Page 104 of Rise To Power

“Just tell me.” Uncomfortable wearing only one sandal, I bent and slipped off my other shoe.

“Fuck, does anyone tell you no?”

“Yes, your brother. He says it often.”

“Marco threatened to kill your brother.”

“What! Why?”

“Because he called you a whore. Marco stripped him of power and forbade your father from naming him don.”

“And my father agreed?” Was he that desperate to see me married to Marco? Maybe I didn’t understand how much power the Bruno family had.

“Now that Marco is don, no one will cross him. This is a lesson for Santino. He won’t question Marco’s authority in the future. In the interim, I’m working with Santino.”

“To do what?”

“Recruiting for both families. Stefano will be here to take over training.” Training in the mafia meant making soldiers out of hungry young men.

I stared out the window. “My brother questions Marco’s loyalty to me.”

“He should’ve known better.”

I wanted to fight for my brother, to tell Orlando that Marco’s arrogance and entitlement were to blame for my brother’s irritation. Calling me a whore had been an insult to Marco for taking my virginity before marriage.

I owned it. I wanted Marco—more than he wanted me.

Orlando rested his arm on the center console. “Be careful what you say to Marco. If you hint that you want someone dead, they won’t see another sunrise. Santino understands now, you hold power over him.”

“I don’t want that kind of power.”

“Allegra, he will burn down the world for you.”

And I’d sacrificed everything for him.

Once we returned to the hotel, Orlando rode the elevator with me to the suite.

“You don’t have to stay,” I said, dropping the boot and one sandal next to the door. “I doubt Marco and Emilio will be back for a couple hours. Marco said they’d be late.”

“You don’t want to entertain me?”

I snorted. “Absolutely not. I overheard you talking to Marco about the house party.”

“Christ, Marco’s marrying a high-tech surveillance system.” He stretched out on the couch.

“Inquiring minds need to know.” And I needed to know everything. Maybe it was a side effect of having my entire life planned out for me.

“Spill about the BDSM club,” he said. “I didn’t get shit out of Marco. Don’t tell me you’re not into kink. Did you let him spank you? Maybe a gentle flogging.”

“Do you use that filthy mouth to talk to my sister?”

“Yeah, but don’t worry, Ally. She’s my deviant sidekick. Nothing else. We’re talking about my brother. Marco loves to get bloody, but he’s never the one bleeding. Not like I’ll ever forget the way you flayed his chest.”

“No, we’re not talking about Marco. I’m going to change.”

Skinny jeans and a hoodie made me feel like myself again. I pulled my hair into a ponytail. Back in the living room, Orlando played on his phone.

I grabbed a water bottle and sat on the balcony. With the sun sitting low on the horizon, I braced my feet on the chair across from me and opened my Kindle app. I’d barely started reading when a Snapchat notification came in.

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