The shop will be two stores down from Lenora’s. Arlo always has a guard on her, and I would feel better than having Siobahn somewhere alone. The resources aren’t there to have guards on every single woman married to a Made Man, unless there is some kind of threat.
Lenora is the wife of an Underboss, she will always have someone. I am just a Button Man, most enemies don’t even know that I exist to attack my future wife, but I’m not invisible and I’m not perfect, I can be found, my family can be a target.
The street comes into view and I grin up at the building. It’s not perfect, renovations will be extensive, but it will be fucking perfect, for her. Whatever Siobahn wants, she will have. The best of the best for my woman.
“Renzo?”
Ignoring her question, I open the car door then jog around the hood to get to her side and open hers as well. Holding out my hand, I wait for her to slip her palm into mine. She does. Guiding her safely to the sidewalk, I stop right in front of the darkened windows.
“What’s this?” she asks.
Shifting her around, I grip her waist with my fingers and tug her back against my front. Lifting one of my hands, I wrap my fingers around the front of her throat to keep her head up and use my other hand to grip the strands of her hair the same way, focusing her attention to the darkened windows.
“I don’t care what you name it. I don’t care how you reinvent it, renovate it, or decorate it. All I care about is your happiness,” I murmur against her ear. “This is yours. I promised you a salon and I’m delivering it. You have no budget. Make it yours.”
Her body trembles, I can feel it quake against me. Then she wraps her fingers around my wrist and gently tugs. I release her throat and her hair. I watch as she turns around in my arms, tilting her head back, she looks up at me.
She has tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Siobahn?”
She shakes her head.
“You did this? It’s real?”
Using the back of my hand, I slide it over her cheek to collect the wetness. “You thought I wouldn’t? I made you a promise, cuoricino.”
Her arms lift between us and she wraps them around my neck, pressing her tits against my chest. Smiling, I dip my chin and touch my mouth to hers.
“Thank you. I can never repay you, Renzo, not ever.”
Laughing softly, I wrap my arms around her and pull her even closer against me. Sliding my tongue along the seam of her lips, I let out a grunt.
“I don’t ever want you to, Siobahn. This is yours, bought with our money. You’re going to be my wife.”
Before we get arrested for indecent exposure, I break the kiss, releasing her and take a step backward. Lacing her fingers with mine, I tug the key out of my pocket with my other hand and shove it into the lock when we’re close enough.
Pulling the door open, I reach inside to flick on the lights, but I don’t step a foot into the building. Siobahn needs to be the first one to walk into her new shop. Looking back over my shoulder at her, I jerk my chin.
“In you go,” I instruct.
She sinks her teeth into her bottom lip and nods her head once, then slowly, one foot in front of the other, I watch as she steadily walks into the foyer of the building. There isn’t much to see really, it’s a big empty square space that needs a lot of work.
I know that if anyone can do it, can make it an opulent salon, it will be Siobahn. “I’ve got an architect on standby, all you need to do is tell him what you want. He already has all of the dimensions and original plans for the space,” I explain.
She stops, spinning around with her lips parted. “You do?” she exhales.
Nodding my head, I grin down at her. “Yeah, I do. I figured you’d want to get started sooner rather than later.”
“I don’t even know what I need to do to get my license here. I don’t have any papers, identification, or any legal documentation that says I can be here, how am I supposed to do all of this?” she rambles.
I shake my head once, not wanting to tell her everything yet. Maybe after our short honeymoon, right before she meets her sister, I can tell the truth of it all. Tell her about my actual job, about the famiglia, then about Emilyn. She can hate me for everything all at once, instead of in waves.
Chapter Thirty-Two
SIOBAHN
I knew that his intentions were pure. That he had been serious when he said he wanted to get me a salon in the states. I didn’t think that he would do it just a few days after we arrived. He doesn’t say anything right away as we walk down the street, away from the shop and his car.
