Page 3 of Tainted Princess
He had started out as an associate, running errands and earning trust, but it wasn’t long before Enrico became a Made Man, carrying out a contract killing and moving up to the coveted position ofSoldato,a soldier in my father’s army.
Once he started spending time around the house, where men of the Organization were often found going in and out at all hours of the day, I couldn’t help but crush on him.
At nineteen, I was completely smitten for the handsome, quiet soldier with the light hair and the broad shoulders. Where most men of the Family tended to ignore my presence, Rico always made time to say hello and ask me how I was. I started finding excuses to be around when I knew the men would be there, doing more cooking and pouring drinks, trying to insert myself into every situation just for an excuse to see him, to catch his eye from across the room and have him give me a smile or a nod of acknowledgment. One look from him and my little heart would start to pound.
Of course, my father was not nearly as oblivious as I would have hoped. The night he came to me, face pinched with frustration, to tell me that it was inappropriate for me, in my position, to be “mooning after a mere soldier like a love struck kitten,” I nearly laughed out loud.
“Francesca,” my father had said, taking my hands in his. “Your husband, he will one day be the Boss, the man they all look to lead them into the future. You cannot be falling for some nobodySoldatolike you have no responsibilities. You have trained your entire life to be the wife of the Boss. You must marry someone appropriate. Let me help you choose a man who will benefit the entire Family.”
“Papà,” I told him, smiling patiently. “I know my role, and I know my future. But I also know this: you have given me all the tools I will ever need to make the man I marry into the best Boss the Five Families have ever seen. With me at his side, my future husband will be more powerful than any man the Organization has ever known. But, while you can pick the man you think will be best, there is one thing you cannot do: you can’t make him love me. I have to do that myself.”
So, while he still seemed skeptical, he eventually relented, the secret romantic in him wanting me to have for myself a love like he had with my mother. And I followed my heart as it led me straight to Enrico Morelli, soldier, and little did he know, futureCapo, then Boss of the De Marco Family.
Shaking myself from my memories, I watched as Enrico stood, turning to shake my father’s hand. “Giovanni,” he said respectfully, and his eyes widened comically when my father reached out and pulled him into a hug.
“You’re Family, boy, and soon to be my son.” Rico’s forehead wrinkled, and for a brief second, I saw a flash of what looked like shame cross his face. It was gone before I could be sure, and I didn’t think on it further as my father turned to me, wrapping me in a hug of my own. I smiled into his chest, inhaling the familiar scents of cigar smoke and his favorite cologne. He smelled like every good memory I had from childhood.
“Oh,mia stellina,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “You look so lovely. And so much like your mother.” His sad smile made my heart squeeze. “She would have loved to see you so happy, Francesca.”
“I know,Papà.”
Shaking off his melancholy, he kissed me again, then stepped back. “Go, enjoy your celebration. I’ll see you at home later.” With that, he turned and made his way back to his seat, and I to mine. Rico was there, pulling out my chair and sliding it back in before he resumed his place beside me.
As I sat, the music changed pace, moving to the Elvis Presley song,“It’s now or never”, a knock off version of “O sole mio”.I smiled to myself as couples flocked to the dance floor, old and young alike. For the most part, it was expected that, along with the people and the food, even the music at an event like this should be Italian, but for some reason, Elvis seemed to be able to sneak in every time.
I was lost in thought, watching as the people I cared about most in the world, my aunts and uncles, cousins and distant relations, all latched on to the person they loved, swaying slowly and enjoying the evening. All these people, all having busy lives and things they needed to be doing, and they had put it all on hold tonight to be here for me. To celebrate with me.
I had never felt more loved than I did in that moment, knowing that no matter what, these people would be there for me.
Always.
Allowing my emotions free rein for a moment, I reached over to take Rico’s hand, but was brought up short when he drew it away from me. Frowning, I turned to him, finding him even more pale than before, with sweat beading at his temples. Was he sick? I tried to press my hand to his head, but he turned away.
“Rico? Are you alright?”
My fiancé swallowed audibly, reaching for the jug of water on the table, filling his glass and chugging it noisily. I stared, my heart pounding, as he sat back and loosened his tie with an aggressive tug, throwing it on to the table in front of him.
“Enrico, what is going on? You’re scaring me.”
Running a hand through his hair, he finally turned his chair to me, and the look in his eyes made my blood freeze in my veins. He looked wild, both furious and terrified at the same time, and I knew that whatever it was that was bothering him was going to be bad.
But whatever I had thought, whatever I could have imagined, didn’t even come close.
“Frankie,” he said, grabbing both my hands and leaning into me, pressing our foreheads together. I could feel the heat of him, his clammy skin practically burning up, and again I wondered if he was sick. Could he be dying? Is that what he was so angry about?
“Frankie,” he repeated, my name coming out strangled. “When I took this—” He cut himself off, his eyes clamping shut in frustration, then he tried again. “When I joined the Organization, I didn’t do it with the intention of—shit!” Enrico sat back and took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly and then bringing my hands to his mouth, kissing the back of each one in turn.
“I didn’t mean to fall in love with you, Frankie. It wasn’t part of the plan.”
I smiled, his words easing some of my worry. “I love you, too, Rico.” I reached up to cup his cheek, pulling him in for a kiss. He pressed his mouth to mine, brief and hard, before he pulled back again releasing my hands and staring around the banquet hall.
“I know you do, baby. I know.” Pressing his hands on the ivory linen tablecloth, I watched as he slowly stood, his powerful frame dwarfing me in my seat. Enrico placed his hands on his hips, his shoulders slumping, and he looked almost…resigned?
The knot of fear returned to my stomach, and before my very eyes I watched Enrico change. His entire demeanor shifted, becoming someone I had never seen before. Head turning, he looked down at me once more, his gaze roaming frantically over my face, almost like he was committing me to memory, and then he met my eyes and whispered, “Forgive me.”
Before I had a chance to question that bizarre statement, the doors all around the room burst open and dozens of men flooded in, the screams of my terrified family not quite drowning out the words being shouted by the new arrivals.
“FBI! Everybody freeze!”
