Page 40 of Savage Union
I'm surprised by this small concession of privacy. "Thank you."
He nods and steps out, closing the door behind him. The moment it clicks shut, Elena's sardonic expression drops.
"What the fuck, Rina? One minute you're texting me about meeting up, the next you've been kidnapped by Vito fucking Rosso?" Her voice is low but intense, her caramel eyes flashing. "And now you're what—engaged to him?"
"It's complicated," I mutter, guiding everyone to the table. "How much do you know?"
"Only what your mother has told me, which isn't much." Elena glances at my mother, who busies herself helping Sofia with her napkin. "Just that after your father was killed, Vito took you all and now you're marrying him. Which is insane, by the way."
"Not by choice," I clarify.
Elena's eyes narrow. "What about your other... arrangement?"
She's being careful, but I still glance nervously at the door. "Not now."
"But—"
"Elena." My tone carries a warning. "Later."
She subsides, her sharp mind clearly processing the implications. "Fine. But you owe me details."
The waiter enters with appetizers I don't remember ordering, momentarily distracting us. Once he's gone, Sofia peppers me with questions about the penthouse, about what I do all day, about whether Vito is as scary as he seemed that night at the restaurant.
I answer carefully, aware that anything I say could get back to him. "It's... luxurious. I mostly read. And he's..." I search for a diplomatic word. "Complex."
Elena snorts into her champagne. "Complex. Right."
My mother gives her a reproving look before turning to me. "Are you being treated well, Caterina?"
"Yes," I say, and it's not entirely a lie. I haven't been physically harmed. "How about you and Sofia? The Greenhouse is comfortable?"
"Very." My mother's eyes dart to Sofia, then back to me with a message I understand instantly. She doesn't want to worry her youngest. "We have everything we need."
"Except freedom," Sofia mutters.
"Sofia," my mother warns gently.
"What? It's true. We're prisoners, just like Rina."
I reach across the table to squeeze her hand. "It's okay, Sof. Things will get better."
"How?" Her young face is so earnest it breaks my heart. "Are you really going to marry him? After what he did to Dad?"
The table falls silent. No one seems to know how to answer that.
"I'm doing what I need to do to keep us all safe," I finally say. "That's what matters right now."
Elena studies me with those penetrating eyes that miss nothing. "And is that working out for you? Being the sacrificial lamb?"
"Elena," my mother chides.
"No, it's a fair question." I meet my cousin's gaze steadily. "I'm making the best of the situation."
"Hmm." She doesn't look convinced. "Well, at least he's hot. There's that."
Despite everything, I choke on my water. "Elena!"
"What? He is. In that 'might murder you in your sleep but you'd die happy' kind of way." Her dark sense of humor has always been her coping mechanism, but this hits too close to home.
