Page 82 of Captured Fantasy

“Why did you really forbid me from seeing Mrs. Russo?” I blurted out.

Lucien’s face didn’t change. “We talked about this. I have plans for you, Barone, and those don’t include marrying a woman with no connections. Or wealth.”

“Is wealth important in this circumstance? I have plenty of money.”

Lucien nodded again. “If you want to be underboss, wealth is important. Wealth is freedom, not having to answer to anyone. The outfit needs that wealth to stay in the inner circle in order to support the status quo.”

“The what?”

“Not everyone is careful to cover their tracks,” he said. “It’s getting hard to do what we do in the modern age. It’s hard to hide money. Better the ones of us with legitimate investments and businesses keep the money and dole it out to the rest of the organization as they need it. Enza is taken care of, she’s given an allowance.”

“She doesn’t need taken care of like that. She owns property, at least she has the legal right to it.” I tried hard to sound casual and not let the bitterness over her situation creep into my tone.

“No judge would have the balls to uphold her sovereignty if I went for her property,” Lucien said, shrugging. “She is one of our women and her assets belong to her financial guardian.”

“Which is Federico. Really?”

“Well, if you want to get specific, they belong to me because I’m over Rico,” He tilted his head, gazing at me with those dead eyes. “What are you really asking of me, Barone?”

“I’m…asking you to go against what we’ve always done.”

“How do you think that will work out?” Lucien stood abruptly. “Your fucking father gave me a dowry for your sister. A dowry in the twenty-first century. That’s the kind of money you come from, Barone.”

“Fuck money,” I snapped.

“The outfit likes to talk a big game about tradition and religion, but all these fucking rules are to protect the money. You come from wealth, so start acting like it and take one for the team. I did.”

“I have no issue living in this world,” I said. “But in return, I want her.”

“Who?” Lucien blinked rapidly.

“Lorenza Russo.”

“You can’t have her.”

There was a finalizing note to his voice that made my heart thump with rage. I tensed my jaw, restraining myself.

“Why?”

Lucien released another heavy sigh and I saw lines around his eyes. He was exhausted.

“I have a duty of care regarding Enza,” he said coolly.

“You have no claim to her at all.”

“She is under Federico and he is my jurisdiction so she is technically one of my women. I have a duty of care regarding all of my unmarried women,” Lucien said coldly. “You know this, Barone, and you will not disobey me. You will not have Enza Russo, you will not fuck her. God forbid, if you get her pregnant thinking it will secure her as yours, I will fucking castrate you.”

I wanted to blurt out that I knew that he’d touched her before, but my survival instinct forbade it. Instead, I sank back down in my seat and ran my hand over my face.

Lucien regarded me for a long moment. He took a cigarette out and passed it to me, putting one to his mouth. “I know what you’re feeling,” he intoned. “Believe me, I’ve been there. But you’ll get over it and you’ll find someone else to fuck.”

“I was never looking just to fuck Enza,” I said, staring at the ground.

Lucien sighed yet again. I could tell that whatever he was going through was starting to wear on him. “I’m sending you and Rico to Cairo for the next several weeks. I want every gun on that shipment accounted for and I want you to put every piece through quality control.”

“Why is Rico going?”

“Because I want you to sort your shit out with him the fuck away from me,” Lucien said, reaching for his jacket.

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