I’m not sure where we’re going, but I’m afraid to question. He laughed when I mentioned documentation. In reality, our marriage cannot even be legal at this point, so I’m not exactly sure what’s going to really happen in ten days.
He stops, spinning me around, and I tilt my head back to look up at him. His lips are curved up and he watches me for a long moment.
“Your documentation will be fine, trust me. If you need me to call in some favors at the state board or whatever for hair, you let me know. Find out what you need to do and we’ll go from there. We have a few months until the salon is operational anyway.”
Licking my lips, I decide not to panic. I’m sure that whatever way, the documentation is going to be fine, isn’t completely legal. Since I’m pretty sure he works for the government, I decide that he must have contacts, just like he said he could find someone in the licensing board to help me.
“Okay,” I say with a nod.
His lips twitch, then he dips his chin and touches his mouth to mine. “Go on in there and pick some stuff out, surprise me. Lenora should be working, I’ll be right out here, I have a few calls to make.”
I blink, tipping my head back, I look up at the sign above the building. Sugar Cookies. It’s Lenora’s shop. I can feel my face heat at the idea of going inside and picking things out to wear for him, with Lenora seeing it all.
“No lace, yeah?”
Frowning, I shift my gaze from the sign to meet his eyes and I blink. “No lace?” I ask.
He shakes his head, then something happens. I don’t know what’s going on, what the look on his face means, but it’s there and it’s far away. He isn’t here with me, that’s for sure.
“No lace,” he grunts.
“Because?” I prod.
His brow arches, the look fades away and his lips press into a straight line. “Because I prefer something else.”
Then, as if he’s dismissing me, he completely shuts down and jerks his chin toward the door. I don’t demand more from him, though I really want to. It doesn’t feel right. Not right now anyway, not after he’s just given me carte blanche on this salon, not after his eyes have almost smiled, so close.
I don’t want to ruin anything at all.
Turning from him, I walk toward the store’s door, but stop before I pull it open, looking over my shoulder back at him. He has the phone to his ear, his eyes focused on mine. I give him a small smile, but he doesn’t return it. Instead, he dips his chin to acknowledge me.
Walking inside, I’m immediately assaulted by the sweet smell of baking sugar cookies. Looking around, I don’t even notice the lingerie, not when the statuesque blonde behind the counter lifts her hand and waves excitedly.
“You came,” she cries. I blink, smiling, then frown when I see Chloe sitting next to her, her eyes narrowed and focused on me as if she’s trying to figure something out.
“I did.” I nod, taking another step, then another toward the counter and them.
Chloe grins when I approach the counter, her gaze shifting behind me. “He’s outside?” she asks.
Nodding my head, I look down at the countertop then back to them. “He bought the building two doors down, looks like we’ll be neighbors,” I happily announce.
“A salon just two doors down? Tell me it’s going to be like a day spa, can I get a facial on my lunch break?” Lenora rambles.
Laughing, I shrug a s
houlder. “I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do. I’ve never had an opportunity like this before. I didn’t think that I would ever be a salon owner this way. I thought I would rent a chair until my hands gave out.”
Saying the words out loud sends a wave of sadness through me. I shouldn’t be sad, this is huge, but I am. I don’t feel like any of this was earned, except for one way, on my back. Lenora’s fingers wrap around my forearm and I lift my eyes to meet hers.
“It’s going to be great. And you’re getting married soon, right?”
Nodding my head, I press my lips together, then release them. “Ten days,” I whisper.
“You need wedding day and night lingerie, do you know what you like?”
She can probably tell that I don’t really have anything fancy, let alone expensive underwear. In fact, what I’ve got on was bought at a discount store, bra and panties.
Sucking a breath, I let out an exhale. “No lace, apparently,” I mutter.
“Who doesn’t like lace?” Chloe snaps.
“Chloe, if she doesn’t want lace, then no lace. I have some gorgeous silk pieces that I think you’ll love,” Lenora says, walking around the counter.
