Santino (The Italian Mafia Underworld #6)

Chapter 1 Liana

I have forty days to make Santino Marcello hate me.

Shouldn't be that hard. I've done it to better men.

"Stop fidgeting." My younger sister, Gia, slaps my hand away from the hem of my dress. "You look perfect."

"I don't want to look perfect." I turn from the mirror, studying my reflection with a critical eye. The black dress hugs every curve, sophisticated and elegant. Exactly what a mafia princess should wear to meet her future husband. "I want to look forgettable."

"Too late for that." My sister perches on the edge of my bed, watching me with those knowing dark eyes we inherited from our mother. "Papa already sent him your photo. He knows what you look like."

The photo where I'm smiling like I'm thrilled about this arrangement instead of plotting its destruction.

I resume pacing my bedroom. Through the window, I can see the Costa family estate sprawling below. Manicured gardens, high walls, armed guards at every entrance.

My kingdom. My legacy to take over when Papa steps down.

At least, it was supposed to be.

"This is insane," I mutter, staring out at the estate. "We're living in the twenty-first century and I'm being married off like property."

"Welcome to mafia tradition." Gia's voice is dry. "Where the man gets to decide everything and the woman gets to smile and look pretty."

"Papa trained me for all this." I gesture toward the estate below. "Meetings since I was ten. Strategy, negotiation, how to read a balance sheet. I'm ready to run our operations, and instead he's handing it all to a stranger. What was the point in training me if I have to give it all up?"

“Papa is getting old and you know his health isn’t as good as it used to be,” Gia says. “He’s trying to look out for us if something happens to him. Besides its tradition. There’s no point in fighting it.”

"Screw the Forty Days Tradition!" I spit out the words.

"Forty days together, then Santino decides if we marry. Not me. Him. I don't even get a vote in my own life. Can you believe the marriage contract is already drafted? As soon as he says yes, we get married and then every Costa asset, business, and holding transfers to Santino’s name for ‘continuity of leadership’ when something happens to Papa. Everything that belongs to us gets put into his name because he’s a man. Not mine, not yours."

"Can’t you just refuse to marry him?"

"I wish. That's not how this works." My hands curl into fists. "He's the only one who can end this arrangement voluntarily. Which means I need to make him want to."

Gia's eyes light up with understanding. "You're going to drive him away."

"That’s the plan. I'm going to be the most exhausting, infuriating, insane fiancée he's ever met." A slow smile spreads across my face. "I'm going to make his life so chaotic, so unbearable, that walking away is his only option."

"That's risky. If Papa finds out what you're doing..."

"Papa won't find out. Because I'm going to look like I'm trying really hard." I meet her eyes. "I'll just be spectacularly bad at it."

"You really think you can pull this off?"

"I don’t have a choice. Our future depends on it." I grab my clutch. "The alternative is losing our birthright and everything I've worked for."

My father, Dominic Costa, is a powerful Don. He raised me to understand the business, to sit in on meetings, to learn strategy. He taught me everything I need to know to run this family.

And then he arranged for me to marry it all away.

Because tradition says a woman can't be in charge. Tradition says I'm just here to transfer power from my father to whatever man he chooses.

"Forty days," I say quietly. "That's all I have."

“At least you have that much time to ensure compatibility instead of marrying you off to a complete stranger. What’s the worse that can happen if he decides not to marry you?” Gia asks.

"The arrangement is dissolved, and our family is dishonored,” I say.

"Papa will be furious, of course. The Marcellos will be insulted. It could damage the alliance, but at least we keep what is ours. And it’s better than spending the rest of my life as decoration while some man runs the empire I was born to lead. ”

I was ten when I first sat in on a business meeting. Sixteen when Papa started teaching me about our operations. Twenty-one when he told me I was ready to take on real responsibility. And now, at twenty-eight, I'm supposed to hand it all to Santino Marcello.

"So, you make him dump you." Gia's voice pulls me back to the present. "Make him so miserable he walks away on Day Forty."

"Hopefully way before Day Forty." I smooth down my dress, checking my reflection one more time. "I'll be the worst girlfriend he's ever had. Annoying, clingy, crazy. Whatever it takes."

