Chapter Twelve
Vittoria
Sometimes I seriously questioned my taste in men.
And right now was one of those times. I was out shopping with Gia, Elena, Neomi and Arianna.
It was my first time seeing them since the club a few weeks ago.
After the stint I’d pulled at the club, Romeo grounded me from going out with my girlfriends.
Well, what he’d actually said was “unless I am with you to chaperone,” but I couldn’t exactly picture Il Diavolo sipping cocktails at girls’ night.
I’m pretty sure he knew what my reaction would be so I stuck close to home, whining and complaining like the little brat he sometimes referred to me as.
Although Romeo hadn’t changed toward me, something had definitely changed since the warehouse explosion.
He didn’t talk about it, but I caught whispers from others, servants, rumors mostly, that someone had infiltrated their ranks and was causing some serious issues.
His men were taken out, and even though that was expected in our way of life, soldiers died, but that didn’t make it easier for my husband, the man responsible for all of those lives.
My detail doubled with a new head of security, Leo.
He was older than Carlo had been, closer to my husband’s age, but he seemed to know his stuff.
Certainly, he knew how to shadow someone.
He was always right behind me, but unlike my usual hulking goons, he moved so quietly I sometimes forgot he was there.
Right now, Leo was just outside the dressing room where the girls and I went through stacks of designer clothes that none of us needed.
“Your new guard is sexy,” Gia purred.
Yeah, seriously questioning my tastes in friends!
“Leo? Or Julius?”
I knew it wasn’t Julius, no one thought he was hot. He was a silent giant whose eyes tracked me everywhere, his expression never changing. It wasn’t that his looks were unattractive, but his entire vibe was off-putting.
“Duh. Leo, of course. Is he, you know, attached?”
Neomi rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Gia, does it matter? You fuck them and dump them so quickly, why bother to find out what his status is?”
We giggled when Gia took on a defensive stance. “Some kind of friends you are.” She pouted and crossed her arms, earning more laughter from us.
I stared at my reflection and imagined Romeo tearing the dress off me, and oblivious to Gia until she suddenly demanded, “Well?”
“Well, what?” I asked. I kept my eyes wide and innocent, but I knew exactly what she was asking me.
“Ugh! You’re impossible.” She stomped her Louis Vuitton-clad foot down on the plush rug which swallowed any sound she’d been attempting to make. We dissolved into laughter, after a grudging smile, Gia joined in.
“I need more champagne,” she decided “Be right back.”
Of course, she went straight to Leo, whose duties did not usually include fetching drinks. We listened in as she flirted with my bodyguard, who sounded not the slightest bit interested in being anything beyond professional and polite to her.
“Is she for real?” Elena commented. “Why can’t she just stick to the websites like a normal person?”
Neomi burst out laughing. “Since when is online dating the new norm?”
“Who said anything about dating?” Elena shot back.
Neomi thought that over. “Well, that’s true.” The room erupted again.
“What’s so funny?” Gia asked. Her arms wrapped around fresh champagne flutes and a bottle of bubbly. “Are you going to help me or what?”
“What,” I blurted.
Elena and Neomi keeled over with laughter.
“Seriously, how old are you?” Gia chided.
“That’s rich, coming from you,” I chided back.
And on it went as we drank and tried on clothing.
The girls always reminded me what “carefree” felt like.
The emotion was fleeting, especially for a mafia princess, or queen in this case although I still didn’t feel like one.
I was still in the tower waiting to be rescued.
Independence, saving myself, I realized was what that looked like, or so I assumed. How would I really know until I had it?
Although he hadn’t changed toward me, our time together had.
I saw Romeo less and less, and despite our marriage, I didn’t feel like Romeo’s wife.
More like something convenient. Mmm at least a mistress could expect to be wined and dined, this was more like a booty call with most of our time together sexual and always at his convenience.
I would always wake up alone in the morning, which made me feel even more whorish.
The only thing missing was money on my nightstand.
More than a month had passed and I didn’t know anything more about my enigmatic husband than the day I married him.
I never made him breakfast, so I didn’t know what his favorite food was.
His favorite color? I hadn’t a clue, but if I had to guess, I’d say black, as that was ninety percent of his wardrobe.
Dark, like him and his moods. Our one unexpected date was the only time I’d seen him in a pair of jeans.