“Maybe he wants pleather, a little Domme action?” Chloe asks as she follows behind Lenora.
“Chloe,” Lenora snaps.
She grins, shaking her head once. “I’m just saying. I don’t know a man who doesn’t like the feel of exquisite lace beneath his fingertips, not unless he has an issue with a woman who once wore it.”
Something she says, the way she says it, it hits me deep in my gut. Spinning around, I look at her, stopping in my tracks. She knows something, she really knows something, and I’m not letting her out of my sight until she tells me what it is.
Opening my mouth to ask her, she lifts her hand to stop me. “Can’t tell you, but all I know is your dude took over a year of protecting a woman and lived in her place. If I had to guess, that woman likes her some lace.”
“Chloe,” Lenora hisses. “Why are you being a bitch?”
Chloe narrows her eyes at Lenora. “I’m not, I’m telling this girl the truth. That man spent that entire party ignoring her. It was painful to watch. I’m trying to help.”
“Well, you’re not,” Lenora grunts. She turns to me, but all I see in her gaze is pure pity.
Pity.
My stomach twists at the sight of it in her eyes. I hate it so much, and yet, it’s still there mocking me. I probably deserve it too, I have a feeling that the reason we got into such a big fight last night is because things with this woman are unresolved.
“I want to be sexy, really sexy. Not just sweet,” I blurt out.
Lenora grins and Chloe hums. “You want to make him forget any other women exist?” Chloe asks.
I laugh softly, nodding my head. “I do.”
“Come to the back. It’s where I keep the really naughty stuff,” Lenora practically purrs.
I like her a lot. She’s calm and easy, soft and sweet. She seems like she would be a nice friend to have and I’m glad that our stores will just be a few doors away from each other, hopefully we can become friends.
Chloe, I’m still not sure about, although, I appreciate her honesty and candor, it’s a bit much and kind of makes me feel sick to my stomach. She’s a bit too honest.
It doesn’t take long. Just a few minutes and I’m pulling anything and everything that I think is pretty off the shelves, including panties and bras for every day. Not a stitch of lace is to be found and I thought that I would have a problem with that, but Lenora was right, she has some gorgeous silk pieces.
“I’m afraid to know the price,” I whisper as she starts to bag up the dozens of items that I haphazardly grabbed without even looking at the tags.
“Don’t be,” Chloe says with a grin. “He’s good for it and a little birdie told me that he brought you here with practically nothing, so he’s going to have to buy you all new stuff anyway, right?”
Nodding, I look to the side and see Renzo standing next to the door, his back to us, still on his phone. He did promise me new clothes and things, but that doesn’t mean I need to be selfish.
“Luciana just texted me,” Lenora announces mid-wrap of a sexy see-through skintight stretchy mesh slip. “We’re going wedding dress shopping first thing in the morning.”
My eyes widen. “What?” I breathe.
Lenora laughs softly, then goes back to her wrapping. Chloe snorts. “The whole gang will be there too. If there’s one thing these bitches like, it’s to shop for wedding gowns. I’ll see you tomorrow. Pippa will be there too, you can meet her.”
My stomach completely drops. I don’t want to meet her. I don’t want to ever even lay eyes on her again. Lenora and Chloe must understand my silence, and probably can read the expression of horror on my face.
“Trust me, you’ll like her. She’s very much married and very much in love with her husband,” Lenora assures me.
Nodding, I thank them for helping me. Lenora says she’ll send the bill to Renzo. Guilt still swims inside of me at the thought of blindly shopping and expecting him to pay for it all. Leaving, I give them a fake smile and a too-hearty wave as I make my way outside, bags in hand.
RENZO
After looking at the new building and taking her shopping at Lenora’s place, I take her out for a bite to eat, leaning back in my chair, my cool glass of water in hand, I watch her. She seems uneasy, and not just mildly. She doesn’t make eye contact with me and hasn’t since she walked out of Sugar Cookies.
