by Cora Reilly
“Come on in. The party isn’t happening in our foyer,” Rocco said, gesturing for us to head for the living room. Laughter and voices were coming from inside.
“Aria is very excited to see you again,” Ludevica said as we entered the living room. I had no time to express my surprise at Aria’s presence because the moment we were spotted by the crowd, people flocked around us to congratulate us on our betrothal and upcoming wedding. In between shaking hands, I scanned the room. Aria stood at the other end of the vast room next to another massive Christmas tree and her no-less-massive husband Luca, who had a possessive hand on her waist. I didn’t see Gianna and her fiancé Matteo anywhere. If my mother’s gossip was to be believed, the Scuderis were concerned their middle daughter might cause a scene.
Dante moved his thumb over my back, startling me. My eyes snapped to him, then to the couple in front of us, whom I’d completely ignored because of my staring. I gave my brightest smile and pulled Bibiana into a hug. “How are you?” I whispered. She squeezed me briefly, then drew back with her forced smile. That was as much of an answer as I would get in the presence of other people.
Her husband Tommaso, who was thirty years her senior, bald and overweight, kissed my hand, which would have been fine except for the look in his eyes. Leering was the best word to describe it. Dante’s fingers on my back tensed and I risked a peek at him, but his expression was the same aloof mask as usual. He fixed Tommaso with his eyes and the man quickly took off with Bibiana.
A waiter carrying a tray of drinks stopped beside us, and Dante gripped a glass of champagne for me and a Scotch for himself. Now that the onslaught of well-wishers had finally abated, Luca and Aria crossed the room toward us. Dante’s demeanor changed ever so slightly, like a tiger that got wind of another predator in his territory. Instead of tensing, he relaxed as if to show that he wasn’t concerned, but his eyes were alert and calculating.
Luca and Dante shook hands, both with those unnerving shark-smiles on their faces. Ignoring them, I grinned at Aria, honestly happy to see her again. It had been months. She looked much more relaxed than at her wedding. “You look amazing,” I told her as I embraced her. She was wearing a dark red dress that set off her blonde hair and pale skin beautifully. No wonder Luca couldn’t stop glancing her way.
“You too,” she said as she stepped back. “Can I see the back?”
I turned around for her.
“Wow. Doesn’t she look amazing?”
That question was directed at Luca and led to an awkward pause in which the tension skyrocketed. Dante wrapped his arm around my waist, his cold eyes on Luca, who took Aria’s hand, kissed it and said in a low voice, “I have eyes only for you.”
Aria gave me an embarrassed smile. “I need to look for Gianna, but I’d love to talk to you later?”
“Okay,” I said, glad when she and Luca walked off. With the men around, Aria and I wouldn’t be able to talk anyway.
I turned to Dante. “You don’t like him.”
“It’s not a matter of like. It’s about self-preservation and a healthy dose of suspicion.”
“That’s the Christmas spirit,” I said, not trying to hide my sarcasm.
Again a hint of amusement made the corners of Dante’s mouth twitch, then it was gone. “Would you like to grab something to eat?”
“Definitely.” After the last few days of torturous dieting, I was starving. As we made our way through the crowd, I noticed that the current head of the Outfit wasn’t present. “Where’s your father?”
“He didn’t want to steal the show from us. Now that he’s as good as retired, he prefers to stay out of the public eye,” Dante said wryly.
“Understandable.” These social functions were exhausting. You had to be careful what you said and did, even more so as the head of the Outfit. From the hard looks that some of the women were throwing my way, I knew I was currently their favorite topic. I knew what they were saying behind their hands: Why had Dante Cavallaro chosen a widow instead of a young, innocent bride?
I glimpsed up into his emotionless face, the hard angles of his cheekbones, the calculation and vigilance in his eyes, and found myself wishing once more that the answer to that question was something other than pure logic.
The buffet was loaded with Italian delicacies. I took a slice of panettone for myself, as I was in desperate need of some sugary treats. As usual it tasted like heaven. I’d made it a few times, but it had never been as good as Ludevica Scuderi’s.
