Chapter 12 – Sara
“These are adorable!” Mamma lifted the clay pot and admired her work. “What a great idea, carina.”
I’d used the same glue she had, but somehow the leaf stuck to my pot looked sad.
“Oh, shoot, this one tore,” I muttered.
“Quit picking at them,” Mamma scolded playfully. “Perfectionism destroys the outcome.”
I pursed my lips. Easy for her to say! Mine simply did not look good.
With a huff, I picked up my phone and scrolled through the notifications. The social media teaser had been a hit! I would have to make another, but right now, my writing brain was stuck.
Huh. There weren’t any missed calls.
What did that make it now? Four? Five days without my ex contacting me? Rob had finally taken the hint and moved on. Relief flooded my veins, and I swiped away the social media notifications. I hadn’t realized how tight that knot of anxiety had been until it started to loosen.
“So, you were telling me about the sagging middle?” Mamma prompted.
I’ve been trying to tell you for the last hour. “Yeah, it feels flat.”
“Why doesn’t she meet with the Sovereign Emperor?” Mamma took a sip of tea and then started cleaning up our craft mess.
I sat back in my chair, considering the idea. “She hasn’t done anything to catch his attention.”
“When she wasn’t supposed to survive the first day in the arena, let alone multiple monsters, challenges, and combats, yet somehow she’s winning them all—don’t you think that would be a reason?”
“Maybe.” That didn’t make sense. “The Emperor doesn’t have an active hand in the game. The Game Master does.”
Laughing, my mother ruffled my hair as she glided past me. “Again. Stop with the perfectionism.”
I ducked out of her reach and groaned, “Mamma.”
“The Emperor is fascinated with the fights. What did you say? He likes to drink, fuck, and watch bloodshed. He’s never been part of a war campaign.
So, a warrior, a female one, would pique his attention—oh!
” Mamma clapped her hands. “Maybe he tries to sleep with her! Like sex sleep, not sleeping sleep.”
I groaned again. Talking to her was awkward sometimes. “That’s too easy.”
“But it’s believable.” Mamma’s pause was filled with a dramatic grin. “And how would your Shadow Daddy respond to that?”
He would freaking kill the Emperor.
Which was another problem. But that was tied up in the plot twist.
“That makes the politics too messy,” I protested.
Before my mother could interject, a shout rang out from my father’s office.
We turned as one toward the open arch from the kitchen.
“Is someone here?” I gasped as Papà’s voice boomed in response.
Mamma shrugged as she stepped lightly to the arch and leaned against the frame. “It sounds like the don.”
Why would Lucian be here? On a Tuesday afternoon.
No…why is he shouting?
That was the better question.
Papà had never missed a cent. He was meticulous.
The numbers were always accounted for, and it wasn’t like he made decisions about what to do with the money.
Only once it was made and washed did he touch it, funneling it into foreign accounts where others could access it for projects or expenses.
Running a killer-for-hire training facility wasn’t cheap.
The equipment and connections the hitmen needed to carry out their assassinations cost another fortune.
“An arranged marriage!” Mamma gasped.
I shot to my feet, having heard the same thing.
I flew down the hall, my mother hot on my heels.
I paused at the door. I needed to make absolutely sure I was the subject of their conversation.
My mother had no such compunction. She turned the handle, pushed open the door, and shoved me inside as she followed.
Lucian Ravello stared at his shoes.
I’d never seen the great and powerful crime boss with his head hung in defeat.
“Saverio?” Mamma snapped. “What is this about?”
Papà raked a hand through his hair, mussing up the gel that kept it combed in place. Strands flopped over his forehead. He was breathing hard, jowls puffing like a steam engine. “It’s fine, Sancia.”
Mamma planted her hands on her hips. “I thought we had an understanding.”
“We do,” my father assured her. “I was just reminding the don of that fact.”
Mamma rounded on Lucian, who had the grace to wince. “Are you trying to force our daughter’s hand?”
I opened my mouth—unsure if I was going to make peace or go to war—but I only croaked. Lucian was here to meddle.