“Talk to me,” I softly demand.
There is a moment of silence, another moment of her gaze shifting around, then she finally lifts her eyes to meet my own. I’m not sure of all the emotions she has flowing through her, but one of them is clear—worry.
I continue to watch her, waiting to see if she needs more prodding or if she’s going to just give me what I want, what I need from her. She inhales a deep breath, but still doesn’t say anything. My mother was always very clear with her advice when I was a small boy. She’d tell me to never force a woman.
This world is so ugly, and when you force a woman to do anything, she will resent you for that. You will lose her, maybe not physically, but you’ll lose the part of her that you truly desire, the part that you need. When that’s all lost and she is just an empty shell staring back at you, that’s when you’ve lost your humanity.
I’ve never forced a woman into anything in my life, always following my mother’s advice, until now. I’ve propelled my way into Siobahn’s life, bringing her here, demanding marriage, and continuing to fuck her with no protection. All with the hope that she will become pregnant quickly, knowing that she will become a shell of a woman as soon as she finds out about my betrayal, about Emilyn.
I’ve lost my humanity.
I felt it drip out of me, what little I had left. It’s gone and I’m not sure that I truly care all that much. Perhaps I’m more like my father than I had imagined. I had hoped that I would end up like my mother, but it seems that’s not quite the case.
“I know that you said we’re to be married and you promised to buy me things, but it’s all too much, Renzo.”
“Too much?” I ask.
She nods her head. “I’m not used to this, to any of it. The fancy condo, the clothes, the salon, the underwear. It’s all so much.”
Smiling, I shake my head once. “Get used to it. We’re going shopping for clothes next. Tomorrow is the wedding dress.”
She frowns, then looks down at the table before she lifts her gaze to meet my own. “Renzo,” she breathes.
I lift my hand, reaching across I wrap my fingers around her wrist and squeeze. She lifts her eyes to meet mine, her eyes wide as she watches me for a moment.
I take her in, all of her, weirdly enjoying the silence and just staring at her, knowing that in two weeks her expression will be nothing like this, it will be filled with hate and disgust.
“Too much,” she says, attemp
ting to be firm.
I shake my head once. “No, Siobahn, it’s not. I took you away from your entire life. I have the money, let me do this for you.”
“How?” she asks. I don’t respond. I know her question, but I want to hear it straight from her lips. “How do you have the money, Renzo?”
Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I chuckle. “I can’t tell you that.”
“Is it illegal?”
I hum. Her eyes widen, my silence speaking volumes. She inhales a sharp breath, then shifts her gaze, tugging her hand from my grip. I allow it. In a few days, she’s going to know all of the truth. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Chapter Thirty-Three
RENZO
“I have a job for you,” Gavino’s voice announces in my ear.
I’m waiting outside of the small boutique for Siobahn to shop. I was surprised when she didn’t dig deeper, didn’t demand that I tell her more of my career, but thankfully she didn’t. She probably has figured out that I won’t tell her shit unless I want to. She would be correct to think that I won’t.
“Explain.”
He chuckles, then lets out a moan. “You’re not going to like this one. I hired the Savage Beast MC to get rid of most of the men who were involved in this issue, but there is one that I couldn’t quite have them off for me.”
“Why?”
“It’s personal.”
“For you?” I ask.
He doesn’t say anything immediately, he clears his throat, then chuckles. “For you.”
“How?”
“It’s famiglia.”
Fuck.
That can mean only one thing. D’Amore. Gavino has already taken over the Zanetti, Bianchi, and Ricci famiglias. He wouldn’t dare try Trevisani, not right now at least. D’Amore is weak. He’s old school, he plays by the old rules. The archaic rules. Granted, some of them are worth keeping, but most of them went out the window years ago.
“Where do you want to meet?” I ask.
Becoming the Hitman (Zanetti Famiglia Book 5) Page 22