Chapter 38 – Alessandro
A revelation dawned on me somewhere around three in the morning. I immediately sent a message to my assistant. Luca was a soft soul, but since his family had been Made Men for generations, he’d insisted upon being brought into the business. A strong leader knew where to place valuable assets. And since I considered myself exceptionally strong, I made Luca my assistant. The role fit him perfectly.
Which was exactly what I should have done the moment I married Penelope. I saw her strengths, but I’d been too damn focused on protecting her that using her hadn’t been something to ever cross my mind.
It was high time I remedied that.
Moments after I sent that nocturnal message, my assistant’s response came rushing back.
Luca: On it, boss.
As usual, he didn’t disappoint. It might have been the middle of the night, but the kid was always on call, always ready to do what was needed.
When Penelope joined me for our early breakfast, a designer gift bag sat on her seat. She knew the luxury brand name, and I saw her hackles raise at another expensive gift.
“Just open it,” I insisted between sips of espresso.
Plucking the sheets of tissue from the top, Penelope’s mask of wrath softened into a beautiful confusion. She pulled the designer model out and placed it on the table.
“A laptop bag?” She unzipped the sections and peered into the interior.
I rose and went to lean against the table beside her. “We’ll find you a suitable computer.”
“This is…practical.” She was trying so hard to be polite.
Tugging the tip of her braid, I murmured, “How would you like to work for me?”
Something flashed in her eyes. “Do you mean that?”
I frowned. “I don’t like being questioned.”
Penelope yanked her braid away. “You Made Men are sneaky creatures, forgive me for questioning your intentions.”
“Penelope.” I gripped her waist and tugged her flush against my body. “When I say something, I mean it. Do you want to work for me?”
The pause was filled with a chaotic charge.
Breathing carefully, I forced myself to remain calm. My wife had no reason to trust me. Her statement about mobsters was likely based on the dealings she had with her uncle. I needed her to see we were not cut from the same cloth.
“What would I be doing for you?” she demanded, pulling back.
My hold on her remained tight. She wasn’t running away from this.
“I don’t know,” I said carefully. “That is what we have to figure out—together.”
Penelope nodded.
“And regardless if you like the work, we’ll set you up with whatever classes and certificates you want to pursue. But I have a hunch you are a valuable asset, and it would be wrong not to see if you fit into this world.” My words seemed to have the desired effect.
“That’s…reasonable,” she finally sighed.
“Good.”
“You know, that’s exactly the chance I asked my uncle for.” She fidgeted with the tissue paper behind me.
I loosened my hold slightly, but she didn’t move away.
“And he set you up to be married to one of his men,” I surmised.
Penelope nodded.
I was going to revisit the notion of having her uncle assassinated.
“None of my men are going to touch you, Penelope.” I placed a kiss on her head before returning to my seat at the table.
“Because I’m going to be guarded everywhere I go,” she muttered. It was so soft, I barely heard it.
But I didn’t jump to correct her. Because what she said was absolutely true. Her working for me, her taking classes, that wouldn’t change the parameters of the security measures. I needed to keep her safe—while at the same time making sure that she wasn’t smothered.
The herculean task was going to take every drop of cunning to accomplish. But it was a step in the right direction.
A compromise. It was all I was asking, and I had a feeling it would make her happy.
It has to.
“We’ll start by taking a tour of our organization,” I said.
Penelope sat down to her breakfast. “Just tell me where and when, boss.”
I sighed. It has to work.