16. Dante
16
DANTE
Another five minutes, and I’ll have to assume Victoria decided to blow me off. I can’t blame her for freaking out, but I’m going to need her to calm down and think this through.
Her mother is a bitch for setting up her trust the way she did. These entitled pricks running around here with their arranged marriages and contractually-obligated “heirs” are sickening.
The moment her mother said the trust requires a kid, my own stomach turned. That wasn’t part of the plan. Bringing a child into this universe, under these circumstances, is cruel to say the fucking least.
Especially since Victoria and I aren’t a love match. Not even close.
We’re a desperate Hail Mary.
A black Audi pulls into the empty lot of the park and a woman emerges. The orange glow of the streetlight brings Victoria into full view.
A tight dress hugs all of her curves as she purposefully strides in my direction. She’s in heels, but there isn’t a single hitch in her smooth glide as she moves from the pavement to the grass. She might as well be gliding across a stage. I watch every move she makes, hypnotized by how good she looks.
If she wasn’t such a bratty pain in my ass…
“Did you find the place okay?” I ask stupidly, at a loss for how to start this conversation. But I need to be the one to start it if I want to keep this from becoming an epic meltdown. I’m not ready to deal with that shit tonight. Tonight is about taking care of business—efficiently.
“Fine,” she clips out, stopping within a few feet of me. “You wanted to talk.”
I did, but I’d hoped to have a conversation as adults, with less attitude.
“The terms of your trust?—”
“It’s not going to work,” she cuts in, giving a shrug of her shoulders. The poor park lighting means I can’t fully see her face, but I can imagine the scowl twisting her features. “The first quarter of my trust isn’t going to be enough to pay the debt and I’m not about to get pregnant.”
Fuck.
She’s right. Marrying Victoria is pointless if it won’t satisfy Lombardi and clear my brother’s debt. Waiting for the money to be released after the ceremony was one thing—at least we would have known it was coming and I could have assured Angelo we were good for it.
“So, I guess this is it.”
I steer my focus back to her through the clutter of my mind.
She’s done.
Well, she may think this is over, but she’s still in danger. And still engaged to my nephew.
“Not exactly,” I respond. “The debt remains.”
“Then I suggest you run back to Italy,” she sneers, crossing her arms over her chest. “There’s nothing here for you anyway. Liam is?—”
“Going to run away with the money the moment you’re married,” I interrupt. “That’s not a solution. It’s a very big problem. Who will get you pregnant and free up the rest of your money then?”
“Nobody,” she claims boldly. “I’m not having kids.”
“Princess…you’re going to have to. I know this isn’t ideal—” Victoria takes a step closer to me and I can feel the heat of her simmering rage pouring off her body.
“And who is going to knock me up, Professor Moretti?” Her voice is a light, seductive taunt and I know she’s testing me but it’s sexy as fuck all the same. My cock hardens as I stare her down, determined to wait her little tirade out. “Is it going to be you? Are you going to seduce me and give me a child just for the money? And then leave once this over so I get to be the one stuck with raising it?”
“I never said that.”
Victoria has every right to be fearful of the future. She has every reason to doubt my intentions. There's nothing that would keep me by her side once we get out of this. But if there’s a child, one of us will be left with it. And the law usually agrees children are better off with their mothers.
“What’s your plan, princess?” I ask, curious. “Because the mob doesn’t care what you want. Just what they need. They know about you now and there’s no way you’ll be free until this debt is settled.”
“It’s not my debt. It has nothing to do with my family.”
“But you’re stuck in it either way. Liam made sure of that,” I retort.
She shakes her head back and forth in denial. “You can’t stand here and tell me that you want children. Especially with me.”
“At least I know you won’t fuck me over at the end. If you stay here, I’ll know you’re on my team. I will do everything in my power to protect you?—”
“You can’t even protect yourself,” she huffs, stepping back and putting distance between us. “Why should I trust you for this? Even if we can pull this off, what happens next? Do we stay married? Will you help me raise a kid? You don’t actually care about me. It’s not like you want to marry me in front of God and everybody.”
“Since when are you religious?”
“Since I need God on my side to get me through this Moretti family bullshit.”
“It’s your family bullshit, too, princess,” I remind her. “How much clearer do I have to be for you to understand?”
“I hate you,” she snarls through a clenched jaw and teeth. “I hate you and your nephew and your whole family. I didn’t ask for this. All I’ve ever wanted was to go to Paris, study pastry, maybe open a bakery. I wanted to walk down cobbled streets and bike along the Seine and be something other than someone’s toy. ”
Throughout her rant, Victoria keeps taking steps back. But I’ve kept pace with each and every one of them.
She’s clearly hysterical.
I can’t imagine someone so sheltered, so insulated from the grittiness of the world, having to endure what she’s facing. Like it or not, this is her new reality. And I’m trying to find some damn empathy for the woman having to rearrange her worldview at warp speed, but I have my own shit to deal with.
