Dark Mafia Heir (Mafia Vows #3)

Chapter 7

7

Vivienne

I t's been a week since Antonio had a gun pointed to my papa's temple. Thankfully, Harper didn't come home until the following day, so she has no idea about what happened that night.

But I haven't forgotten about it one bit. I still have the memories sneaking into my dreams. I can't forget the dead bodies lying in their own pool of blood or the crazed look in Antonio's eyes as he threatened my papa. It still feels like I am stuck in a nightmare.

“We'll be meeting again, gattina.”

I haven't forgotten his promise, not even for a second since that night. I could brush it off as him just trying to scare me, but I know he wasn’t bluffing when he said that. Antonio is simply not the type of man to make promises he won't keep.

A shiver runs down my spine at the thought the thought of getting in the mix of whatever business it is he has with my father. It doesn’t help my case that I attacked him, either.

Goddammit, I’m in the mix already.

I flinch when I suddenly feel something warm and rough glide down my thighs, and that is when I remember where I am.

I’m at a dinner with my papa and the man I am to marry—a man who is three my age and a disgusting piece of shift.

Shifting my legs away from his reach, I frown at him. But the bastard doesn’t take the hint that I am disgusted by his touch. Either that, or he doesn’t just give a shit about respecting boundaries.

He smiles at me, his gray eyes shining with a type of sick amusement that makes bile creep up my throat. I can’t believe this is who my papa expects me to marry.

My stomach churns as a wave of anxiety surges through me. My papa's eyes lock with mine, and for a moment, I hope he will see how much I hate being here. But he ignores me and shifts his gaze to Enzo.

“We need to hasten things before Antonio figures out what we’re planning,” Papa says with slightly creased brows. “We don’t have much time.”

Enzo chuckles darkly. “You’re a fool if you think he hasn’t figured it out by now. He is no fool.”

“I don’t care if he has. What matters is that we make our move before he does.”

“Then we must rush the wedding forward,” Enzo decides. “A month from today.”

My chest tightens when my father says, “A week.” He glances at me as if he’s daring me to protest. “There is no time to waste.”

I gulp down the glass of water in front of me to push down the rage in my guts. I dislike how my father is treating marrying me off as if I am nothing more than one of his prized possessions.

No one here cares about me or what I want. The only relief I am getting in all of this is that I am the one in this situation, not Harper. She doesn’t even know about this yet, but I can imagine how angry she will be when she finds out. Maybe Papa will listen to her and call this engagement off, but I doubt he will. Not with how desperate he is to get Antonio off his back.

The glass door of the restaurant to my right opens, and for a moment, I consider running away. Maybe I can move to some country far away and start a new life in a place where no one knows me.

I could find a job, get married to a regular guy, and live a normal life.

Papa’s men will probably find me before I even board a flight, but there is a chance they won’t. The only thing holding me back is Harper. She’ll have to go through this torture if I’m not here, and I can’t allow that to happen.

Just like me, my sister has dreams, and she’s freaking intelligent. She deserves to spread her wings and fly, not caged by an old geezer like Enzo.

There’s a long silence between them, and the tension in the air is palpable.

“I can’t get married in a week,” I suddenly blurt out. I must be losing my mind because even the death stare my father gives me does nothing to stop the next words I say. “Heck, I don’t want to get married at all.”

“Vivienne,” Papa growls quietly.

“You did whatever it is you did to Antonio. Why do I have to pay the price?” I growl back, my fists clenching with all the rage I’ve held inside since I arrived for this dinner. “If you need a marriage alliance, how about you get married yourself?”

Enzo scoffs, his gray eyes narrowing on me. “You do not speak when we’re speaking, child.”

I dart my glare to him. “Ah, so you do know I am a child compared to you.”

Through the corner of my eyes, I see the way my papa is staring at me, as if he is barely holding back from flying across the table to shut me up.

“I won’t warn you again, Vivienne. Sit!” he says, this time his voice is louder than before.

I finally turn to look at him, and I don’t bother to hide all the hate and disgust I feel for him in this moment. If it’s already gotten to this point, then I don’t give a shit, even if the world is going to collapse. We can all burn down with it.

“Or what?” I yell back. “You’ll tie me up and send me off with him?”

There’s a flicker of something in my father’s eyes, but I know it is not remorse or recognition that he is wrong. No, my father is incapable of feeling such emotions. Whatever it is, I can’t wrap my fingers around it, and it doesn’t last long.

“If I need to, then I will,” he says indifferently. ?You know what is at stake.”

