by Cora Reilly
He turned and left the room. I didn’t want to get my hopes up. Backing out of an engagement was bad taste, even if there hadn’t been an official engagement and I wasn’t wearing Mick’s ring yet. Even Savio was bound to our rules, wasn’t he?
I quickly changed into workout clothes, long sweatpants, and a T-shirt because Dad would throw a fit if I wore anything that showed too much skin, and headed out. My stomach was in knots as I found myself once more on the precipice of hope.
The moment I entered the gym, my eyes sought Savio. He gave me a smirk across the room, ignoring the way Diego was killing him with his gaze. I walked toward my brother and Dad.
Savio looked sure of himself, but I couldn’t see how he could possibly make this work. He glanced toward Remo who gave a small nod.
Savio cleared his throat, drawing the attention toward himself.
Dread crowded my stomach. Oh no, what was he going to do? Maybe he didn’t care about his reputation, but I did—and so did my family. What if he insinuated that I’d slept with him or stated it outright? That would force Mick to break off our bond at once, his family wouldn’t tolerate me. Everyone would believe it, no matter how traditional my upbringing. I wanted to marry Savio but not at this price, especially because this was all his fault. He should be the one to pay the price for the mess. His reputation definitely wouldn’t suffer if it made the rounds that he’d gotten me into bed. The list of his conquests was already embarrassingly long anyway.
“Daniele, it’s come to my attention that you intend to promise your daughter Gemma to Michelangelo.”
Technically, I was already promised, it wasn’t just planned, but I definitely wouldn’t voice my thoughts. Dad frowned, his worried gaze sliding from Savio to me. His eyes held questions. I knew what he was dreading: that I had ruined myself, that I’d let Savio have what my husband was supposed to be gifted. How could he even entertain the thought? He knew me.
“I hope you’ll reconsider your choice and give me the chance to fight for the right to your daughter’s hand.”
Fight for me?
Stunned silence descended on the room like a heavy drape. Heat shot into my head at the wave of attention heading my way. Mick looked as if someone had hit him over the head with a baseball bat. His face turned red, if from anger or embarrassment, I couldn’t say. His father didn’t look as angry as I would have thought, but given his expression when he’d seen our modest house, he was probably glad for the chance to get rid of me.
“Fight for my daughter’s hand?” Dad voiced my confusion.
Savio nodded. “The Camorra is strong because we value true strength over descent. We reward ambition and strength because our Capo, my brother, abides by a rule that’s held true from beginning of time: the law of the strongest and survival of the fittest.”
His voice was firm and confident, his expression fierce. No hint of doubt or insecurity reflected in any part of Savio’s appearance. A Falcone through and through, and damn him, it had an effect on me—and on the rest of the people in attendance. Savio could capture an audience like his brother Remo.
Savio only looked at my father, not once at Mick, me or anyone else. He knew who he had to convince first. “I’d like to fight Michelangelo for Gemma. The winner of the cage fight will get her as his wife.”
This was barbaric and old-fashioned, but it sent my stomach into a riot.
“This is ridiculous!” Mick said.
Dad met my gaze and leaned down. “Is there something I should know, angelo mio? I’ve put a lot of trust in you when I allowed you to learn to fight. I hope you didn’t break it.”
My eyes widened. “Of course not, Dad.”
“I was always with her anyway,” Diego added, which wasn’t exactly true. There had been moments when Savio and I had been alone, never long periods of time, but probably enough to do the deed if my research was accurate.
“My first kiss is going to happen in church on my wedding day,” I said firmly.
Diego lowered his voice another notch. “You should agree to Savio’s suggestion, Dad.”
I could have hugged him, but I tried to keep my face as neutral as possible with everyone watching.
“Haven’t we moved on from street brawls and duels?” Mick’s brother butted in, even though their father remained silent. He was the ruling Captain, so his reaction was the one we had to worry about. And he was definitely in favor of letting this play out.
“What do you say, Daniele? Gemma is your daughter, and it’s your right to decide over her future.”