“I came to see if matters had changed,” Lucian admitted carefully. With a deep breath, he lifted his head and glanced first at my mother, then at me. “Sara was supposed to stay in New York.”
“Just because her living arrangements changed, doesn’t mean the circumstances have,” Mamma said hotly.
Tired of them talking like I wasn’t in the room, I lifted my hands. “I’m just staying at my family’s cabin. I have no interest in joining your organization.”
That black gaze fixed on me. “Your personal life isn’t the issue. Not unless it involves one of mine. Are you willing to end things with Camillo?”
“Sara?” Mamma breathed. “What’s this?”
I decided to fight back. “Cam and I have always had a strong friendship—”
“He grew up next door,” my mother supplied helpfully.
“We’ve reconnected,” I continued carefully. “And while I’m not sure where this thing is going, I know that it isn’t up for discussion.”
“Camillo is important to me,” Lucian said, the fire coming back into his voice.
I scoffed. “Don’t you mean valuable?”
Those black eyes narrowed. “He’s important. He’s my friend. I won’t let him get hurt.”
“And you think my daughter will hurt him?” Papà laughed roughly. “She’s not even half his size dripping wet!”
Thanks, Papa. “Look, I would never hurt him. So, whatever you think is going on—”
Lucian cut me off with a snarl. “You hurt him once.”
My brows drew together. “What?” I shook my head. “When?” No, that wasn’t the right question either. “How?”
“He was crazy about you.” Lucian’s smile turned cold. “Then you got sick. My father sent him abroad—twice.”
I remembered Lucian Senior. He was the boss with the crazy wife, who’d tried to kill him more than once. But he’d been obsessed with her. With parents like that, I would have thought the don understood that love wasn’t something easily explained.
It was messy.
“Our Sara is well,” Mamma insisted, wrapping her arms around my shoulders as if she needed the reassurance.
I appreciated her vote of confidence but wished it didn’t make me feel like I was under a microscope.
Lucian nodded. “Praise the Lord, but that doesn’t mean she is a good fit for Camillo.”
I let out an outraged protest, but the don spoke over me.
“I’m just suggesting that someone gentler might be the better fit.”
“My daughter’s not good enough for your boy?” Papà boomed.
Lucian squared his shoulders. “Camillo is a hard man. He lives a hard life. What if she spent some time with Donatello? Or maybe one of the Russo boys?”
“I want Cam.” I bristled and took a step forward. “And if he wants me, that’s our decision.”
Something flashed in those black eyes. “You know what you’re asking, right? He’s not just one of my mercenaries. He ends those sonsofbitches for stepping out of line. It’s a dangerous business. It’s bloody.”
I repeated my earlier thought. “And love is messy. “I won’t settle for a fraction of what I feel for him, even if it means our future won’t be easy.”
Papà drew himself up, chest puffed, and delivered his verdict with certainty. “My daughter will marry whomever she wants. No arranged marriages for her. That was the deal I made with your father, and if you’re a man of your word, you’ll honor it.”
Lucian’s lips thinned. “Very well. But know that I’ll be watching. One wrong move, and I’ll intervene on Camillo’s behalf.”
“As long as we understand one another,” I fired back.
My father moved to walk his boss out. I went to follow, feeling like there was more to be said, but my mother spun me around and set a hand on each of my shoulders.
“You and Cam?”
I worried my bottom lip…and nodded slowly.
“Are you two serious? Or is it just for fun?”
“Mine.” His words rang in my mind.
“Pretty serious, I think,” I whispered.
With a squeak, Mamma pulled me into a hug. “Why didn’t you tell me, you crazy girl? All this time! And we’ve just been talking about flaccid emperors and gladiatorial fights!”
I rolled my eyes but hugged her back. “It’s a recent development. I wanted to see how it played out before you started designing wedding invitations.”
“Ooh, June is a lovely month,” Mamma chimed in. She’d heard the magic word, and I knew I wasn’t going to get out of this easily.
It was time to drive back to the cabin, before our afternoon girl time blew out of proportion.