Page 13 of Of Murder and Matrimony

The mattress cocooned me and was too comfortable for what it was—an opulent prison cell. I was the inmate, sentenced without a chance to escape my future.

I cried myself to sleep.

Chapter Five

Bosco Agro was a dickhead of the highest order. The head of the Agro crime family in New York, he was known for covering his poor business dealings with a swath of fall guys who paid in blood. I would have killed him years ago if he hadn’t been married to my sister Coletta. It wasn’t the best idea to off the father of your future nieces and nephews.

I drummed my fingers on my desk as I waited for the prick to hand the phone to my sister, hearing their muffled voices in the background for a minute before Coletta’s quiet voice reached my ears. “Dante.”

“Coletta.” I didn’t see my sister often. When our mother died, she came to the memorial and funeral services, but her husband kept her nearly sequestered in their home in New York. “I need to borrow you for a little while.”

“Oh, I don’t know if I can make it,” she answered hesitantly.

“I’m getting married,” I blurted. “My fiancée needs assistance preparing.”

“Married? Congratulations.” Bosco murmured something in the background, and Coletta sighed. “Can’t you get Bianca to help you? Or Mia?”

“Mia is taking care of Niccolò, and Bianca has her hands full with Ilaria.” I didn’t bother to tell her Romeo’s wife, Riona, had hung up on me earlier when I’d called to ask her to help. It really shouldn’t be that difficult to convince my sister to come for a visit. The things my mother would have done in the past needed to be handled by another woman in the family. That would fall to Olesya after the wedding, but for now, Coletta would do. “Two weeks. That’s all I need.”

“Give me a second.” She whispered in the background, and Bosco’s whiny voice answered. The back and forth took longer than I would have liked, but I was committed to playing nice. “Two weeks.”

“Great. Let me know if I need to send a car or book you a ticket.” I opened the note app on my phone to make a note.

“That won’t be necessary,” Coletta said stiffly. My hand paused. “Bosco says he has business with Father, so he’ll bring me.”

A commotion downstairs distracted me momentarily, and I missed whatever my sister said. “Sorry, Lettie, what?”

“We should be there in a couple of days.”

“Sounds good. I’ll let you go. See you soon.” I ended the call and set my phone to the side, preparing to push away from my desk, when the sound of an angry woman’s voice and my pleading guard Stefano interrupted the peaceful quiet in my office.

The door flew open, and my sister-in-law stormed in, a force to be reckoned with in her white pantsuit. I stayed safely behind my desk, afraid she might try to stab me with those dagger-like heels she was wearing. Her red hair haloed her head in a mass of curls, and her face was nearly the same crimson color.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Dante?” Riona asked, breathless from her trek across the house. “Is it true you’ve kidnapped some poor woman to force her to marry you? What the hell is wrong with the men in this family?”

Stefano stood behind her, shifting nervously. “Sorry, boss, I couldn’t stop her without touching her.”

“It’s fine.” I waved him off and pointed to the suitcase next to my desk. I wasn’t a complete monster. Despite what I told Olesya, I’d had my men pack some of her clothes until I could buy her more. “Take that to my fiancée’s room and tell her to find something to wear. I expect her in my office in an hour.”

“And if she refuses?” he asked, wheeling the purple bag to the door.

“Tell her I’ll dress her myself.”

“Right.” Stefano closed the door behind him, leaving me to face the fuming woman standing across from my desk with her hands fisted on her hips.

I chose to ignore her. There were some emails I needed to respond to, so I directed my attention to my computer and began typing quick replies.

“You can’t ignore me forever, Dante,” Riona griped, planting her palms on my desk and doing her best to loom over me with her slight frame.

I lifted a shoulder. “I could.”

“But you won’t,” she said confidently. “You cannot hold a woman against her will until she marries you. It’s not a good look for the family.”

She was always so concerned about image. After all, it was her job to fix people’s reputations. She fell in love with my little brother while helping him after a media snafu.

“Is that you talking or Seamus O’Connor?” I poked at her connection to the Irish family since they were the ones who insisted Romeo needed to keep a lower profile when his behavior interfered with our shared endeavors.

Riona huffed and crossed her arms. “Me. As far as I know, Seamus isn’t aware of this latest hare-brained idea. You’d better hope he doesn’t find out.”

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