The constant issues, the late nights… I sighed, not meaning to be vocal, but loud enough for Neomi to hear me. She laced her fingers in mine and squeezed. “Are you okay, Vittoria?”
“Yes. Fine.” I painted on my facade. “Thank you for asking.”
I could tell she didn’t believe me, but she didn’t push for more information, thankfully, as I knew the unspoken rule in our world—Silence was survival.
We were done shopping and more than a little tipsy, as we paid for our purchases. Julius escorted me to the car. As I stepped in, I caught Leo typing on Gia’s phone. Maybe he liked her after all. I pretended not to notice when he joined us a moment later.
“Where to, Mrs. Vitale?” he asked without making eye contact.
“It’s Vittoria, Leo, please call me by my first name. Follow Gia, we’re going to the beach.”
Julius and Leo exchanged glances. “It’s not safe,” Julius rumbled. “Too public. We’ll have to call for backup.”
I slammed myself back into the seat to show my annoyance. “Fine, if you’re calling the house anyway, have Esmeralda pack me a beach bag, and your backup can bring it with them and meet us there.”
When we arrived, I chased everyone out of the car and had them face outward so I could change.
This wasn’t a well-planned day at all. We weren’t even going to come to the beach until Gia suggested it as we walked outside into the gorgeous sunshine.
Meh, why not be a little spontaneous once in a while?
So what if my guards didn’t like it? I used to escape all the time, they should be happy I hadn’t pulled that on them yet.
Stepping out of the vehicle, I passed off my bag to Julius and strutted down the beach in a bikini that showed off everything. In fact, it was less a swimsuit and more an artful arrangement of string.
I was way more exposed than I’d been at the club, and I could see heads turning further down the beach.
Some might even be taking photos. Knowing Romeo would react negatively if he saw pictures of his wife, covering up would have been prudent, too bad I wasn’t feeling like adulting today and thinking about my husband’s reaction.
I plunked myself down on the blankets beneath the umbrella Julius set up for me.
“Wow, V, you look stunning,” Gia said admiringly, then smirked. “Are you sure your husband would approve?”
Good-natured teasing had always been part of our friendship, but for some reason, I bristled. “You know what, Gia? Mind your own business.”
I left them all with their mouths agape and headed for the water. I walked out until the water was level with my chin and dove under.
I was a good swimmer, having grown up with a massive backyard pool. Drifting on my back with the waves gently bouncing me was just what I needed. I had just begun to relax when a hand popped out of the water beside me and clamped over my mouth.
“Shh, Vittoria, it’s Carlo,” a familiar voice said. “Don’t scream or you’ll alert your guards.”
I nodded and he removed his hand. He was on the open ocean side of my body so there was a good chance no one on shore could see his head bobbing just above the water line.
“I thought you were dead!” I blurted, then realized I wasn’t far off. Most of his face was still healing from an obvious beat-down. Light green and yellowish bruises covered his chest and arms.
Carlo laughed bitterly. “It came close. Your husband did not appreciate the nature of your outing.”
So it was my fault this had happened. “I’m sorry. Did you lose your job because of me?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m here for you, Vittoria.”
I didn’t like how that sounded and instinctively swam back a little. “What do you mean by, for you?”
He gave me one of his dazzling smiles. Beneath the swelling and bruising, he really was a very good-looking man. “I couldn’t leave you with that monster. You said you wanted to escape your husband. I came back to help you.”
Panic bubbled inside of me, but why? This was the opportunity I’d been looking for all along, the one I’d given up on ever finding, so why wasn’t I excited?
I hadn’t missed Carlo describing my husband as a monster, and disagreed with that assessment, despite his punishments and moods, but then, we were still in the honeymoon phase.
Perhaps what I was seeing wasn’t his true self and I should leave before being exposed to his true colors.
I could go to South America, change my name and dye my hair and finally be free from the Calogeràs, the Vitales, the whole bloody business.
Maybe, just maybe, I would find my prince charming there.
I wasn’t ready to give up on my childhood dream of finding the one who would make me a priority in his life before all else.
For Romeo, la familia would always come first. He would look for me, yes, but eventually he would stop.
I was surprised at the flare of anger I felt when imagining my husband with another woman.
“What’s the plan?” I asked.