Chapter 24
Godfather Games
Autumn
Leo strokes my shoulder, waking me up gently. I blink, opening my eyes with a groan as I stretch. Leo sits on the side of the bed next to me. It’s been two days since his birthday dinner and last night I’d been up late watching movies. Prepared I was not for an early morning.
“Morning, sweetheart,” he says.
“Morning,” I mumble. “What time is it?”
“Almost seven. I wanted to have breakfast with you before I left,” he answers, as I sit up and rub my head. Left? “Owen will be with you today. I want you to stay in the hotel until I return.”
“Wait, hold on, where are you going?” I finally focus on him, pinching my brows together. His face is impassive, almost closed off. “What’s wrong?”
“I have to go meet with Renato.” My eyes widen. “He got word that I’m here.”
“How?”
“Likely informants in the city.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“No, you need to stay here.”
“Hold on, Leo. I’m not having you leave by yourself after us hiding in Rome for over two weeks. And Renato finding out by you not telling him.”
“Ringer and Animal will be with me.”
“And me.”
Leo sighs, kissing my temple. “Don’t fight me on this, Autumn,”
“Who’s fighting?” I ask, getting out of bed. “I don’t want you going alone.”
He gives me a disgruntled expression, standing as I start to pull my robe on.
“My uncle is very traditional, Autumn. I don’t run my organizations how most mafia families run them.
I’ve already been given disrespect for having two women so high in status.
” I give him a perplexed look. “Mila is at a Capo rank, and Chiari is practically a Consigliere. There’ve been women that high before, but not in the Luciano, Marchetti, or Salvadori families.
Not to mention, you sitting in as boss. Women traditionally aren’t allowed near the business, especially those who married in. ”
“Except he doesn’t know we’re married.”
“And I want to keep it that way.”
Holy cabooses, I need coffee. I try to make sense of what Leo’s truly worried about. Other than Renato realizing we’ve been hiding in Rome. I don’t think that’s the reason.
“If he’s that traditional on how things are run, wouldn’t that mean he won’t touch me because I’m a woman? Or am I missing something?”
Leo stiffens, jaw going rigid, and I know there’s something else missing.
“As we’ve discussed before getting married,” he says, walking to the doors. “I can’t protect you as easily as my fiancé, but I will not risk his retaliation now if he discovers we’re married.”
Retaliation?
I follow Leo through the living room to the kitchenette. It’s quiet, but the doors to the balcony are open, letting in the early morning city noises.
“Is there something else going on with Renato I don’t know about?”
“I don’t want him playing mind games with you next,” Leo responds, grabbing a couple of cups. I stop, staring at him as he pours the coffee into them. I rub my head again. Crud muffins.
“Leo, why are you worried about him retaliating? Because we were in Rome this entire time?”
“No.”
“Then…what?”
He pauses, shoulders tensing as he puts the pot down. Slowly, I walk up behind him and place my hand over his on one of the mugs. His head tilts down to look at where our hands touch. My other strokes up his back, and he shudders slightly.
“I didn’t tell you everything,” he whispers. “Why we needed to keep our marriage secret longer.”
My brows pinch together. What would Leo have left out? Something tells me it has to do with Renato and his family. It has been a key denominator.
I step to the side, grabbing the cup of coffee and sip it for the caffeine I may need. Leo watches me, quiet as I take another sip. Looking up at him, he averts his gaze and tightens his jaw.
“Leo.”
“In the last five years, Renato has tried to arrange three marriages for me. To him, I’ve been engaged three times to women he’s selected, and I’ve failed every single one.”
I freeze. Yup, that’d be something he’d hide. But also…what in the fucking Hallmark prince movie plot?
“I never agreed to any of them,” he whispers.
Pieces click into place. It wasn’t just because Leo didn’t trust everyone that he protects his privacy so rigorously.
Those first few months being under everyone’s radar with him, wasn’t only because of who he was, but to keep his family, namely his uncle, away.
He’d have hounded Leo, probably did when he found out about me.
Someone who wasn’t what he wanted. And if Leo is deemed a “failure” in that area, there’s a chance Renato will turn to another to accomplish what Leo could not.
“Let me guess…” I murmur, drinking more coffee, “…they were young, Italian women who had connections to family wealth, and other things?”
“Yes,” he answers roughly.
