12. Lelia
Chapter 12
Lelia
M y birthday.
Eighteen years on this earth and I’m being sent off tonight to a house I have never seen before. I’m going to be made to live there because my father decided to sell me off. I am not prepared. I didn’t think I would be this angry, but I am. The sleek purple dress that hugs my curves is sparkling as I walk down the steps to the living room. Everyone is already here, sipping expensive champagne and talking about just what my future holds.
I’m a contract, nothing more. I’ve lost the ability to be a woman when my hand in marriage was arranged. Eyes flit to me when I enter. Everything is decked in gold. The balloons, the table settings, and even the bow ties the waiters are wearing.
Elegance.
Opulence.
And a farewell to the girl I once was.
My chest tightens when I realize I will never see Domenico again. I’ve thought about him over the past couple of weeks, but I haven’t been able to escape the watchful eyes of Cassio and his men. I’m almost certain he told my father about finding me with a Montesano.
Even though he didn’t quite see us together, my cousin isn’t stupid. I’m a prisoner, and when I get to the Mosca household, I’ll be nothing but a captive bride.
“Come,” my father says when he sees me. His heavy arm wraps around my neck, and he leads me over to where my fiancé is standing and talking to my mother. The dark, hungry gaze of the older man drinks me in, and ice courses through my veins.
I want to run.
I want to hide.
But there’s no longer an escape for me.
“There’s my beautiful bride,” Ignacio says with a grin that has my stomach clenching with anxiety. “Happy birthday,” he tells me as he leans in to kiss me on the cheek. The strong scent of alcohol on his breath makes my eyes water, and I pray that tonight, when I go to his home, he will leave me in peace.
“She’s all ready to leave tonight,” my mother informs him with a smile. “I’m sure you’re all looking forward to getting to know each other.”
“Well,” Ignacio responds, “we will be leaving for Italy in the morning,” he announces haughtily, and that’s when my heart drops to my feet.
“What?”
“We fly out early tomorrow.” There’s a glower in his eyes for me not to fight this. I should be the good, submissive girl he wants. “You’ll enjoy the house on the beach,” he tells me, as if that will make this shit show any better. It won’t.
“I didn’t think we’d?—”
“That’s right, little girl,” he interrupts me. “You don’t think. That is what I will do for you from now on. You’re mine, and you will smile and obey.” He’s not being kind; he’s warning me. The tinge of frustration in his voice confirms this. He doesn’t want a wife, a partner, he wants a toy to use when he needs.
I shudder. “Please excuse me. I need to get some fresh air,” I tell them before slipping away. Thankfully, my father allows it. When I reach the garden, I pray I’ll see Domenico. I wish he would crash my party and steal me away.
Even though I know his family are our enemies, I know Domenico won’t hurt me. He has had so many chances to kill me, but he didn’t. Instead, he made my body burn for more. The yearning I have for him only grows stronger.
Perhaps it’s true what they say. Absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder.
The silence is broken by laughing, but it doesn’t lighten my mood. I feel someone behind me before I can fully enjoy being alone.
“I will find your little boyfriend and I will end him,” Cassio promises. “Don’t ever doubt my ability.”
“I don’t have a boyfriend,” I throw back. The sneer on my face is lost to the darkness.
Cassio laughs beside me. “Oh?” It’s a test. He wants me to react. I’ve seen how my cousin works. I’ve watched him torture people, getting information out of them when they didn’t want to admit anything.
“Yes,” I say. “Didn’t you know I’m leaving tomorrow?”
“I overheard,” he answers. “I think it’s all a ruse,” he says. “The old bastard wants to fuck you mercilessly, and if your father were to see your little body broken, he would cancel the agreement.”
“He can’t cancel anything.”
“Your father has a clause in place,” Cassio informs me. “If you were hurt in any way, he would be able to nullify the contract. But what he can’t see, he can’t fight for.”
My mouth falls open. My father did that. But it doesn’t change the fact that he signed my life over to a monster. It means nothing to me. He means nothing to me. I have no loyalty left to the Vitale name.
“I’m nothing more than a puzzle piece for my father. He wants to fit me into the bigger picture, but I’m a person. Not a bargaining chip.” My voice is cold. The emotion I allowed myself to feel when I first found out about the wedding is now gone. I’m done. Anger takes a hold of me and I turn to Cassio. “I don’t want this.”
“There is nothing I can do, cugina, ” he informs me. And for the first time in my life, I see guilt and regret on my cousin’s face. He has always been cold-hearted, filled with rage I’ve never seen in anyone else. He’s been good to me on occasion, but there are those glimpses of the rage-fueled beast underneath.
