CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CLAIRE
Not long after we left work, I realized Amadeo was heading the wrong way. I reached forward and tapped Renato’s seat from where I was sitting behind him.
“Where are we going?”
“Sit tight, Claire.”
“But I have a date with cookies and cream ice cream,” I protested, but he paid me no mind.
He ignored me.
I turned my attention to the driver. “Amadeo, where are we going?”
“Claire,” he warned.
I wasn’t ready to return to that house. Were they taking me back because Vino was leaving town? Why not wait until tomorrow when he was actually gone? Truthfully, I couldn’t face him yet. I couldn’t bear to see his eyes filled with the pain I’d caused by going to the abortion clinic.
We passed through the New Jersey E-ZPass toll lanes. Damn, they were taking me to Vino’s.
My expression twisted in disbelief when I read the sign saying welcome to Newark. I let out a sigh, guessing we were headed to another safe house while he was away. Tall trees lined the streets of the suburban neighborhood. Had Vino purchased another property here in Newark?
Amadeo stopped the SUV in front of large black wrought-iron gates. A man with a rifle hidden inside his suit jacket approached us.
“Amadeo and Renato, working for Vino Romano. His fiancée, Claire, is in the back seat,” Amadeo announced. The man nodded and let us through.
“I’m not ready to die,” I exclaimed.
“Why would Vino invite me to dinner if he planned to have me killed?”
The gates swung open, and Amadeo shook his head as he drove towards the mansion.
“No, one’s whacking the boss’s woman,” Renato reassured me.
My heart pounded in my chest. I was still new to this world and had told their boss he was delusional if he thought we were getting married. Was he about to have me eliminated?
Amadeo parked the SUV, and Renato stepped out to open my door.
“I’m not getting out,” I protested.
The front doors opened, revealing a man in red-lensed aviators and a light gray suit.
“Good evening, Claire,” he greeted with a charming smile, showing off his perfect teeth. The man was undeniably handsome.
He extended his hand. “I’m Dillon Magarelli.”
With hesitation, I placed my hand in his. “Nice to meet you?”
I quickly withdrew my hand.
“Is something wrong?” he inquired.
“She thinks she’s here to be killed,” Renato explained.
Dillon laughed. “I’m not harming my friend’s woman. Come inside.”
His tone left no room for objection. He helped me out of the SUV.
We entered the house. “Please pardon the mess. We’re renovating,” he said.
There were drape cloths covering the furniture in the sitting room to my left.
My smile wavered.
Dillon said, “You’re here because you’re about to become the Donna of the Romano family.”
“I told Vino I wasn’t marrying him,” I insisted.
Dillon burst out laughing. “That’s funny.”
The mafia underworld didn’t care if I despised my ex-fiancé. I needed to stop calling him my ex because, clearly, this man seemed determined to carry me down the aisle as he promised.
Honestly, I missed sleeping beside him. I was nearly ready to give in.
Four tall, solidly built men entered the Atrium.
“Claire, I want you to meet Tony Magarelli. He’s my cousin and takes care of problems for our family,” Dillon said as Tony extended his hand to me.
“You seem to handle issues for the Romanos too, given you provided Vino with a prosthetic mask?” I raised an eyebrow, withdrawing my hand.
Tony let out a hearty laugh. “I warned him that might backfire.”
My sister Hope and I had exchanged texts a few times a week. Once I found out she was involved in this mess, I told her to stop talking to me and to contact Vino if she needed anything.
“Yeah, my wonderful fiancé crossed all sorts of boundaries,” I said through clenched teeth.
Dillon gestured to a dark-haired man and another with tattoos climbing up his neck. “This is Luca and Marco Esposito. They’re the mafia bosses for their family.”
I shook their hands one by one. “Nice to meet you both.”
I turned my gaze to Luca. “I didn’t get the chance to thank you and your wife for helping Vino that night.”
“It was no trouble. You can thank my wife in person; she’s here.”
Excitement quickened my pulse.
“This is my brother, Dominic Magarelli,” Dillon said.
“He’s campaigning for governor.”
I shook his hand. “Pleasure to meet you.”
“Vino’s finally settling down. It’s hard to believe,” Dominic laughed.
“I don’t want to marry him,” I retorted sharply.