I’m meeting with Angelo tomorrow and I need to prepare. I can’t afford the patience it would take to deal with Victoria’s mental breakdown.
“Did you call the lawyer?” I ask. Maybe a change of topic will kill two birds—derail her rant and move us closer to a solution. The only solution. Victoria Waldorf will be my wife.
So long as Liam’s name hasn’t already been added to the damn trust.
“Why does that matter?” she shoots back, holding her arms tight to her body. “We’re not getting married.”
“Ah, so you did.” Deflection rather than a simple denial—her rebellious streak reared its head and yet I still got the answer I needed. “What did he say?”
Victoria looks down and away from me, biting her bottom lip. I don’t want to do it this way. I don’t want to pile on to her stress by being cruel. But she’s my best ticket out of this shitshow and I’m her best hope of escaping whatever the fuck the mob is planning for her. She’s too pretty for her own safety and too innocent for me to surrender her to Angelo and his thugs.
She just hasn’t taken the time to fully appreciate what’s at stake.
“Princess,” I warn, stepping even further into her space. “This isn’t a game.”
“I’m not playing.”
“I’m not either. But we need to keep Lombardi off our tail. I need to buy us time?—”
“There’s nothing you can do—” My arm is already reaching for her and I haul her forward mid-sentence, sending her crashing into my chest.
We are well past the time for playing nice. Whatever nightmares Victoria is cooking up in her head…whatever horrible things she can imagine, the facts of her situation are worse.
Much worse.
“Listen to me, my sweet, innocent little princess,” I grind out through my rising exasperation. “There’s more to this story than the outline you’ve sketched in your pretty little head. This is more than shadowy corners and men threatening to rape you if you don’t pay up. This is revenge, retribution, and the life I can give you if you just stop ignoring reality. I’m sure this story doesn’t match up to any fairytale you might’ve dreamed up as a little girl, and it’s certainly not my idea of a good time, but I’m your only chance of having a life after this fuckery.”
I tilt my head down, bringing my mouth to the tip of her ear. My next words whisper across her skin and I can see goosebumps rise along her neck. “Princess, I’m your get-out-of-jail-free card, so why don’t you use the shit out of me? Stop fighting me every step and see what that gets you.”
“You’re a teacher,” she scoffs. “A famous violinist, but a teacher nonetheless. I don’t know what you think you can do, but there is nothing that you’re going to play?—”
“Watch your next fucking words, princess, because I’m more than what you’ve read about me.”
“Explain,” she sniffs. “Because I’m not impressed.”
I smirk. As annoying as her sass can be, there are times it’s more than a little amusing. “I used to be part of the Giordano Goons, sweetheart. A true Italian mob in the city of Portofino. I’ve murdered plenty of men for less things than simple money—my past would make your pretty head spin. They called me Mors.”
“Mors?” she scoffs.
I resist the urge to nip her ear. Barely. “Yes, Mors. The Roman god of deception and persuasion. I always got the results I needed, and death was just one of many tools I used. I know how a true criminal organization, one rooted in the soil of the motherland, works. I’m not about to let some Americanized asshole who thinks he’s outgrown his sphere of influence control me. Angelo Lombardi might be a mob boss…but I’ve killed mob bosses before. And I definitely plan on doing it again.”
Victoria’s hands, caught against my chest, flatten and push, putting enough distance between us that I can see her face. Can see her gaping at me as if she can’t decide whether I’m the most dangerous man she’s ever seen or the most delusional.
Either way, I think I’ve made my point.
“You’re lying,” she mutters and I roll my eyes. Who the hell comes right out and confesses to murder? The crimes may have been committed in another country, but the United States government would still have something to say about it if they uncovered my past.
“I’d tell you to Google it,” I shrug, “but I wasn’t a hero in blue or a caped crusader that roamed the streets.”
“You play the violin.”
“Since the age of eight.”
Victoria gives a small tug against my hold, but I don’t let go. “Why aren’t you in jail?”
“I was.” She tenses and I feel a slight tremor rack her body at my admission. “But it wasn’t for anything to do with the Mors or the Giordanos.”
“What was it for?”
I shift my hands from her arms to her hips, seeking greater control over her body. What I have to say next isn’t going to ease her concerns in the least. “I’ll save that story for a rainy day.”
Victoria does exactly what I predicted, trying to shove me away, but I only tighten my hold on her, easing her back into my body.
“Careful now, princess,” I murmur, spreading my fingers over her lower back. “I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself before our wedding.”
“I’m not—” My right hand leaves her hip to cup her face, framing the curve of her jaw and preventing her from finishing that sentence.
We’re getting married.
It’s the only card I can play if I want to buy enough time to get myself—and Victoria—the fuck out of here.
