someone to kill me, just like he did with Toni's father. If it were just me who was in danger, I wouldn't give a shit, but whatever threat is coming my way will be gunning for my entire family.
I need to be careful and think strategically.
Better yet, get married.
My father has been pressuring me for years to get married, to solidify our family's blood ties with those of another capo.That's power, son, he said. I scoffed because I wasn't ready, but now, I'm starting to see his point. It can't be Guiliana, Toni's sister; he and I are already thick as blood. Sophia, Carlos's daughter, is already married to Roberto. I rub the bridge of my nose in thought… once I get my hands on that son of a bitch, she'll be a widow soon. There's no way that slimy bastard wasn't involved in Izzy's kidnapping.
Toni will take care of the old man, Carlos. His surviving son, Marcello, the one I just asked for help with Cat's parents, is anunknown. He built his own organization in Italy, but now he's back and the heir to the Orsi family. As a brother-in-law, he'd be more inclined to join Toni and my ranks. So yeah, Sophia sounds like a good choice. An excellent choice.
So why the fuck am I hesitating?
Because someone else won't leave my mind.
Uninvited, Cat's amber eyes flash across my vision, haunted, steady, and not nearly as afraid of me as she should be. I shake my head. I don't even know who the girl is. She's not my type. Too skinny. Too quiet. Too young.
Too full of secrets.
And yet...
She went into the fire for my sister. I need to know why.
Giovanni's mansion is enormous, but compared to where the driver of the SUV is taking us, it's a downright hovel. Large wrought iron gates open at our approach; four men in dark suits stand on either side, one of whom is talking into a phone. Even at night, the men are wearing sunglasses.
"We're almost home. You're going to love it here, Cat," Izzy bobs up and down on her seat in excitement.
Apparently, half an hour is all Izzy needs to tell me everything she's ever thought, felt, or considered feeling. She's like a waterfall; words pour out of her in a never-ending gush. So much so that she doesn't even realize that I haven't said a word since we left the Giordano's estate.
I try to comfort myself with the thought that whatever the future holds will be better than what I left behind, but worry about my parents still gnaws at me. Giovanni most likely has other worries than my disappearance, but if I know one thing about him, it's that he's vengeful. He won't hesitate to take it out on my mom and dad.
"Don't worry," Izzy says, her tone breezy but comforting. "Enrico is all bark and no bite. Well… to people he cares for," she amends with a wry grin in my direction. "Anyway. He'll take care of you and your family."
I nod, hugging myself, but my mind is still stuck on one word.
Enrico.
That name feels dangerous in my mouth, but it sounds different when she says it. Familiar. Warm.
I can't stop myself. "Is he… your husband?"
Izzy snorts, laughing like I've said the most absurd thing imaginable. "What? Ew, no. He's mybrother."
The breath I didn't know I was holding rushes out of me. I don't even know why I feel so relieved. It's not like I think I have a chance with a man like that. A man who looks like he could kill someone with his bare hands and not lose sleep over it. A man with those black eyes and that voice and the way his body looks in that suit...
God.
I shouldn't be thinking about him like that.
But I am.
I'm scared out of my mind. Half-broken. Still shaking from everything that happened. But all I can think about is how that man looked at me.
How Ifeltwhen he touched me.