Dominic laughed, pointing at me and glancing at the others. “She’s quite the character.”
No one believed me, or perhaps it didn’t matter what I wanted. I was marrying into this life.
“Time for you to meet the mafia wives,” Dillon said, guiding me toward the kitchen.
As we entered, laughter filled the room, and their eyes turned to me.
A tall woman approached. Dillon kissed her on the lips. “I’ll leave you ladies to get acquainted.” He strolled out of the kitchen.
“Claire, it’s great to see you again. I’m Sierra Dillon’s wife.” She extended her hand in greeting.
“Oh, right, we met at the masquerade ball,” I replied, as I shook her hand, remembering the night when I thought I was on top of the world.
Another woman stepped up and stopped beside her. “I’m Emoni Esposito, Marco’s wife. We also met that night.” We shook hands.
“Nice to see you both again,” I said with a smile.
Three other Black women approached.
“Claire, I’m Nadine Magarelli—Tony’s wife.” I shook her hand warmly.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Hi Claire, I’m Carmen, Dominic’s wife.”
“It’s great to meet you,” I grinned.
I couldn’t help but wonder if these men being married to Black women had anything to do with Vino falling for me, but that wasn’t it at all. I knew he was drawn to my smile and laugh; he truly loved the person I was, and I was simply the woman he wanted by his side.
The last woman pulled me into a tight embrace. “Claire, it’s wonderful to see you in person. I’m Lexis.”
“Lexis,” I repeated, wrapping my arms around her tightly.
“I’m so glad to be in your presence,” I managed to say through the tears.
“It’s going to be okay, Claire. Our men sometimes do questionable things when they’re in love. Vino loves you so much.”
I nodded, finally loosening my hold. “I’m sorry for falling apart. This whole ordeal has been extremely emotional.”
Nadine slid a box of tissues closer to me. I took several to dry my face and blow my nose.
“Take a seat,” said Sierra. “Are you hungry?”
I noticed the teapot on the stove.
“No. I haven’t been feeling my best lately. May I have a cup of tea?”
“Of course.” Sierra smiled.
I noticed that while some of the women were enjoying wine, others refrained. Maybe they had children and were nursing.
I walked over to the garbage can and tossed in my used tissues. A hand sanitizer pump caught my eye; I squeezed a bit into my hands before returning to my seat.
Sierra set a teacup filled with steaming water and a wooden box in front of me. When I opened the box, I found an assortment of flavored tea bags that reminded me of the one Vino had given me. I had to hold back my tears. Sierra also placed a tall glass of water in front of me. I dipped an orange tea bag into the piping hot water.
“We’re pretty chill in this setting. The moment a bitch crosses us, then we aren’t so nice.”
My heart lurched in my chest. Did they beat up women too?
“A stripper from Vino’s club paid me a visit today.”
Emoni sucked her teeth. “Those bitches can be money hungry.”
I pointed at her. “Girl, yes. The bitch told me I should walk away so she can continue to make Vino happy. I told her I’d use my switchblade and cut lines all over her skin.” My hand went to my mouth. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“The house has been swept for listening devices,” Emoni said.
I continued my statement. “Well, after I told her what I’d do to her, she couldn’t get out of my office fast enough.” I smirked.
“You told her right. You can’t be nice to them. I had to off a bitch all because she didn’t want to give up Marco’s money,” Emoni added.
Damn, she was gangsta.
The girls burst into laughter.
“One thing you’ll learn, women will always insert themselves in your husband’s face. They’d love to be the side bitch.” Sierra shrugged.
“You’ll get used to it.” Nadine patted my hand.
I offered a weak smile before sipping my tea.
“I should tell you we’re in the middle of a war.” Sierra’s smile didn’t quite meet her eyes. “It’s dormant for right now. Trouble can kick up at any time.”
“I understand. We’re in the middle of a war, too. I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to stay in a safe house and not a hotel.”
“He probably has snipers on the rooftops.” Nadine sipped her wine.
My heart dropped to my feet. “You think so?”
“Yes, my husband is the family hit man. He has to be ahead of our enemies at all times. He’d definitely have snipers watching over you.”
I ran my hands over my face. “I love Vino, but he really hurt me. The man was two people.”
“That’s kind of sexy though, if you ask me,” Carmen stated.