“Dante,” came a pleasant female voice from behind us.
Dante and I turned at the same time. His sister Ines, with whom I’d exchanged only a few words over the years as we were nine years apart in age, stood in front of us. She was pregnant, third trimester if my guess was correct. Across the room, her twins, a boy and girl, were busy playing with Fabiano Scuderi, who was their age. Ines had the same fair hair as Dante and she carried herself with the same cold aloofness, but as her eyes settled on me, they were not necessarily warm, but friendly. “And Valentina. It’s good to see you.”
“Ines,” I said with a smile. “You look radiant.”
She touched her belly. “Thank you. It’s been a challenge finding nice dresses that fit me with my belly. Maybe you can help me go shopping for one for your wedding?”
“I’d love to. And if you don’t mind, I’d be delighted if you would join me when I go looking for a wedding dress.”
Her blue eyes grew wide. “You don’t have one yet?”
I shrugged. Of course I still had the one from my last wedding, but I didn’t intend to wear it again. That would mean bad luck. “Not yet, but I’ll go looking for one next week, so if you’re free?”
“Count me in,” she said. Her eyes had become much warmer. She looked much younger than thirty-two, and even though she was pregnant she didn’t seem to have gained an ounce of weight. I wondered how she did it. Maybe good genes. I definitely hadn’t been blessed with those. Without the occasional detox day or week, and regular workouts, I’d be gaining weight in no time.
“Wonderful.” From the corner of my eye, I saw Dante watching us with mild interest. I hoped he was happy that his sister and I got along. I knew his deceased wife and Ines had been friends. I’d often seen them laughing together at social events.
“Where’s your husband?” he asked eventually.
“Oh, Pietro went outside for a smoke with Rocco Scuderi. They didn’t want to disturb you and your future wife.”
A muscle in Dante’s cheek flexed.
“You can go after them, if you have business to settle,” I said quickly. “I’ll be fine on my own. I should probably talk to Aria. Maybe you’d like to join me, Ines?”
Ines shook her head, her eyes on her twins who were in a heated argument with each other. “I need to break this up or there will be tears and bloody noses.” She gave me a quick smile, then rushed off toward her arguing kids.
Dante hadn’t moved from my side yet. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
He nodded. “I’ll be back soon.” I watched him head toward the terrace door and disappear outside. Now that he was gone, I could see that several women turned their attention more openly to me. I had to find Aria or Bibiana quickly before one of them engaged me in an awkward conversation. I meandered through the other guests, sparing them only the briefest smile. Eventually I found both Aria and Bibiana in the lobby in a quiet corner. “There you are,” I said, not trying to hide my relief.
“What’s wrong?” Aria asked with a frown.
“I feel as if everyone’s talking about me and Dante. Tell me I’m imagining things.”
Bibiana shook her head. “You aren’t. Most widows aren’t as lucky as you are.”
“I know, but still. I wish they wouldn’t act quite so shocked about my engagement.”
“It’ll pass,” Aria said, then grimaced. “Soon Gianna will be back on the prime spot of daily gossip.”
“Sorry. I heard there was a scene at Gianna’s engag
ement party.”
Aria nodded. “Yeah. Gianna has trouble hiding her unwillingness to marry.”
“Is that why Matteo Vitiello isn’t here?” Bibiana asked. I’d wondered that as well, but I didn’t want to be nosy.
“No. But since Salvatore Vitiello’s death, Matteo is second in charge and he has to stay in New York when Luca isn’t there.” I searched her face for a sign of the tension I’d heard in her voice, but she’d learned to hide her emotions. Was Luca having trouble in New York? He was young for a Capo. Maybe some forces in New York were trying to mutiny. Once Aria might have told me, but now that I was the fiancée of the future Boss of the Chicago Outfit, she’d have to be careful what she let slip. We might be trying to work together, but New York and Chicago definitely weren’t friends.
“That makes sense,” I said. Bibiana gave me a look. She too must have picked up on the strain in Aria’s words.