“Women Renato could control?” He nods. “Because your grandmother had passed.” He nods again. “And Matteo is…”
“A remanent of my father only.”
And Renato’s wife, Fiorella, wouldn’t be able to control the Luciano fortune, being a Salvadori instead. The last Luciano matriarch was dead. Leo and Gabriel were it for that bloodline’s survival.
Leo is Renato’s last play for more power, and arranging a marriage, like they’d done to his mother, would do that. I knew his family was conniving, but trying to force Leo into a marriage? All while dismissing Matteo completely, too? Or worse…choosing Gabriel over Leo.
Fuck, how far is his family willing to go in trying to make him his father?
Is that why he didn’t tell me? He told me about women in his past, those he’s actually had relations with and who earned him a reputation of being a heartless, fuck-boy.
Love them and leave them. Yet, here he was with more shame on his face than when I’d first learned about that part of his past.
It wasn’t his choice.
The secret wasn’t that he’d almost been forced into several marriages, but what I would be walking into. The kind of people who do that, without regarding his feelings, would not regard me. People willing to take away autonomy instead.
I turn on my heel, striding towards the bedroom as Leo exhales sharply. His footsteps quickly follow me. “Autumn.”
I go to the closet, pulling out a simple sundress and toss it onto the bed. Leo enters the bedroom, breathing heavily as he tries to get me to stop.
“Autumn, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. Please, whatever I…what are you doing?”
I pull out a jean jacket. “Deciding what to wear when I leave with you. I’ll be out for breakfast after.”
“Autumn, trust me—”
“Oh, I trust you, it’s the rest of your conceited, damn family that I don’t trust.” I fling the jacket onto the bed next.
“I do not trust you going without me to see Renato. Mafia rules be damned. Those values went out the fucking window every fucking time someone has tried to kill me or you in the past few months.”
He stops with his brows pulling harshly together. “You’re not angry I didn’t tell you?”
“Why would I be angry? I didn’t give a damn about the women you were with before me, I still don’t, so I definitely don’t care about those who expected you to marry them.
And that you’ve never met.” I face him, holding my left hand up.
“You married me. Not them. I do not need or crave approval of a narcissistic jackass to deem me worthy of being your wife. We both know who would have approved of me, even if she’s not here anymore, because she trusted you.
” His face falls. “But damn it, Leo, tell me these things. I won’t leave you because of your past. No secrets. ”
He stares at me as I huff out a breath.
“I know you’re used to dealing with him alone, but not anymore.
Unlike the Crew, I can do things they can’t.
” Besides choking you with a rosary. Let’s keep that to ourselves, Autumn, you’re worked up.
I take a deep breath, cooling myself down as I remember who I’m mad at, and it’s not him.
Just frustrated. “I love you, and your family will not scare me off.”
I start to turn away, until Leo’s hand snaps forward to grab my wrist. I look back at him, seeing emotions warring on his face. He whispers, “I don’t want him to take you from me.”
“No one’s taking me from you.” I step closer as worried hazel eyes meet mine. “I promise. I’m here.”
His forehead comes down to rest against mine.
“You and me, mister Americano,” I say quietly. He snorts, then nods gently.
Leo then cups my cheek, holding me tenderly as he kisses me. Soft lips move against mine. He then speaks against them, “I love you.”
“I love you.” I give him another kiss. “Now, let me get changed so I can have caffeine before dealing with your uncle.”
We drive outside the city. Land I haven’t seen of Italy flashes past as Rudy drives to Renato’s villa.
It’s somewhere closer to the coast, a little over an hour drive away.
Leo hasn’t let go of my hand since we’ve gotten into the car.
He stares out the window, concentrating with brows harshly furrowed.
He wears a cream-colored button-up with short sleeves and dark brown pants.
He also shaved, his sharper features clearer now and his dark hair swept back.
He’s very much the picture of a mafia boss who should be lounging on the beach with a drink.
I’m in a peach sundress with my jean jacket and converse. I wanted to appear non-threatening, almost sweet in hopes of Renato letting his guard down. Nor was I about to be caught running in heels. Nope.
I squeeze his hand, and he brings them up to kiss my knuckles delicately. The emerald on my finger sparkles. My stomach clenches, not seeing the wedding band. Both of ours were left at the hotel. Thankfully, there’s no tan line on either of our fingers to give hint to the truth.
Worry travels over me as I take a breath, looking back out at the scenery.