“Yeah, the same man has two faces,” Nadine added. “He probably had to work twice as hard to please you in different ways so you wouldn’t know they were the same person.”
The girls nodded.
“Well, as Angelo. He just pleased me orally. I had sex with Vino.” I shook my head. “This sounds crazy.” I nervously gulped down half the glass of water.
“Girl, please, we all have crazy stories.” Carmen beamed like she loved her husband’s crazy.
“My husband beat the hands of two men with a golf club. All because they stole from the Magarelli casino.”
“Mine cut out a man’s eyeballs for me,” Lexis stated, with her head held high. There was even a little twinkle in her eyes.
“Vino’s going after my ex-boyfriend who’s Bratva. He doesn’t like the way he treated me.” I shook my head. “The man is obsessed with me.”
Carmen smiled. “See, that’s real love.”
The girls laughed.
“You see, Carmen’s husband is obsessed with her,” Emoni chuckled.
“So is Lexis’s husband,” Carmen added. “Been obsessed with her since they were kids.”
My eyes widened. “Damn, that’s a long time.”
“I ain’t mad. My man, don’t play about me.” Lexis rolled her neck and waved her finger in the air.
Laughter filled the room again.
The women were so cool. I felt surprisingly comfortable.
“It’s nice kicking it with y’all. And to think I thought I was brought here to get whacked.”
Nadine hooked an arm around my neck. “Your obsessed man wouldn’t ever let that happen.”
I leaned into her smiling. Warmth filled my chest at the thought of Vino still being in love with me after everything we’d gone through recently.
“Let’s talk Donna business,” Sierra said.
Nadine and Carmen hugged me before vacating the kitchen.
“All right, so let’s discuss interactions with the bodyguards’ wives,” Sierra sighed.
We burst into laughter before our meeting.
I left the Magarellis mansion feeling happy and refreshed. The mafia wives were so down to earth. I couldn’t wait to spend time with them again.
Once we arrived at the hotel, my mind was set on a luxurious bubble bath. Before stepping into the bathroom, I glanced at Renato en route to his bedroom. “What country is Vino traveling to for business?”
“Call and ask him yourself,” he ordered.
“Really?”
“Yes, good night,” Claire.”
So grouchy.
I should’ve asked Amadeo, but he was guarding the door. And I wasn’t allowed to open it. I ran to the front door and knocked twice.
“Yes?” He asked through the door.
“Where is Vino traveling to?” I whispered.
I felt like I knew the answer, but I wanted to hear one of my bodyguards say it aloud.
“I’m not allowed to disclose that information,” he stated.
They were making me call him, damn it.
I walked into my bedroom, grabbed my phone from the nightstand, and tapped on the contact labeled “Imposter.” My heart was pounding as I pressed the call button.
After three rings, he picked up. “Hello?”
“Hi Vino, I asked my bodyguards where you’re heading. They wouldn’t tell me.”
“Good, they finally did their job,” he replied with a sneer.
That was a dig at me since he only found out about the clinic visit after the fact.
“Are you going to Russia?”
Silence.
“Yes.”
“When are you leaving?”
“Claire, why does it matter?”
“I need to go with you.”
As much as I wasn’t ready to face my crazy ass fiancé, I needed to see this through.
“You should stay here.”
“Please,” I pleaded. “You know what I’ve been through. Don’t take this away from me.”
“Are you serious?” He exploded.
His harsh tone hurt.
“I don’t want to argue, Mr. Liar. Mr. Secret Life. Mr. Two Identities.”
“Bring an evening gown. I’ll tell Renato to have you at the airport by four a.m.”
A small smile formed on my lips. “Thank you, Vino.”
“Uh, huh.”
He hung up.
I doubted Vino wanted to see me right now. It seemed neither of us was ready to face the other.
Even though he resented my clinic visit, he still intended to eliminate Ivan and Polina for harming me. I sighed as I walked into the bathroom. Vino and I had a long way to go to mend our relationship. I disliked his approach to pursuing me, but part of me understood. My heart was guarded, and settling down wasn’t on my agenda. Yet, he showed me what true love felt like.
I looked at myself in the mirror. “Claire don’t fall for his beautiful eyes or his sweet words,” I told myself. “You can resist your charming fiancé.”
But could I, really?