Aria’s blue eyes widened. “You didn’t even show me your engagement ring yet!”
I held my hand out.
“It’s beautiful,” Aria said.
“It is. Dante chose it for me.” My second engagement ring, and the second time that it wasn’t a sign of love. “How long will you be staying in Chicago? Do you have time to come over for a coffee?”
“We’ll be leaving tomorrow morning. Luca wants to return to New York. But we’re coming over to your wedding a few days early so maybe we could meet for coffee then, unless you’ll be too busy?”
“No, it won’t be a big celebration, so I’ll have time to meet you for coffee. Give me a call when you know more.”
“I’ll do that.”
“What about you, Bibiana, do you have time to come over tomorrow? We haven’t had the chance to talk in a while as well.”
Bibiana bit her lip. “I think I can. Now that you’re as good as the wife of the Boss, Tommaso can hardly say no.”
“Exactly,” I said before turning to Aria again. “Where’s Luca?”
Aria looked around. “He wanted to talk to my parents about Matteo’s wedding to Gianna. It’s taking longer than expected.”
Would they cancel the engagement? That would be the gossip of the year. I couldn’t imagine they’d risk it, no matter how unwilling Gianna was.
Dante appeared in the doorway to the living room, eyes settling on me.
“I think I need to leave,” I said. I hugged Aria and Bibiana before I moved toward Dante, stopping in front of him. “Are we leaving?”
Dante looked incredibly tense. “Yes. But if you want to stay, you can drive with your parents.”
That would lead to more gossip. You couldn’t appear at a party with your fiancé and leave without him. “I don’t think that would be wise.”
Understanding settled on Dante’s face. “Of course.”
* * *
Back in the car, I asked, “Is everything okay?” Now that we were engaged, I thought it was okay for me to ask him.
His fingers around the steering wheel tensed. “The Russians are giving us more trouble than usual, and it certainly doesn’t help that Salvatore Vitiello died at this critical time and New York has to deal with a new Capo.”
I stared at him, surprised. When I’d asked him, I hadn’t expected a detailed reply. Most men didn’t like to talk about business with their wife, and I wasn’t even married to Dante yet.
Dante’s eyes snapped toward me. “You look surprised.”
“I am,” I admitted. “Thank you for giving me an honest answer.”
“I think honesty is the key to a functioning marriage.”
“Not in the marriages I know,” I said wryly.
Dante tilted his head. “True.”
“So you don’t think Luca is a good Capo?”
“He is a good Capo, or he will be once he’s weeded out his adversaries.”
He’d said it clinically. As if weeding out didn’t mean killing other people because they were a risk to one’s power.
“Is that what you are going to do once you become the Boss of the Outfit?”
“Yes, if necessary, but I’ve proven my claim to leadership in the last few years. I’m considerably older than Luca.”
But still the youngest Boss in the history of the Outfit. People would test him too.
Dante pulled up in front of my parents’ house. He killed the engine, got out and walked around the hood of the car before opening my door. I took his hand and stood, bringing our bodies so close for a moment that it would have been easy to kiss him. Then he took a step back, reestablishing the proper distance between us before he led me toward the door. I turned to face him. “I never see you with a bodyguard. Isn’t it risky to be outside on your own?”
Dante smiled darkly. “I’m armed, and if someone wants to take me by surprise, let them try.”
“You are the best shot in the Outfit.”
“Among the best, yes.”
“Good, I suppose then I can feel safe.” It was meant as a joke, but Dante looked deathly serious. “You are safe.”
I hesitated. Wouldn’t he try to kiss me? We would marry in four weeks. It wasn’t as if we needed to stay away from each other for decorum’s sake. When it became clear that Dante wouldn’t make the first move, I stepped up to him and kissed his cheek. I didn’t dare look at his face; instead I unlocked the door, slipped in and let it fall shut behind me. I waited a few moments before I peered through the window beside the door. Dante’s car pulled away. I wondered why he hadn’t tried to kiss me. Was it because we weren’t married yet? Maybe he thought it wasn’t appropriate for us to get close physically before our wedding. Or maybe he was still in love with his wife? I hadn’t even looked at his hand to see if he had taken off his old wedding ring. Was that why people had talked about me today?
