Page 16 of The Leader

“I have never seen my brother raise a hand to a woman.”

His words startled her, and also made her a bit flustered. For some inexplicable reason, she felt as if she was caught in a wrongful accusation to Gio’s character and that felt wrong. She shook her head. “I didn’t think… I wasn’t…”

She thought about how she’d witnessed Gio stab a man, showing not even a hint of remorse afterwards. Who knew what a man capable of that could do to her the second she angered him? Truth be told, shewasafraid to end up like her sister. Shewasafraid of having to suffer in silence, especially since she wasn’t any good in the being silent part of said suffering.

She also knew that the second she signed the marriage certificate, she was on her own now. As much as her grandfather loved her, he would never entertain the thought of meddling in her marriage. No matter how dire her circumstances. In his world, to his generation, a woman was the one making the house, keeping her husband in check. If things went awry, then surely the wife was doing something wrong. Going to the police and bringing shame upon your family was just not done. Not to mention the fact that Giovanni Detta had extremely deep pockets and, no doubt, wielded a lot of power. And he had already demonstrated that, no matter where she fled to, he would find her.

Vince’s gaze softened. “Our father was no angel. In fact, that might be the understatement of the century. But if he has taught us one thing, it was to never raise a hand to your woman. Gio can be… tough to deal with sometimes. He certainly always believes he’s right, fueled by the aggravating fact that he usually is.”

She laughed when Vince gave her a sour look. “There’s no way I’m going to repeat that to him.”

“You shouldn’t, sis. It would only inflate his ego, and he would become unbearable to live with.” Then his gaze turned more serious. “Whatever flaws my brother might have, being overbearing, overprotective, it comes from a good place. He does it out of a feel of responsibility, as head of this family. Never forget that. Once you’re a Detta—especially his wife—it means you have a permanent spot on his mind. To protect and to provide for.”

That last part sounded as if he was quoting someone. He must know that this was a marriage of convenience, but didn’t throw that in her face. Instead, he tried to make her feel welcome. Oddly, their conversation did make her feel better.

There suddenly was some commotion near them. She gasped when she saw her sister passed out on the dance floor. The music stopped playing as Jazzy rushed over to her. Vince kneeled by her side in a beat. She looked around for Franco, but he wasn’t anywhere in sight. Vince then picked Carmen up, taking her upstairs, with Jazzy and Mary hot on his trail.

Jazzy hastily walked before them and opened the first door she saw on the left.

“Not that one,” Vince said.

“Why not?” She quickly peeked inside the room. It was masculine, dominated by a huge king-sized bed against the wall.

He gave her a crooked grin. “I don’t think my brother would appreciate finding his sister-in-law in his bed, instead of his bride.”

Apparently, this was Gio’s room, which meant that as of now, it was also her bedroom. “Right.”

Carmen stirred in Vince’s arms and opened her eyes. “What happened?”

Relieved that her sister came to, Jazzy released a breath. “You fainted.”

Carmen tried to get out of Vince’s arms. “Oh. I’m fine. Please put me down.”

“You’re not fine,” he snapped. “You look as pale as a ghost.”

Jazzy followed Vince into the room across from Gio’s—no, their—bedroom. Vince carefully put her sister on the bed, and then left.

Mary immediately put some pillows behind Carmen’s back and rushed to the sink to get her some water.

“Please promise you’ll stay the night,” Jazzy urged her sister.

“I can’t. Franco will be looking for me, and…”

“I’m sure he’ll be on his way. When he does, I’ll send him to you.”Even though the prick doesn’t deserve you.

Although Jazzy couldn’t care less about her wedding, she knew she couldn’t stay away any longer. She wasn’t sure how long it would take before her absence would be noted, and how Gio would take it. She didn’t want to anger him on their first day as a couple, setting the tone for the rest of the marriage, however long or short that may be.

Mary seemed to be of the same mind. “You should go back to your guests. I’ll stay with Carmen until she feels better.”

When her cousin was adamant about Jazzy returning to the reception, she was left with no choice but to leave.

On her way down, she finally managed to locate Franco. By accident, that is. He was just sneaking out of a room adjoining in the hallway, followed by a blonde with mussed up hair, wiping her lips.

Jazzy didn’t remember the woman’s name, but earlier, she had seen her on the arm of another man. She grabbed the hem of her gown and stepped up to Franco. “Very classy. Getting a blowjob while your wife just passed out on the dance floor.”

Franco looked caught when he saw her. “It’s none of your fucking business whom I fuck,” he snarled.

“And I couldn’t care less, if you weren’t married to my sister. Sadly, you are.”

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