Chapter 4
4
M assimo
"How are you doing?" my brother Dante asks. He's the second in line, only one year younger than me, closely followed in age by Rocco and Nico. We've been at the reception in one of Chicago's most exclusive venues for the last hour.
The wedding organizer had excellent taste. Even I can appreciate the romantic elegance of the lush shades of gold and white, with plenty of expensive flowers and world-class catering service. They flow well with the live band and the uniformed servers milling around the well-dressed guests.
"Good." I take a sip of my scotch. I've been hiding in this corner for twenty minutes after being polite and available to the guests initially. I watched the hustle and bustle until my brothers found me.
Dante taps my shoulder, his forest green eyes amused. "You're the picture of wedding bliss."
"I did what I had to do."
"That's right," Nico says. " Cin cin," he cheers in Italian, clinking his tumbler to mine, the way he did when we were kids and had sodas in our cups. "You secured us all a great opportunity. We'll dominate the area. The Santinis can kiss our asses."
"Yeah. Also, the Montefiores won't fuck with us now we're in the same family." Besides being the head of our family and a jack of all illegal trades, I'll also run the Montefiore's businesses. I've already started inventorying their assets and what needs to be done. My team will be collecting some heavy debt. The ones where limbs may go missing if people don't pay up.
In our family, Dante takes care of the traffic of illegal weapons. Rocco is responsible for the gambling operations, and Nico deals with drug suppliers and other schemes.
"Won't they? I hope not," Rocco says.
I detect a trace of suspiciousness in his voice, but I ignore it. I share his concerns, but don't want to discuss it tonight.
My father joins us. Aldo Montefiore may be in his mid-sixties, but he doesn't show it. He still has a full head of silver hair and a lean, muscular body that some younger men can't achieve. Needless to say, my dad's bed is never empty. "That photographer was looking for you," he says. "He wants more pictures."
"Jesus," I hiss. I understand it's good to take photos with my new wife for appearances, but someone must not have told the photographer that ours isn't a love marriage. Some of the poses he's asked us for are absolutely cringe-worthy.
Dad squeezes my shoulder. "Go out there and smile. This is a great opportunity." Dad may not be as present at work as he used to be, but that doesn't mean he'll ever stop bossing us around at every opportunity. A part of me wishes he'd just retire to a faraway island with a young blonde and leave us the fuck alone.
"That's what I just said," Nico says, winking.
"How nice of you to remind me I'm the sacrificial lamb. I don't see any of you getting married for the family's sake," I say. I'm forty-one, Dante forty, Rocco thirty-nine, and Nico thirty-eight. It's not like they're in their twenties, but none of them seem interested in getting married. I can't blame them. Life's too comfortable without attachments. Why mess things up?
"You're doing great things," Dad says. "I'm proud of you."
"Me too," Dante says sarcastically. "Giving up a whole life of man-whoring for the one woman with the right bloodline."
His words weigh on me. After our conversation in the limo, I understood Amara has more to offer than just her birthright. At the same time, it'll be a lot easier for me to proceed with caution. There's a lot at stake here.
"Don't discourage him." Nico waves him off. "Besides, knowing Massimo, I doubt he'll give up man-whoring."
Nico and Dante laugh, and I shake my head. Fidelity isn't expected in this marriage. At least, not from me. I don't want any man touching or coming near her. But I don't know if cheating on her is something I'll need to do. Tonight will give me an idea of whether we're compatible.
"Be discreet," my dad says with a pointed look. "We need Amara to be happy with this union."
I finish my scotch. "Don't worry. I'll deliver."
"Always does," Dante chuckles.
I frown. I suppose I've done enough to warrant this kind of reputation.
Dante, Rocco, and Nico are far from being saints, and I'm sure they're happy I took the fall. Our parent's marriage wasn't awful. It was far from perfect, with my mom looking away when Dad strayed. Even then, he loved her.
He loved her in his own way. And was heartbroken when she died—because of me. Then, he married another woman who helped raise us until we were all out of our teens. But he cheated on her, too, and they divorced.
My parents' marriage isn't a hallmark of the love we see in movies. Then again, I never thought much about it. Getting hitched never crossed my mind before. Two months ago, my father told me about this duty I needed to fulfill for the family's sake.
And here I am, reluctantly. Though, the idea of consummating the union later gives me some solace. Tonight, Amara will be my wife completely. And there'll be no stopping me.