Dad looked at Remo. “What do you say, Capo?”
Remo shook his head. “This is for you to decide. I don’t get involved in family matters. But it is true what my brother said, I honor strength over anything else.” His harsh gaze settled on Mick who squirmed visibly under the force of it. “This is your chance to prove yourself to your fellow Camorrista and show my brother his place.”
“I would be open to the suggestion,” Dad said.
Giddiness spread in me. There was no way Mick could ever beat Savio. I’d seen Savio in the cage. I had fought with him. He couldn’t be beaten by anyone but his brothers.
Mick’s fists were curled at his side as Savio stalked toward him. “What do you say, Michelangelo?” The challenge in Savio’s voice caused Mick’s face to turn even redder.
“I think we should ask Gemma if she’s okay with being fought over like a trophy,” Mick said, seeking my gaze.
I froze. This wasn’t about him giving me a real choice. He hadn’t really cared about my opinion when he’d asked my father for my hand without consulting with me first. This was his attempt to save his pride.
Still, guilt filled me, knowing I had to crush his heart. No matter how much Savio’s self-assured smile made me want to make him pay, I wouldn’t give up the chance to become his wife. I could still make him suffer thoroughly once we were engaged and suffer he would for this ordeal. Everyone was watching, waiting, and I tore my eyes away from Mick and Savio to look at Dad, like a good daughter would do. “If my father is open for the suggestion, then I’ll follow his judgment.”
I had to stifle a smile at Gemma’s played demureness. As if this wasn’t what she’d been praying for. I got it, though. She didn’t want to hurt Mick’s feelings. He looked butt hurt and pissed. Maybe I really should have had qualms doing this, but it was the only option, and he should be glad he got off this easy. Because I would have definitely killed him before watching him take Gemma into a room for their wedding night. If anyone popped that cherry, it was going to be me.
“Then it’s settled?” Remo asked with his usual impatience, one dark eyebrow raised at Mick. He still looked like he wanted to refuse this fight. However, with everyone watching and in front of his Capo, he would have lost his face.
He nodded, then sought his father’s gaze as if he was hoping the man would come to his aid, but he seemed content to let go of Gemma. That didn’t really come as a surprise. The Carlucci women threw more money out of the window for clothes than some European monarchs. Mick needed to marry someone who came with a wad of cash to fund his sisters’ and mother’s expensive taste.
A few of the men began sparring, but Mick cornered me before I could go talk to Daniele and Diego, and most importantly, to Gemma.
His skin was still flushed, and he looked angrier than I’d ever seen him. He was usually a chilled guy. Not much for conflict or violence unless absolutely required. “You are an asshole, Savio. Did you begrudge me getting a girl before you for once?”
“You would have never gotten her if I’d been in the play.”
“You could have asked for her hand, why didn’t you?”
“Are you telling me you aren’t man enough to face me in the cage, Michelangelo?” I asked quietly.
Mick and I had been friends for years, never as close as Diego and I, but losing his friendship wasn’t something I risked lightly. But fuck, Gemma was worth it.
“That’s not the point. I agreed, didn’t I? But you ar
e playing dirty. As a Falcone, you know you have to win.”
“I’m not playing, Michelangelo. I’m going to beat you in a fair fight. The only reason why my name matters is because fighting runs in our blood, it’s ingrained in our nature. I don’t fear pain, or a brutal fight, never have, never will. Can you say the same?”
He scoffed.
“We both know she wants me, not you, Mick.”
He didn’t say anything ,only glared. It was the truth. He knew it as well as I did. I didn’t get how any man could be excited about marrying a woman who didn’t want him. The idea of spending my life with a wife who thought of something else while I fucked her made my skin crawl. “You could have asked me to back off and give her to you without a fight.”
I raised my eyebrows. “If you’d given her up that easily, you deserve her even less than I thought.” Not to mention that it would have cast a bad light on Gemma if Mick would have broken off the engagement. This way she’d look like a sought-after bachelorette—which she was despite her family’s dismal financial situation. Money wasn’t an issue though. I’d always choose protecting Gemma over saving Mick’s hide. He was a big boy. He could deal. His father would find someone else for him to marry soon enough and then he’d forget about this.