"Papa will be mad." Gia stands, walking over to adjust my necklace. "Even though he taught you about the business, he hoped we would be more like Mama. Quiet and supportive but content to stay out of the details."

I think about my mother, Elena Costa. Beautiful, gracious, the perfect mafia wife. She runs the household, plans the charity galas, stays far away from anything that might be considered actual business. She's never questioned my father's decisions. Never challenged tradition.

She's exactly what Papa wants me to become.

"Well, he's going to get his wish." I meet my sister's eyes. "I'll be so obedient, so eager to please, so desperately devoted that Santino Marcello will run away."

"Are you absolutely sure about this? He's Vincent Marcello's son. Grew up in this life. He knows how things work."

"Even better. Men who grow up with power think they're untouchable. They think they can handle anything. He's not going to see me coming."

"And if he figures out what you're doing?"

"He won't." I inject confidence I don't entirely feel into my voice. "Men like Santino Marcello have expectations. They want a beautiful wife, a powerful name, control of an empire. He's going to get the beautiful wife part. Everything else?" I smile. "That's where things get interesting."

Gia looks worried. "What if you actually like him?"

I freeze. "What? No way."

"I'm serious. What if he's not what you expect? What if he's different?"

"Then I'll admire him from a distance." I pull free. "After he dumps me."

"But what if you can't go through with it? What if you start to care?"

"Gia." I turn to face her fully. "This is our family.

Our legacy. Everything I've worked for, everything I've trained for.

I'm not handing it to some man just because tradition says so.

I don't care if Santino Marcello is the most charming, attractive, perfect man on the planet. He's not getting our family business."

My sister studies me for a long moment, then nods. "Okay. But for the record? I think this is going to be harder than you think."

"Noted." I head for the door, then pause. "How do I look?"

"Like a woman about to ruin a man's life."

"Thanks for the compliment."

I take the stairs down to the main floor where the meeting will happen. Our house is full of people. Costa family members, associates, soldiers. They all watch me descend, and I can read their thoughts like they're written on their faces.

Poor Liana. Being married off to the Marcellos. At least Santino's handsome. That'll make it easier. Wonder if she knows what she's getting into.

I keep my expression serene, my spine straight. They can think whatever they want. In forty days, I'll still be here, still in control, and Santino Marcello will be a distant memory.

Uncle Tommaso intercepts me at the bottom of the stairs. He's my father's younger brother, and he's been trying to position himself as the family's future second-in-command. Another man who thinks he deserves power more than I do.

"Liana." He kisses both my cheeks, his cologne overwhelming. "You look beautiful. Your father is very pleased about this arrangement."

"Is he?" I keep my voice light. "Or is he just pleased he found someone to take over so he doesn't have to deal with having a daughter in charge?"

Tommaso's smile tightens. "The Marcellos are a powerful family. This alliance strengthens both sides. You should be honored they’re interested."

"Honored that I get to be a bargaining chip?" I tilt my head. "Oh, Uncle, I'm overflowing with gratitude."

"Careful now, someone might hear you." His voice drops. "You may not like this arrangement, but it's happening. Don't embarrass the family."

I want to tell him that the family embarrassed itself when it decided a woman couldn't lead. That I'm more qualified than half the men in this room. That if he thinks I'm going to quietly hand over my birthright, he's delusional.

Instead, I smile. "I would never do anything to embarrass the family."

He studies me suspiciously, but before he can respond, my mother appears at my elbow.

"Liana, darling." She’s the picture of elegance. Perfect hair, perfect dress, perfect smile. "The Marcellos will be here any moment. Come, your father wants to see you."

I follow her through the crowd to my father's study. Dominic Costa sits behind his massive desk, every inch the Don. Silver hair, sharp eyes, an air of authority that fills the room.

"Liana." He doesn't stand. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." I keep my voice neutral.

"This is an important alliance." He leans back in his chair. "Vincent and I have been discussing this for months. Together, our families will be unstoppable."

"Under Santino's leadership," I clarify.

"That's tradition, as you well know." Papa's tone brooks no argument.

"And if Santino decides he doesn't want to marry me?"