“No, I don’t,” I shoot back. “The only thing at stake here is my entire life. Why am I paying for something you did wrong? It makes no sense.”

“We’ve already talked about this, Vivienne. There is only one other option,” my father says in that calm voice of his.

My blood curdles, my eyes twitching with rage. He’s at it again, threatening me with Harper as if she isn’t his daughter and it’s not his job to protect her. “Don’t you dare bring her up. I’ll deliver you to Antonio myself if you even think of it.”

We stare at each other long and intensely enough to rupture a volcano.

It’s the first time in my life that I dare to not only talk back at my father but to threaten him too. Except it is not just a threat. I’ll do anything for Harper; betraying our father is not out of the question.

And I think he knows. He recognizes my rage for what it is.

Enzo silently watches us with a slight curl of his lips. The asshole is having fun. Unfortunately for him, I do not run a circus, so he can entertain himself somewhere else.

I stand up to my feet without taking my eyes off my father for even a moment. “If you’ll excuse me, I need a moment to myself.”

My heart is pounding in my chest, and there’s a knot in my throat that makes it hard for me to breathe. I’ll really pass out if I have to stay here for an extra second.

My father doesn’t nod to give me permission to leave, but I start for the bathroom anyway. I feel the weight of his gaze boring straight into the back of my head, and my legs threaten to give out with each step I take toward the black door of the women’s toilet.

But it’s not just my father’s gaze that makes my scalp prickle and my pulse to start racing. It’s something else…someone. There’s someone watching me; I can feel it.

I whip my head around, trying to find who it is, but there’s no one. Not even a single person is staring in my direction now, including my papa. He’s gone back to his conversation with Enzo, probably telling him to ignore my protest and that my opinion doesn’t matter.

Turning around, I briskly walk into the toilet, away from whoever is watching me. Maybe there’s no one there, and I am just being paranoid because of Antonio’s threat.

I rest against one of the sinks and stare at my reflection in the mirror. My smoky make-up is flawless, I did my hair up in a neat bun and the silky black dress I am wearing does a good job of showing off my cleavage.

Papa said I needed to wear something like this. He said it’s good to give a sample of what I would be offering to entice the buyer.

A mirthless smile spreads on my lips. He doesn’t consider me human at all. To him, I am nothing short of an asset he can flaunt and buy allies with.

My gaze darts to the window, and for a second, I imagine what would happen if I jumped from it. We’re on the first floor, so the most I’d get is a broken leg, but I could really run away and be free from all of this.

No.

I can’t do it because I know what that would mean for my sister. Tears well in my eyes, but I blink them away before they can roll down my face. My makeup is flawless tonight, and I won’t ruin it over a situation I have no control over.

I refuse to be the mafia princess who is a victim. I’ll be strong, and who knows, Enzo could die in a year or two, and I’ll get my freedom back—that is, if I don’t put a pillow over his face on our wedding night.

My skin crawls at the thought of his rough, wrinkly hands on my body.

The toilet door opens, but I’m too lost in thought to check who it is.

Repeating the words of affirmation to myself, I sniffle and start to wash my hands. I’m about to pull out a tissue from a box in front of me when I notice someone in a dark hood standing behind me.

I whirl around to see who it is but everything happens in a flash, and before I can react, he throws a bag over my head and pushes me against the counter.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

My blood turns to ice, and a cold sweat breaks out on my skin. Who the hell is he? Is he going to kill me? I know I wanted to escape from my father, but not like this—not as a corpse.

Shit. I should have taken my combat classes seriously , is all I can think of as I clench my fist and throw it at him. He catches my hand mid-air and flips me so my back is pressed against his chest.

I catch a whip of his cologne, and it smells oddly familiar. I’m sure I’ve inhaled that musk and sandalwood scent before, but my mind is too much of a mush to think of where.

I throw my feet back to kick him, but he pulls away, evading my kick before he wraps his strong arms around my throat and hauls me closer.

“Who the hell are you?” I scream, panting from my efforts to free myself and the adrenaline pumping through my veins. “My papa is outside. Let me go, or he’ll kill you.”

There’s a deep chuckle behind me, and the warmth from his breath heats up my neck. My nipples harden, and there’s a rush of heat in my stomach. I think I’ve lost my damn mind. No way I felt that over a stranger who’s most likely here to kill me.

“Is that you showing concern for me, gattina ?” he asks, his voice low and dangerous.

My eyes widen, and my heart rate triples as realization dawns on me. “Antonio.”

“We meet again, darling,” he says, his voice laced with amusement.

I feel something prick the skin around my neck, and the world spins into darkness.