I walked past him, done with the conversation. This discussion would end once and for all in the cage in three days, and after that, the hottest girl in Vegas would be mine.
I approached Gemma, Diego, and Daniele. None of them appeared happy about the situation. “Your interest in my daughter comes as a surprise,” Daniele said, disapproving. “I hope you’re aware of the weight of your decision. This is about marriage.”
I smiled tightly. “I know what’s at stake, don’t worry.” My eyes found Gemma whose cheeks were still pink, but her expression was perfectly controlled.
“Can I have a word with Gemma?”
“No,” Diego snapped. “Not until you’ve won that fight. You can already start practicing patience. You’re going to need it until the wedding.”
“Of course.”
Gemma had been checking me out and she was curious about my bull tattoo. I doubted she’d make me wait until our wedding night to sink myself into her pussy. Diego and Daniele didn’t need to know that though.
She avoided looking at me. I had to stifle a smile at her embarrassment. I couldn’t wait to drive the demureness out of her. In the fighting ring she showed how she could kick ass, I wanted her to be this tough outside of it as well.
“You’re in a sickeningly good mood,” Remo said with a scowl when we settled at the dining room table that evening with the entire family. Only Adamo was still working for Luca in New York, hadn’t even come back for Kiara giving birth to Massimo, nor would he return to celebrate his own birthday with us in a few days.
“How did it go?” Serafina asked before I could say anything. Of course, Remo had told his wife about my plan.
“Are you really going to fight for Gemma’s hand?” Kiara asked wide-eyed while she rocked three-month-old Massimo against her chest. Nino was trying to feed Alessio. Serafina was cutting the spaghetti for Greta while Remo tried to stop Nevio from getting up to play.
Fuck. Only a few years ago, my brothers and I would have spent the evening with pizza, booze, and a few hookers for entertainment. Now hookers were banned from the mansion, even from my wing. Instead the little monsters started to outnumber us slowly.
“Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet already?” Serafina taunted me with a knowing expression. She might look like an angel with her blonde hair and fair skin, but she was far from angelic.
I smirked. “Even after winning the fight, that doesn’t mean I’ll have to marry Gemma soon. It only means I’m the one who’s getting her.”
“Her parents probably want her to marry once she turns eighteen,” Nino drawled.
That was in less than two years. Eighteen months to be exact and never going to happen. I heaped spaghetti on my plate, shaking my head. “I’m going to tell Daniele that I want to wait for Gemma to finish college before I marry her. That should give me at least three more years.”
Everyone stared at me as if I’d grown a second head.
“I doubt her family will allow her to go to college, considering it’s not common in traditional families,” Nino said.
“My word’s going to be law once we’re engaged. If I want my fiancée to go to college, then she’s going to go.”
Serafina’s brows shot up. “You want to wait five more years to get into a girl’s pants?”
I chuckled. “Nobody said anything about that. I want to wait with marriage, not with sex.”
“Sex!” Nevio shouted, flashing his little devil smile.
Remo narrowed his eyes at me. As if the kid was learning the bad words only from me. He used the words fuck and pussy more often than I did.
“She’s only sixteen,” Kiara said worriedly.
“I realize that,” I said, getting annoyed with their interrogation. “I didn’t say anything about getting into her pants right away. I can wait.”
“Really?” Serafina asked.
“There are enough other girls around who can keep me entertained.”
“Gemma will be ecstatic to hear that, I’m sure.” Serafina’s voice dripped with sarcasm.
It was a miracle that Remo hadn’t throttled his wife by now. She was a piece of work.
“Her upbringing has been traditional. Her family is one of the most traditional in the Camorra. If you coerce the girl to sleep with you before your wedding night, that will cause trouble I’m not in the fucking mood for, get it?” Remo said.
