Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
I couldn’t help but stare down at the road. Even from above, Vince Salvini looked like a wretched, ethereal god of doom and gloom, who’d descended to Earth to bring trouble and misfortune.
Misfortune and trouble for me.
According to my research, he was the most dangerous man in NYC.
Well, whoever coined that title forgot to mention the menacing, infuriating, and grumpy side of him.
He was like a dog with a bone, or maybe a dog who wanted a bone…if the bone were me…being married to his brother.
Suddenly, he turned around and looked up as if he could feel me watching him.
I jumped back, my heart suddenly galloping, and hid behind my curtain, but he kept on looking with those intense eyes and annoyance etched into every line of his face.
Did he see me?
Maybe he had some kind of sixth sense…or he was the demon himself. Wouldn’t that fit the picture perfectly?
I glared and poked out my tongue at him.
Childish, but… feel this, demon .
He shook his head, turned back to the car, and took the wheel.
The ruthless head of the Salvini crime family…driving himself. Did that mean he had some kind of control issues—that would fit.
And would he be like that in every aspect of his life? Dominant and needing to be in control?
I averted my gaze, heat creeping up my neck. I would definitely not think about Vince Salvini’s dominance, in whatever aspect of his life.
No sir. Not gonna go there.
My moment of weakness earlier in the library was borderline dangerous because if the infamous Vincenzo Salvini knew he managed to crack my armor—if only for an instant—there was no way of knowing what can of worms would open up.
My mind raced. I was almost certain Vince had some suspicion. But how would he have found out?
And if my real identity had been linked to the hacking, I would have found out by now, right?
And how would anyone have found out anyway? I’d been so meticulous, covering my tracks at every turn. I had been new to the group, but if they ratted me out…the thought made my blood run cold.
Shit.
I needed my laptop so I could contact my group and figure out if there was any chance Vince knew.
And then, I needed to find the strength and opportunity to escape this madness. Because right now, every instinct screamed at me to cut and run before it was too late.
There was a knock on my door, a split second before Fee barged into my room and fixed me with a concerned look. “You okay?”
I shrugged—tried to play it off.
Fee handed me my laptop and plopped down on my bed. “You should be careful around Vince Salvini. He’s different.”
“Different? Hah. He’s just a big bully who uses his toxic masculinity to try to intimidate people. Like all the rest of them.”
Fee cocked her head. “I’m not so sure. I mean, Alex can be a big bully, but Vince? He’s more like a giant bulldozer.”
He definitely was that—he stood out even between all the other commanding men in my life. I mean, my father’s presence wasn’t something to sneeze at.
My father.
He would be all alone if I left. Ever since Cara decided to stay with Sophie for the next couple of months after giving birth, I was the only one of his children left.
Would he be okay?
I sighed and shook my head. My father wasn’t an innocent bystander in all of this. He was the one who agreed to Salvini’s deranged arranged-marriage plot.
And even if I’d go through with getting married, he would end up alone anyway—not that I ever would go through with anything Vincenzo Salvini suggested, demanded, or ordered. “Well, Salvini found his match because I have no intention of letting him intimidate me. Or backing down.” …Or following his demands.
Not even while preparing my escape.
Fee narrowed her eyes slightly, and I could tell she didn’t quite believe me. But what else could I say? That Vince’s intense gaze made me shudder at the same time as it made my heart race in a way that had nothing to do with fear? That his commanding presence both infuriated and intrigued me?
Bah. Why was I even thinking about him?
Vince Salvini was an asshole of grand proportions, and white-washing or romanticizing his behavior wasn’t healthy.
This was not a romance novel where the serial killer was suddenly the hero.
Hell no.
There was nothing good about Vince Salvini. And there was nothing to excuse about his bully behavior.
I looked down at my laptop in my hands.
This was what I should be focusing on. Untangling myself from operation Nibor—as we called it. The reverse name of Robin, short for Robin Hood. Taking from the rich—or, in this case, the dirty criminals—and giving it to those who deserved and needed it.
Fee’s phone suddenly rang, and her whole face lit up. “Hey, girl… Oh, hey, Cara.”
I put the laptop on my desk, crossed the room, and hopped on the bed until I could see Cara’s and Sophie’s faces on the tiny screen of Fee’s phone.
“Hey, you two. How’s everything going?” Sophie asked.
“Shouldn’t we be the ones asking you?” Fee said.
Sophie was almost due to have her baby, so she was probably ready to burst by now. She looked positively glowing. Was it because of the pregnancy? Or was it Gabe?
Sophie chuckled. “I’m good. I have a belly as if I was carrying twins, and I’m constantly peeing, but I’m good.”
Fee clucked in agreement. “I can’t wait until I can hold the little one for the first time.”
A sudden sadness slithered through me like a sip of ice water. If I ran, if I escaped this life, I would never be able to hold my nephew, would never be able to hug my sisters again.
I would be completely alone. On the run, constantly having to look behind me. Never safe. But free.
My throat suddenly felt as if a giant rock was lodged in there.
I needed to find another way. Needed to find a way to escape Salvini’s demands and keep my life and family.
I only half-listened until Fee filled them in on my confrontation with Vince.
“He had her backed against a shelf in the library, their noses almost touching. The vibe was really weird,” she said.
Which zoomed my focus right back in. “Weird? What do you mean weird?”
Fee gave me a sideways glance but stayed silent as if she had to gather her thoughts. “If I wouldn’t have known better, I would’ve thought there’s more going on between the two of you.”
“More than mutual disdain?”
Fee nodded. “Matt and Alex sensed it, too.”
“Sensed what?”
Fee hesitated.
“Sensed what? What happened?” Cara asked.
I sighed. “Nothing happened. Just Vincenzo Salvini trying to bully me.”
“Fee?” Sophie asked.
