Page 11 of Where Dark Hearts Devour
“We’re letting the Di Santos take over the port, but by cementing our alliance through marriage, it will remain in our name. Savero has agreed to let us continue running it the way we always have. No one has to lose their job. But we’ll be splitting the profits.”
“So he does nothing and still gets fifty percent of whatever our family makes ...andme?”
Papa breathes in slowly. I can tell it’s taking some effort for him to stay calm too.
“You think I can be happy with a man like that?” I say quietly. “I won’t ever be able to respect him or love him, or even like him. I’m going to be miserable, Papa.”
I’ve only seen Papa lose his shit once, and that was when the cops brought me home and delivered the news of Mama’s murder. Once is about to become twice.
He slams a giant hand into his desk and curses so loudly I have to cover my ears. “What choice do I have, Trilby? It’s this or we lose it all! Do you want that for our family? It won’t just be the lack of income—it will be the shame of having to start again. Thehumiliationof being cleaned out by the Di Santos. There’ll be no more college for Tess and Bambi, no more hospitality school for Serafina. We’ll have to sell this place, lay off our staff. Is that what you want?”
“N-no,” I stammer. “Of course not.”
He stands and towers over his desk. Papa has never laid a finger on any of us, but the thought of it alone has always been enough to keep us in line.
“I suppose I am the eldest,” I mutter.And a virgin, of course.
“It isn’t just that.” Papa sets both palms on the desk and leans over it toward me. “Your sisters, they’re not as ...resilientas you.”
I swallow. That simply isn’t true anymore, but my family refuses to acknowledge it or even see it.
“With my connections, I half-expected each of you to marry a made man, but of the four, you’re the only one who can handle a don. Especially a don like Savero Di Santo.” Papa sighs and sits back in his chair. “You might even be a good influence on him.”
I swallow the urge to disagree.
“In fact, I’m counting on you to be.” Papa levels me with a stare. “Savero needs to be kept under some semblance of control, otherwise I genuinely fear for the people of New York.”
My heart stops thundering and limps along quietly instead, as if its very existence has been thwarted.
“I know it’s a lot to take in. Go rest up. Tomorrow you’ll be introduced.”
A little more blood drains from my face. “Tomorrow?”
“After the funeral.”
“But ... we’re not going to the funeral.”
The church chosen for the ceremony is too small to accommodate all of Gianni’s family, capos, soldiers, and associates, so anyone not directly connected to the mob has been relegated to watching the procession from the streets.
“We are now,” Papa says with the air of someone who’s finally made it but is finding it’s not quite as he expected. “We’ll be seated inside the church along with Gianni’s capos and their families. It’s a huge privilege.”
The weight of responsibility takes ahold of my chest. “I have one more question.”
“Go on.”
I look up at Papa through heavy lashes. “What exactly makes you think I can do this?”
He sighs and shifts in his chair, then hereallylooks at me. “Before your mama died, you had such a strong spirit. Youwere never badly behaved, but you were bold and fearless and resilient. After she died, well ... you tucked yourself away. You became a smaller version of yourself in front of my very eyes.” He leans forward and rests his forearms on the desk between us. “I want to see that brave, bold girl again. I know she’s in there, Trilby, but me, Alli, and your sisters ... we haven’t been able to draw her out. I want you to live a big life, my love. Maybe someone like Savero is just what you need.”
My throat feels like cardboard when I swallow, so I simply nod and stand on shaky legs. My voice is but a whisper when I reply.
“Of course, Papa. I won’t let you down.”
Trilby
Black paint splatters in raindrops over the canvas. If I tilt my head and narrow my eyes, it looks like a shower of bullets.
There’s no escape.