CHAPTER THREE
Bibiana came over the next afternoon, her eyes red from crying. I ushered her into the library and made her settle down on the leather sofa. “What happened?”
“Tommaso is angry that I’m not pregnant yet. He wants me to go to a doctor to see what’s wrong.”
They’d been married for almost four years now, but Bibiana had been taking contraceptives in secret. “Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to get pregnant. If you have a baby, you’d have someone to love and who loves you back.” I wrapped my arm around her. The last few years of seeing Bibiana growing more and more depressed because of her marriage to Tommaso had been heartbreaking. I wished there was something I could do for her.
“Maybe you’re right. And maybe Tommaso won’t touch me if I have a big belly.” She shook her head. “Let’s not talk about this. I want to forget about my troubles for a bit. So what about you? How are the wedding preparations going?”
I shrugged. “My mother booked a ballroom in a hotel. The only thing I need to do is buy a wedding gown.”
“Will you get a white dress again?”
“I don’t think so. My mother doesn’t think it’s appropriate. Maybe cream colored. That should be fine.”
Bibiana huffed. “I think it’s ridiculous that you can’t wear a white dress only because you’ve been married before. It’s not like it was a real marriage.”
“Shhh,” I hissed, my eyes darting to the closed door of the library. I’d told Bibiana about the true nature of my marriage to Antonio a while ago. “You know nobody can know.”
“I don’t understand why you’re trying to protect him. He’s dead. And he used you as a means to an end. You should look out for yourself now.”
“I am looking out for myself. I’ve helped Antonio betray the Outfit. Being gay is a crime, you know that.”
“It’s ridiculous.”
“I know, but the mob won’t change anytime soon, no matter how much we want it to.”
“If you don’t want to tell Dante about it, then what are you going to do about your wedding night? Aren’t you worried he’s going to realize you never consummated your marriage with Antonio?”
“Maybe he won’t notice.”
�
�If it’s anything like my first time, then he will notice.”
“Tommaso treated you horribly. You didn’t want it, so of course you bled. I’m still so mad when I think about it.”
Bibiana swallowed. “What’s done is done. I really wish I’d have been married to a gay man.” She laughed bitterly. I took her hand. “Maybe you’ll get lucky and Tommaso will have a heart attack or get shot down by the Russians.” It wasn’t even a joke. I wanted Bibiana to be free of that man.
Bibiana grinned. “How sad is it that I’m actually hoping for that to happen?”
“Of course you want him gone. I get it. Everyone would.”
She scanned my face. “So what about you? You want to sleep with Dante?”
“Definitely. I can’t wait.” My cheeks grew warm, but it was the truth and I didn’t see anything wrong with wanting to have sex with your soon-to-be husband. Dante was an attractive man after all.
“Then maybe you should take preparations that ensure Dante doesn’t realize your first marriage was for show.”
“What? Find a guy to sleep with? I won’t cheat on Dante. I think sex belongs in marriage.” Despite my best intentions not to take everything my mother taught me to heart and not to let the strict words of my Catholic teachers worm their way into my brain, I couldn’t imagine being close to someone I wasn’t committed to.
Bibiana let out a choked laugh. “That’s not what I meant.” She lowered her voice, her skin turning red. “I thought you could use a dildo.”
For a moment I didn’t know what to say. I’d never considered something like that. “Where would I get a dildo? I can hardly ask my father’s bodyguards to take me to a sex shop. My mother would die of embarrassment if she found out.” And I would most likely die from embarrassment when I entered said shop.
“I wish I could get it for you, but if Tommaso found out, he’d be furious.” The bruises on Bibiana’s cheekbones from Tommaso’s last outburst hadn’t quite faded yet.
“It’s probably for the best. I don’t like the idea of having sex with an inanimate object anyway. I’ll figure it out.”
“Dante will probably be too wrapped up in his own needs to notice anyway. Men are like that.”