“You’re the Underboss,” I insist. Granted, my father is the man in charge, but Cassio does have some sway over Dad. There’s an understanding between them. Even though my cousin is younger than any other Capo in this familia, he has a head for business. Nothing stands in his way, and that’s how he stepped up the ranks as if it was the easiest thing he’d ever done.
“I don’t know,” he says. “This is between the bloodline, not me. I may be your cousin, but your father doesn’t listen to my advice when it comes to your future.”
I wish I could run away.
Right now, I would race out of the gates and never look back. Even if I had to beg, borrow, or steal, I’d do it to survive away from the rule of the Vitale patriarch.
When I was younger, I thought about running away. But I never had the courage to do it. And now, I wish I had.
“Let’s go,” Cassio says as he leads me back indoors.
With every hour that passes, I know my time is limited to here and now. When I look at my family—my mother and father, and the rest of the men who work for us, I can’t deny I’ll miss seeing them.
Even though I grew up around violence, it doesn’t mean I want to live a life filled with it. My father may not have sheltered me from all of it, but I had become accustomed to seeing enough to know it wasn’t a life for me.
I can’t escape, though. Not now.
I have to be strong.
At eighteen, I have to a woman, a strong warrior who will fight off the dragon herself. I don’t need a hero, and I certainly don’t need a white knight to ride in and save me. As the night wears on, I smile and talk to those who offer kind words. Even though every happy expression I offer is a lie. There’s nothing celebratory about this party.
“We’re leaving,” Ignacio tells me suddenly as he comes up behind me. He drags me through the party. The onlookers do nothing to help. He’s not exactly hurting me, but he is using force to make me walk out of the only home I’ve ever come to know.
“Where are we going?” I question as I stumble behind him. “Dad.”
“Please, Lelia,” my father says as he follows us, my mother hot on his heels as they watch. He doesn’t come to save me. Neither does Cassio. “You’ll be happy.” Dad’s words ring in my ears, the sound like scraping nails on a chalkboard as they disappear from sight and I’m shoved into the back of a blacked-out SUV.
The doors are shut, and I hear the ominous sound of a click. Looking out of the window, I see my parents at the door. My father does nothing to rescue me. He barely even waves. My mother is dabbing at her eyes, but she can only offer a quick flick of her hand before we’re pulling out of the gates.
“Fuck,” I bite out, my voice cracking under the strain of what is happening to me. My chest is tight, my heart clenching, and my lungs no longer work as a panic attack hits me full force and I have to drop my head back against the seat to focus on the darkness of the interior of the car.
“Such a vulgar mouth for a sweet girl,” the deep, yet familiar voice comes from the front of the car, causing me to snap my gaze up. The panic I felt moments ago slowly dissipates.
“What?”
“I think you need to calm down,” Domenico says calmly, as if him being here is normal. My mouth pops open, shock racing through me. My focus is no longer on the reason I’m leaving my childhood home, but more on the fact that Domenico is here.
“What are you doing?” I glance over my shoulder at the cars behind us. There are three SUVs all traveling in line with each other. A convoy toward the Mosca mansion. “They’re going to find you. They’ll kill you.”
“Not when I’m working for them,” he throws out.
“I don’t understand.” I scoot forward and his cologne hits my senses, instantly calming my nervous energy. “Why are you here?”
“I needed to see that you’re safe,” he tells me earnestly as he makes the way to the house. “I couldn’t see him with you and not know where you are or what was happening to you.”
“But what happens when they find out you’re a Montesano?”
“He won’t. At least, not anytime soon.” Domenico sounds like he’s got this all mapped out. “I’m your new bodyguard. I’ll be watching you all day, every day.”
“You’re coming to Italy?” I squeak, realizing that he’s giving up his whole life to do this. “Why would you do that?”
“I had two choices, but I gave my father a third,” he informs me. “He wanted me to kill you or your mother.”
The breath from my lungs is knocked out as I flop back in the seat. The soft leather does nothing to comfort me. They really want to hurt the Vitale family. I know the hate spans years, hundreds of years, but this is insane.
I’m still in shock. Nothing makes sense. Least of all having Domenico here. But I can’t deny I’m thankful that he’s close. The thought of being alone with the Moscas had set me on edge. “So, you’re here?”
“I am undercover. I’m Diego Guzzi, and I’m your bodyguard. You don’t know me, other than the fact that I’m now driving you home, and tomorrow, we leave for Italy.”
My mind tries to wrap itself around what he’s saying.
“But what are we going to do there?”
I don’t know what I was expecting Domenico to tell me. My heart wanted a happy, romantic ending, but that’s not what we have in store for us. Our star-crossed fate has already been written, and I doubt it ends with smiles and walks into the sunset.
But then he says, “We are going to take down the Mosca clan.”
And that’s when I realize we can still be together.
We just have to be very fucking careful.