“Nobody has to know. It’s my and Gemma’s business what we do when we’re alone.”
Nino shook his head in disapproval. “You assume she wants to break with her traditions, but that might not be the case.”
“We’ll see.” They hadn’t seen how Gemma looked at me. Maybe her upbringing had been traditional, but her body still functioned like everyone else’s.
“I’m going to say this only once,” Remo said. “Once you win this fight, you’re going to marry that girl, and if you pop her cherry before the wedding night, you better make sure nobody finds out, or I’m going to castrate your bull. Got it?”
I flashed him a grin. His expression remained stone. “Don’t worry.”
“Pop cherry?” Nevio said to Greta, who smiled in return.
Serafina sighed and sent me another scathing look.
“It wasn’t me. You can blame your husband.”
“It’s a waste of time. You two do what you want anyway,” she said.
“That’s right.” And it would stay that way. No engagement or marriage would shackle me down. Gemma was too in love with me to control my life like Serafina and Kiara did with my brothers.
Toni came over the same night. We had too much to discuss handling it over the phone.
“This is so bad boy of him,” Toni whispered, almost beside herself from excitement. I wasn’t even sure who of us was more excited. Toni never liked to fight herself, but watching the cage fights in the Arena, that was her thing. One day she’d follow in her father’s footsteps and manage the Arena, that was clear.
“That’s because he is a bad boy.” I’d only occasionally seen glimpses of his darker side, but it was there and probably scarier than I could even begin to grasp. It didn’t make me want him less though. To be honest, it thrilled me in the most disturbing way.
I glanced toward the open door of my room. Since the Arena incident, I wasn’t allowed to close my door when Toni was over. It was ridiculous. Mom and Dad wouldn’t budge on the subject, though. “Do you know anything about his tattoo?” I asked the question I’d meant to ask forever.
Toni bit her lip, giggling. “You mean the bull?”
I blinked. “A bull?”
Two red blotches appeared on Toni’s cheeks. “I overheard a few girls discussing Savio’s bed habits and they mentioned his bull tattoo. It’s rig
ht above his penis.”
Embarrassment crawled up my neck. I’d known Toni all my life, but hearing her talk this easily about Savio’s privates was still too much. “Why a bull?” And why right there?
Toni made a face. “What do you think? Savio’s the cockiest guy on this planet. Or to quote the girls I overheard in the Arena: he’s like a freaking animal in the bed. The best ride of my life!” Toni even imitated the high-pitched voice of the girl and added a Yeehaaw for good measure.
I let out an uncertain laugh. The idea of a girl talking about riding Savio made me furious, and at the same time, had me worried. Everyone knew Savio’s track record with girls. How was I ever going to compare to them?
Toni shoved my shoulder. “Stop looking so glum. Savio Falcone agreed to fight in the cage for your hand. Isn’t that what you’ve been hoping for?”
It was. Even if I’d wished he’d made up his mind sooner to spare Mick and me the drama, I had to admit that I was excited about the fight. It was the first time I was allowed to see an actual cage fight by a Falcone. Dad could hardly refuse to let me see the fight that determined my future.
“Will you get engaged right away?”
I shrugged. I wasn’t sure how things would be handled with Savio. Mick and my engagement would have taken place in a couple of months, probably in a big feast. “I don’t know. Before yesterday, Savio never once talked about marriage with me.”
“I can’t imagine Savio as a husband. Do you really think he can be faithful? He changes girls as often as his underwear.”
“He’d better be. I won’t tolerate infidelity.”
Toni looked doubtful. “I’m sure once you’re married, he’ll behave… but I don’t think he’ll give up his man-whoring ways before he gets it from you.”
“He won’t get anything before we’re married,” I muttered.
Toni gave me a look. She’d never understood our traditions.
I tugged at my curls. Why was I so nervous? It wasn’t me who had to fight, and I wasn’t worried about the outcome of the fight either. Savio would win. Mick stood absolutely no chance against him, even if Savio had fought in the cage against a strong opponent only yesterday.