Page 61 of Thorns of Love
“Eager to get home to your wife?” Marchetti mused.
I didn’t bother answering him. He wanted this meeting. He got this meeting. So he better get it over with before I walk out of it.
Marchetti lounged on the couch opposite me, his eyes cool. We discussed security and business, but there was something else on his mind. And it had nothing to do with business nor my wife.
“Romero wants an expedited wedding,” he remarked offhandedly.
I shrugged. He knew I didn’t agree with that approach. “I don’t need a wedding invitation,” I remarked dryly. Not that the wedding would happen. Amon was going after his queen - whether she wanted it or not. “Unfortunately, my wife and I must decline since we’re busy.”
Judging by Marchetti’s expression, he wasn’t happy about it. He liked the members of Omertà to show their support during events like that. We eliminated threats together. We grew wealth together. We got married together.
Amon was never meant to take a seat at the table. His father’s background gave him a foot in the door. His mother’s background kept a foot out. The opposite was true when it came to the Yakuza. But our empire would stretch all around the globe if Amon Leone took over.
“You went above me to Amon,” Marchetti declared calmly. “I’ll be sure to return the favor. Maybe with your bride. Or maybe your sister?”
Something dark and unwanted snaked through my chest.
“How in the fuck do you know about my sister?” I growled.
Marchetti’s chuckle filled the space. “I have my ways, Konstantin. You’re not my only tech guy.” Giovanni better hope I never get my hands on him. I might strangle him. It had to be him. He was the only other tech guy in the group. Smart fucker.
Learning about my meeting with Amon probably wasn’t too difficult. Although, it seemed incredible that Giovanni would be able to dig that up. When I initially erased all Konstantin connections to Isla, I had Maxim attempt tracing her back to us. He wasn’t able to. How in the fuck was Agosti able to?
It was pointless to ponder on it now. Enrico knew about her. Tatiana and Isla were my biggest strengths and weaknesses. He knew it. I knew it. But I also knew his weakness. One in particular and I wouldn’t hesitate to use it if he attempted to hurt my family.
“Did you know I’ve met her?” he asked, amused.
My jaw clenched. “No, that’s fucking news to me. And how in the fuck did you meet her?”
“She and her friends held a fashion show at one of my venues,” he explained, his tone bored. God, he could sometimes irk the shit out of me.
“My family’s off limits.” The burn inside my chest flared and spread like an inferno. Marchetti watched me with an amused gleam in his dark brown eyes. He looked like an Italian, which women seemed to fall all over themselves for. “Glance their way and you’ll regret ever hearing the Konstantin name.”
“Oh, we both know you wouldn’t drag your sister into a messy war with me,” he said curtly.
Ice crept into my veins. This was the second time he mentioned my sister. The one he wasn’t supposed to know about. Unless–
“Did you get another video?” I asked while uneasiness vibrated beneath my skin.
“I did,” he confirmed while blood drummed in my ears. I’ve kept Isla off everyone’s radar. She didn’t even carry the same last name. I ensured every connection between us was concealed so nobody would ever find her.
Yet here we are, my mind mocked.
Part of me wanted to strangle Marchetti. Eliminate the man who knew of my sister’s existence. “Who else knows about her?”
“Just me,” he said mildly, disinterest in his voice. But he was trying too hard to keep it there. “Since you enjoy fucking with my plans, I figured I’d return the favor and fuck with yours. It was either your sister or your wife, and I wasn’t quite ready for this planet to burn.”
He smiled but it lacked any hint of humor. My gut twisted and my anger boiled to a full blown rage at the thought that he entertained doing something to my wife.
“Don’t ever mention my wife or even hint of her again,” I said, my voice deadly calm despite inferno raging through me. “And Isla’s off limits or I’m done with the Omertà.” He seemed animated by my response. We both knew the only way out of the Omertà was death. But I’d be sure to take him along for the ride.
“She’s a lovely young lady,” he remarked casually and a cold blast of fury ignited in my chest. I could have choked the life out of Marchetti without skipping a single heartbeat.
Thatfucker.Red dotted my vision. Rage coiled in my chest. I wanted to smear his blood all over the walls and floors.
“Trust me when I say you won’t like my departure from the organization if you so much as look my sister’s way,” I threatened. “And I’ll be sure to drag you along with me to the depths of hell where neither my wife nor my sister will be of your concern.”
A knowing smile played on his mouth. A smug expression passed his eyes as if he was satisfied I had just confirmed something for him.