I rolled my eyes at Fee’s insinuation. “There was no ‘vibe’ between Vince and me other than mutual loathing. The man is an insufferable bully who thinks he can get his way through intimidation tactics.”
My fists clenched at the memory of him backing me against that shelf, as he breathed his hot, whiskey-laced breath in my face. The way his eyes bored into me as if he could see straight through to my soul. I shuddered despite the warmth spreading through me. “He’s vile. Repulsive. I won’t let that egomaniac get within ten feet of me if I can help it.”
Fee arched one perfectly sculpted brow. “If you say so, Sis. I’m just calling it like I saw it.” She turned her attention back to the phone. “Even Matt said there was some serious chemistry crackling between them. Like…sexually charged chemistry.”
“What?” I sputtered, heat flooding my cheeks. “That’s absolutely ridiculous. Vince Salvini couldn’t be less sexually attractive to me if he tried.”
Lie, a tiny voice whispered in the back of my mind.
I immediately shoved that thought back down. Vince’s rugged handsomeness and magnetic presence meant nothing. Absolutely nothing. I refused to be just another girl stupidly fawning over a bad boy who obviously didn’t deserve the attention.
“Jemma backed him off with an uppercut,” Fee went on, a teasing lilt in her voice. “So maybe the attraction wasn’t exactly…mutual.”
“You hit him?” Sophie’s voice was laced with disbelief.
“After he whispered something in her ear,” Fee said, nodding like a maniac.
“What did he say?” Cara asked.
I sighed. “He told me he didn’t approve of my behavior.”
Fee stared at me for a full three seconds before she exhaled and forehead-slapped herself. “I can’t believe these guys can survive with their level of sheer stupidity.”
Sophie and Cara’s laughter filled the room. “So you punched him? Good for you,” Sophie said.
I nodded.
Vince Salvini got what he deserved, not that it did me any good or changed anything. Violence didn’t faze a man like Salvini.
If I’d found a weakness I could exploit, though. That would be a plan.
Find something harmful enough to blackmail him with and get him to back down.
I could always run if that didn’t work out.
Sophie’s voice broke through my thoughts. “You know, Gabe told me Vince hasn’t always been like that. As a kid, he was really nice, and soft.”
I couldn’t help but scoff. How could a nice kid turn into such an asshole as an adult?
But then again, it was the whole nature vs. nurture thing. Could this kind of life, this kind of environment turn you from a good human being into a heartless killer, into a master manipulator?
Possibly, probably. But then, was that kid still in there, buried somewhere?
What secrets lay hidden beneath that cold, hard exterior?
I shook my head, trying to dispel those thoughts. It didn’t matter who Vince Salvini used to be. What mattered was who he was now—a dangerous man and a threat to my freedom.
I needed to stay on my toes and focused if I had any hope of outsmarting him and escaping this arranged marriage madness.
I tried to keep my tone casual as I turned the conversation back to Vince. “So, what else did Gabe say about Vince’s past? I’m almost afraid to ask, but I can’t help being a little curious.”
Sophie’s eyes took on a faraway look like she was mentally riffling through memories. “Well, from what Gabe has told me, Vince used to be this sweet, gentle kid who loved art and poetry. He’d spend hours alone outdoors, painting or writing in his journal.”
A flicker of surprise shot through me. Vince Salvini? The brutal Mafia boss? A sensitive artist? It was almost too difficult to imagine.
“But then his mother died,” Sophie continued, her voice dropping to a somber tone. “It completely shattered him.”
My stomach twisted into knots as I tried to picture Vince as a child losing his mother—had he been hurting as much as I had?
“Gabe told me that after that, Vince changed,” Sophie said. “Apparently, Salvini Sr. is a real piece of work and has always been very hard on him as the oldest. And after his mom died, he shut everyone out and became how he is today.”
Fee shook her head slowly. “It must’ve been hard for him.”
A surge of empathy welled up inside me, quickly followed by irritation at myself. Why should I feel sorry for Vince? Sophie, Cara, and I lost our mother very young, as well, and it didn’t cause us to become sociopaths. His path was one of his own choosing, no matter how he was pushed onto it initially.
And yet, I couldn’t quite silence the small voice of compassion echoing in the back of my mind.
I missed my mom, but I had Sophie, Cara, and my dad who, despite everything, provided us with love and safety. It must’ve been so much harder for Vince. His cruelty seemed to make more sense now—an armor built up around whatever remained of that scared young kid.
“Alex mentioned something similar,” Fee said, her expression thoughtful. “He said Vince is the way he is because he had to become this way in order to survive and protect his family.”
I worried my lower lip between my teeth as I mulled over their words. There was no denying the brutality of Vince’s actions, the reputation he built for himself, and the threat he posed. But maybe, just maybe, there was still a shred of humanity buried underneath all those layers of callousness and menace.
A part of me felt drawn to uncover that side of him, if it even still existed. But the wiser part of my mind knew this was stupid.
Again. Not a romance novel.
He was not a good guy.
Getting anywhere near Vincenzo Salvini would be like dancing with a tornado—equally thrilling and dangerous.
I exhaled a long breath. “Well, whatever Salvini was in the past, in the now, he’s an asshole, and a bully, and a monster.”
My words trailed off as I replayed the memory of Vince crowding me against that bookshelf, his body mere inches from mine, his piercing gaze stripping away every one of my defenses until all I could do was rip myself from the dizzying tension between us.
And not surrender.
Someone was talking to Sophie from behind the phone.
“Girls, we need to go. Let’s do this again soon,” she said, and we quickly ended the video call.
Fee put away her phone and stretched out on the bed. “This was fun.”
I nodded. “I miss them. I never knew how silent this house was without Cara and Sophie.”
Fee stared at me. “How about you come to visit us in New York City?”