Page 59 of Merciless Desires

“We don’t need Paulie.” Rocco opened up his laptop. “I have something much more valuable.” He pointed to a map that meant nothing to me. “I have this.”

“What is it?” I studied the region on the screen. “Is that in Italy?”

“As you know, my father isn’t interested in running the family business anymore. Ever since my mother left and Vincent is too injured to help run things, he’s left most of the daily responsibilities to me.”

When Antonio Torrio, the only father Rocco knew before he found out he shared a biological father with me and Romero, approached Romero with a deal to make an alliance, Antonio was a thriving member of the mafia community. He ran the city with his three sons; Vincent, Rocco, and Sandro. Once Antonio sent his niece Luciana in to spy on Romero, things took a turn Antonio could never had seen coming. Lu turned the tables on her family when she fell in love with Romero. When we discovered that Rocco was our biological brother, all hell broke loose, and things were never the same for Antonio. Most of the time, no one knew where he was or what he was doing, leaving Rocco to pick up the slack.

“Sandro is stepping up at the law firm, so that leaves me to run our other businesses,” Rocco continued. “My father has a large untapped territory in Italy.” He referred back to the map. “What if I negotiate with Janero? That would get Cin out of the arranged marriage.”

“It could work,” Romero said.

“If you tell Malatesta we know it was the Calabrese family who went after Gio, that will only add more ammunition. If we come to him with this territory as a show of good faith, he’ll side with you and Gio.”

“Is your father going to be on board with this?” I asked. “This is a huge family asset you’d be giving up.”

“I’m not giving anything up that I need,” Rocco said. “My father isn’t interested and has left me to make the family decisions. Besides, isn’t it time the Bilotti brothers formed their own alliance?”

“You would do this for us?” I asked.

“You’re my brothers,” Rocco said. “This might not have been the alliance my father intended when he arranged for the Torrios and Bilottis to unite, but it’s the one we were meant to have. We’re bound by blood.”

“And nothing comes between brothers.” I poured another round. “To new alliances.”

“No matter the cost,” Romero said. “No matter the fight.”

Chapter Eighteen

Cinzia

I gazed down at my fresh, hot pink manicure and realized I couldn’t handle one more spa treatment. My father and Aldo did everything they could this past week to make me happy and comfortable, but there was only one man who could do that for me.

Aldo wasn’t as overbearing as I imagined him to be when we first met. He kept his distance, only joining me for meals that my father ate with us. I humored my father and went on several walks with Aldo, but my future husband didn’t seem interested in conversation. Well, he liked to talk, but he wanted to do most of it. It gave me an opportunity to zone him out and think about the real future I would have with Gio.

“There you are.” My father came into the sitting room of our suite. “I was looking for you.”

“I’m just relaxing before dinner.” I stretched out on the sofa. “It’s been a long few days.”

“Are you feeling well?”

“I’m off today.” I sat up. “Nothing you need to worry about.”

“Will you be up to traveling tomorrow?”

“Where are we going?” A queasy sensation settled in my stomach.

“Back home.”

“Oh.” Now that feeling was followed by the full-on urge to vomit. “So soon?”

“You haven’t been home in almost two months. I thought you’d want to get back to your family.”

“I suppose.”

“We’re having dinner downstairs overlooking that river you like,” he said. “Wear one of your favorite dresses.”

“What’s the occasion?”

“Aldo is going to make your engagement official tonight.”

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