"Then you will have failed this family." Papa's voice is cold. "But I expect you to make this work. Am I clear?"

Crystal clear.

"Yes, Papa."

"That’s what I want to hear." He stands finally. "Now go. Be charming. Be gracious. Show the Marcellos why you're worthy of their name."

I leave the study, my mother trailing behind me. "Liana." Her voice is soft. "I know this is difficult."

"Do you?" I stop, turning to face her. "Was your marriage to Papa arranged too?"

"Yes." She doesn't hesitate. "And I was furious. But I learned to make the best of it. I learned my role. And I've been happy."

"Have you?" I study her face. "Or have you just been content to play your role?"

She frowns at me. "There's nothing wrong with contentment."

"There's nothing wrong with wanting more, either."

"Wanting more as a woman in our world..." She trails off. "It's complicated."

"It's only complicated because men make it that way." I soften my tone. "Mama, you're brilliant. You could have done anything. Been anything. Don't you ever wonder what that would have been like?"

"No." But her eyes say yes. "I have my life. My family. That's enough."

It's not enough for me. It'll never be enough. But I don't say that. Instead, I kiss her cheek. "I should get back."

"Liana." She catches my arm. "Give this man a chance. Santino. You might be surprised."

"I'm sure I will be." Just not in the way she thinks.

I return to the main room where people are gathering. Through the windows, I can see cars pulling up the long driveway. The Marcellos are arriving.

My heart kicks up, but I keep my breathing steady. This is it. The beginning of the end.

Or the beginning of the beginning, depending on how you look at it.

Gia appears beside me. "Ready?"

"I hope so."

"Remember your plan?"

"Of course. Phase One. Be perfect. Let him think he's won." I watch the cars get closer. "Then starting tomorrow, show him what a nightmare I can be."

She smiles and touches my arm. "You've got this."

The doors open, and the Marcello family enters. I recognize Vincent Marcello first. He's a powerful Don, probably in his sixties now, with silver hair and the bearing of someone who's commanded respect his entire life. His wife is beside him, elegant and reserved.

And then I see him.

Santino Marcello.

Damn. He's gorgeous. Tall, easily over six feet, with dark hair and eyes. He's wearing a dark suit, and he moves with the confidence of a man who's never been turned down in his life.

I bet he’s arrogant.

I can see it in the set of his shoulders, the way his eyes sweep the room like he's already planning how to reorganize it. He has no idea what’s coming for him.

I watch him talk to his father, to his men. There are four of them with him. His crew, probably. One older, maybe in his fifties. Three younger, closer to Santino's age. They're scanning the room, evaluating threats, exits, power dynamics.

Santino says something to them, and one of them laughs. He's comfortable with them. These aren't just employees. They're his people. They like him.

Interesting.

My father moves forward to greet Vincent Marcello. The two Dons shake hands, all formality and tradition. This is as much a business merger as it is a marriage arrangement.

Maybe more so.

With me trapped in the middle.

I stay where I am, waiting. Let them do their masculine posturing. Let them shake hands and make plans. In forty days, none of it will matter.

The families are mingling now. People greeting each other, old alliances being reinforced. The elder, ancient Tony Greco, arrives to officiate. He'll explain the Forty Days Tradition, set the parameters, make it all official.

This is really happening.

I take a breath and smooth down my dress. Check my reflection in a nearby mirror one last time. I look poised. Exactly what they all expect. Gia catches my eye and gives me a small nod.

Someone announces that it's time for the formal introduction. Everyone starts moving toward the main sitting room where the ceremony will take place.

This is it.

The moment where Liana Costa meets her future husband. Except he's not going to be my future husband. He's going to be my greatest failure.

And I'm going to make sure of it.

I reach the top of the stairs leading down to where everyone's gathering. Take one more breath. I start down the stairs, and every eye in the room turns to watch me descend.

Including his.

Santino Marcello is standing at the bottom, waiting. Watching. Those dark eyes tracking my every move.

Let him watch.

Let him think he knows what's coming.

By the time these forty days are over, he's going to wish he'd never heard the name Liana Costa.

I reach the last step.

It's time for the show to begin.