“You’re going to be mine,” I demand, the last of my patience beginning to fray. “There is no other way around it, Victoria. You can hate me, curse me, write a damn entry in your diary about how unfair it is, but you agreed to marry me. And I’m not letting you out of that just because your piece of shit mother decided to make everything harder than necessary. You’re going to be under my protection…you’re going to be my wife.”
“Fuck you,” she hisses through her teeth. I love the way she’s lost some of her fear of me, leaning on her resentment instead. Maybe she’s more of a fighter than I gave her credit for. “You think you can own me?—”
“I don’t think, I know. You agreed to marry me. If I can’t take Angelo out of the picture in time…” The possibility doesn’t sit right with me, but I know it’s possible. I don’t know the ins and outs of how the Lombardi mob operates, what their weaknesses are. That’s a problem. I’ll have one chance to strike hard enough to hurt them and create a big enough mess that we’ll be able to make our escape before they can regroup. “Is Liam’s name on the trust agreement?”
Victoria presses her lips together, drawing my attention. I know how to make her talk.
But it wouldn’t be right.
And since when have I ever done shit the right way? I fucked a married woman for over a year without knowing it, and even when I found out about her husband, I still wanted her cunt like it was the air I breathed.
“This information is essential. I need to know whether we need to change gears. Come on, princess.” I gently lift her chin, bringing her face closer to mine. I can feel her breath stutter across her pink lips. “This doesn’t have to be hard. I’m only trying to keep you safe.”
Victoria’s sparkling blue eyes stare into mine. “I don’t trust you.”
“You’d be stupid if you did,” I state honestly. “I’ve done nothing to earn it.”
“Then what makes you think I should bet my entire life on you? You’re a murderer.”
“You never asked why I killed?—”
“I don’t care ,” she forces out, her jaw clenching underneath my touch. “I think I might have a better chance with Liam than I do you.”
That’s one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard. We both know Liam will fuck her over before they even finish exchanging rings. But Victoria needs to unleash her fury on someone, make them bleed, and I’m a ready target. It’s not like she has a chance in hell of getting through to her mother and talking to Liam will only earn her more lies. She’s furious and trapped with no way to claim the freedom she’s desperate for.
Unable to help myself, I drag my thumb across her bottom lip. She’s too tempting and I am greedy for every touch I can steal before she makes the biggest decision of her life.
If she runs from me and does the unthinkable—if she marries my nephew—I can guarantee Victoria will live to regret it.
If she marries me, she’ll have to get pregnant. The sooner the better.
But only if I’m unable to take Angelo off the board entirely.
“Why don’t you try me first, princess, before you decide to exchange me for the lesser model?”
“What does that mean—” I drop my hand, giving my mouth full access to her lips before I softly wrap my fingers around her throat.
Victoria does exactly what I want, what I demand. Her body relaxes as I lick across her lips, coaxing them wider to receive me.
She tastes candy sweet but with the underlying bitterness of tea and, while I hate the shit, I’m instantly addicted when she brushes her tongue against mine. A groan rumbles from my chest as I squeeze her closer, wanting more of her intoxicating taste. I plan to show Victoria every single thing I can do to drive her fucking wild for me.
And only me.
But what we’re already planning is complicated enough without adding sex. Without me knowing exactly what her cunt feels like as she comes around my cock.
Still, I need to know whether Liam’s name has been added to anything legal and this is the best way I know to get the answers I need. I have to know what the hell we’re doing if I’m going to make sure we both survive.
“I guess it doesn’t matter,” I mutter into the corner of her mouth before I begin peppering soft kisses across her jaw and down the column of her neck. “If his name is on the paperwork, you won’t have a choice.”
“He’s not,” she breathes in a sexy little whimper that shoots right to my cock. I have no problem using every weapon in my arsenal to make this woman see eye to eye with me, but I’d like the woman’s respect first. Without it, we’re not a team. I have to be able to count on her cooperation, hopefully with less bratty bullshit going forward.
I stroke her hips, gently kneading the swell of her ass as a reward for her answer. Gradually, I lighten my kisses and lift my head away.
I got the information I wanted.
I don’t need anything else, even if it’s right there for the taking.
“Are you sticking with me, princess?” I ask, towering over her again to look into those haunting crystal eyes. “I’m going to try to do this as easily as possible.”
“I don’t know how,” she whispers, a frown forming on lips I’ve just devoured. “We’re still short two million dollars.”
“I’ll figure it out,” I assure her. “I just need you to marry me. We’ll find a way past the pregnancy requirement, I promise.”
Victoria stares at me for another long second before giving me a curt nod.
“That’s a good girl.” I kiss her forehead for the hell of it before I give her hip a little tap. “Go home. You have class in the morning, and I know your professor expects punctuality.” I smirk at the sound of her disbelieving snort. “I have a meeting with Lombardi tomorrow evening. I’ll let you know how it goes.”
Victoria slips out of my arms and, without a backwards glance, she walks to her car and drives away.