Page 62 of Bastard Prince
Rosa gave a sniff, her nose running as she continued to cry. “Vin.” Her cry was pitiful, more that of a child than a woman on the verge of adulthood. “Vin, I don’t know what to do.”
“It’s okay, baby,” he answered soothingly, his voice more gentle than I’d ever heard it. “You don’t have to know. You just have to trust us. Look at me.” He waited until he was sure she was looking before he continued. “I got you, Rosa. Let go.” He held up his hands, now empty of the gun he was carrying when he came in the room. “Trust me.”
Rosa seemed to falter, her arms slowly lowering the closer that Vinnie got to her. I held my breath, watching for any sign she was about to panic and fire again, but Vinnie was the epitome of calm, exuding total control as he approached her cautiously, never taking his eyes off of her face.
“It’s alright, Rosie,” he cooed, and as he reached her, his large hand covering hers where it held the revolver, slowly lowered it out of harms way. The second his fingers touched hers, Rosa began to sob. Vinnie disarmed her, taking the gun and passing it behind him without looking, knowing that Enzo was right there to take it. Once his hands were empty, Vinnie wrapped his arms around Rosa, holding her slight form as she crumpled, crying into his chest as though her world was ending.
Fuck, it probably was.
I stepped around Vinnie holding Rosa as the two of them crumpled to the floor, and headed straight for Enzo. He pulled me to him, his hug fierce and crushing, and I exhaled for the first time in what felt like hours.
“Fucking fuck, Francesca,” he growled. “What the shit happened?”
I took a deep breath, inhaling that sandalwood and smoke scent I had become so used to and letting it soothe me. “Honestly, Enzo? I don’t have a freaking clue.”
“Hey,” Rocco called, stepping into the room. “Are you guys coming? The bacon is getting cold, and I am not gonna wait much longer.” Peeking around Enzo’s chest, I smirked; Rocco had both hands full, one with bacon, the other with an entire sausage link, so it didn’t look like he was waiting at all. Stuffing the whole sausage in his mouth, Rocco chewed while he took in the scene before him, Enzo still holding his own gun, Rosa’s revolver tossed on the bed beside him. When his eyes landed on Vinnie, holding an inconsolable Rosa on his lap like a child, Rocco frowned. “What’d I miss?”
“Where the fuck were you?” Enzo growled, releasing me and picking up the gun from the bed, flipping open the cylinder and dumping the rounds out on the comforter.
“I was out by the pool,” Rock answered defensively, wiping his hand on his jeans. “I had to make a phone call.” Shoving the bacon into his mouth this time, he looked again at Rosa’s crying form and asked, “Why’d you shoot the girl?”
He said it so casually, as if Enzo shooting a seventeen-year-old girl in the guest room of his own house was no big deal. Rocco must have been through some serious shit in his life for him to be so nonchalant about attempted murder.
“No one shot the girl, you moron.” Stuffing his own gun away, Enzo pocketed the rounds from the comforter and scowled down at Rosa. “At least not yet.”
At his words, Rosa’s cries became even louder, and Vinnie shot him a look that said he’d have more than a little to say about that. To be fair, so would I.
I smacked Enzo on the arm. “No one is going to hurt her.”
“Babe. She came intomyhome and pointed a gun atmywife. You think shit like that can go unanswered?”
“I think there is a lot more to this situation than either of us knows about. So how about you take a step back for a second and let me sort this shit out?” When he continued to frown at me, I put my hands on my hips and huffed. “Please.”
Running his hand through his hair, Enzo ground his teeth, but eventually replied, “Fine. Talk to her. But if I don’t like what she has to say, you better believe I’m handling it my way.” Reaching out, he wrapped one hand around the back of my neck, drawing me close. “I won’t put you at risk, Francesca. Not for anyone.” And with that, he placed a fierce kiss on my mouth, his tongue sweeping inside and claiming his territory.
I let him conquer me gladly.
Breaking apart, he grabbed my hand and headed for the door. “Bring the girl,” he called over his shoulder.
We all settled in the sunken living room, the bright sunlight seeming so completely at odds with the somber atmosphere of the room. Rosa and Vinnie sat side by side on one of the plush couches, his arm around her as she continued to cry quietly. I was on the giant L-shaped piece across from them, while Enzo paced behind me like a stalking tiger. Rocco had set up camp at the kitchen island, continuing to stuff his face while he listened carefully.
“Alright, Rosie,” Vinnie said, rubbing his hand up and down her arm as she curled into him. I didn’t know what had gone on last night while the two of them were here alone at the house, but right now, if she felt comfortable talking with him here, I wasn’t going to say anything. “We’re all listening. Tell us what happened, baby.”
Rosa took a deep breath, her face still wet with tears that continued to fall. When she exhaled, her entire body seemed to deflate, as if the only thing keeping her upright was Vinnie’s arm around her.
“My father came to me a week ago,” she began, her voice so quiet that I had to lean in to hear her. She looked cautiously up at Vinnie for a second, then dropped her eyes back to her lap. “There’s a marriage contract.” I could see Vinnie’s whole body tense at her words, and I chewed the inside of my lip to keep from speaking. Goddamn mafia misogynistic bullshit. “My father says it’s a great opportunity for me, but I know it’s really for him.” She clenched her fingers together tightly to stop them from shaking. Unfortunately, she was probably right. I knew Rosa’s father, a low levelSoldatowho was never gonna be good enough to climb the ranks. The only thing of value he had to offer was a pretty daughter.
“He said that a powerful man wants me,” Rosa continued. “He said that I should be flattered, but I’m not. I can’t do it, Frankie,” she cried, her eyes pleading for me to understand. “I can’t possibly marry a stranger. It’s so wrong!” Her words were heated, but the moment she said them, I could tell she wished she could take them back. Her gaze darted to Enzo over my shoulder, and her shoulders rounded. “I mean, it’s wrong for me.”
“Rosa,” I said, smiling. “You’re allowed to think that. You’re right. Enzo and I were strangers, but it worked out for us.” I looked over my shoulder at my husband and he winked at me, his face softening for a moment before he went back to scowling at Rosa.
Rosa stared at him, her eyes wide, before she looked to me again. “I’m not as strong as you are, Frankie. I don’t think I could do what you’ve done. And not with a man likehim.”
“Rosa,” Vinnie cut in, his eyebrows drawn down in a frown. “Who is this contract with?”
Tears pooled in Rosa’s eyes, her crying ramping up again. “The—The Widowmaker.”
My blood froze in my veins. The Widowmaker? Who the fuck had set that up? That guy was a fucking monster, known all over New York for his brutality. He killed anyone who crossed him without a second thought, earning him that charming nickname, some said by the time he was nineteen years old.
