Chapter 2 #2
Getting a look at Valentina before we actually met might yield absolutely nothing, but it was worth the risk.
I needed to use every available weapon at my disposal if I wanted this marriage to succeed on my family’s terms. Because as much as I hated to admit it, we were at a disadvantage with this setup.
Unlike the Romanos, who were essentially royals of the criminal underworld, we De Lucas were upstarts.
We hadn’t been at this game for one hundred fucking years.
We hadn’t established our lawless dynasty in the old country, maintaining contacts across Italy even in the twenty-first century.
The Romanos had come to America a hundred years ago, playing a long game that stretched across time and continents.
Meanwhile, even though my old man had been born in Italy, he had left as a teenager, fleeing a mafia don who wanted his head on a stick.
My old man couldn’t dare return home. He’d be killed on sight and so would the rest of us.
America had been the only safe bet,. and luckily for us, that gamble had paid off.
We controlled New Jersey and were pushing into New York.
Though our profits were bigger than they had ever been, we were on the verge of joining forces with our mortal enemies.
A sign that the Romanos were still stronger.
They had more territory, better connections, and more members.
On paper, they were the most powerful. But my family hadn’t spent the past forty years becoming the biggest and strongest crime syndicate in New Jersey because we feared power.
If an opponent was stronger, we used their weaknesses and strengths against them.
It would be the same with the Romanos. While my father and I disagreed about the methods, we were both on the same page about the need to take our enemies off the chessboard.
And no matter how much as I resented this arranged marriage the Romano girl, I didn’t refuse my father’s orders.
A don’s word was law. Refusal came with severe consequences, even for a don’s right hand, even for a don’s son.
I had to go through with this. Especially after giving my word.
Refusal was bad enough, but there was nothing worse than going back on one’s word.
The opera went on without me paying any attention to it. My focus was on staying prepared if the Romanos planned on betraying us, and on the chance that they weren’t plotting against us, I had to concentrate on making my move to see my future bride.
Minutes before the end of the opera, I got out of my seat and evaded Romano security as I made my way up to the private boxes. If I was going to get a glimpse of my future bride, now was the time to do it.
I was heading up the stairs to the private boxes when the thunderous applause came. Finally, the opera was over.
VIPs were exiting their private boxes as I strode into the hallway leading to the exclusive seating area.
Using the crowd to my advantage, I blended in, then I stuck to the shadows, the Romano henchmen too focused on the family to notice my presence.
Up ahead, I noted several members of the Romano family moving toward the VIP exit.
The crowd was starting to thin. That was when I noticed her further down the hall. Valentina Romano, heading for the exit with their family lawyer. She paused suddenly, turning to look over her shoulder in my direction.
Gorgeous as she was in her photos, they did not do her justice.
Valentina was perfection. Creamy skin, full, pouty lips that were made for kissing, and a body that stopped me in my tracks.
She was so stunning, I couldn’t decide which part of her to settle on.
My gaze went up and down several times as I took her in.
It was only when my eyes locked on hers that I discovered the part of her that would truly bring a man to his knees.
There was a fierce intelligence behind those captivating blue eyes, her gaze like a lance through me.
I was hidden by shadow, so I knew she couldn’t see me as well as I could see her, but I got the sense she didn’t need to get a good look at me.
I caught the determination of her lifted chin, followed by the suspicion that made her blue eyes narrow.
In that moment, I understood what I was up against. This woman was no fool.
She was observant and knew without seeing my face that I wasn’t supposed to be here.
A sign that even beyond her intelligence, she had good instincts.
Woman’s intuition was the same as a man’s gut feeling and I realized how fucking hard it was going to be to lie to her.
Not only was she aware of her surroundings, she seemed to have a damn good capacity for threat assessment.
Suddenly, she averted her gaze as she started to tear her small handbag open.
I could very well guess what she was about to do.
Valentina wasn’t opening her bag to grab some lipstick.
She was either reaching into her handbag for a phone to alert security, or she had a weapon of some kind.
In such close quarters, it wasn’t likely to be pepper spray, so that meant either a gun or a knife if she wasn’t trying to get her hands on a phone.
Time to get the fuck out of here.
I stepped back further into the shadows, grabbing the heavy medallion hanging from my neck to shove it back underneath my shirt collar.
With the vision of her in my head, I went back downstairs. Guests were still filing out of the main lobby of the opera house when I met up with McClain and the associates on my security team.
Across the lobby, I spotted Francesco Romano, the lawyer who I had seen escorting Valentina out of the private box. One of Don Romano’s nephews, if memory served.
The lawyer wasn’t walking with security, but that didn’t mean there weren’t any guards around.
“Not long now,” the valet said, following my gaze to the lawyer, who was swaggering toward us.
I nodded. The lawyer had acted as our go-between during the engagement negotiations. His arrival in the lobby signaled that I’d soon be meeting Don Romano and his daughter.
When the lawyer approached, he stopped in front of me, an angry expression on his face.
“What the hell was that?” Francesco demanded. “She almost saw you.”
I shrugged, refusing to take the bait and lose my cool.
If the lawyer turned out to be a hothead, I needed to stay calm and exercise restraint.
As long as I was on Romano turf, I ran the risk of getting double-crossed.
This whole engagement could be a setup for an attempt on my life.
I needed to keep a level head so I could watch out for any sign of trouble.
That meant I couldn’t lose my cool, no matter how much I despised Francesco and the rest of the Romanos.
“She’s going to meet me soon enough,” I said smoothly. “Fifteen minutes isn’t going to make a difference.”
“She doesn’t know,” Francesco said through gritted teeth.
I gave him a hard look. “What the fuck? What do you mean she doesn’t know?”
Francesco’s eyes darted around as he glanced at the security guards standing by.
Seeing his unease, I muttered instructions to the guards. They immediately marched to the far side of the lobby, leaving me alone with McClain and Francesco Romano.
“Explain,” I prompted, my jaw clenching.
Francesco heaved out a sigh. “Valentina didn’t know about the engagement. Her father is informing her as we speak.”
“What the hell! You didn’t tell her?” I shook my head in disbelief. “You said this was a done deal.”
“It is,” Francesco insisted. “Valentina is loyal. She’ll do her duty.”
Fucking hell, I really had my work cut out for me tonight. “If this is a trick—”
“It’s no trick,” Francesco interrupted. “You know how women are. They’re not as practical. A long, drawn-out engagement will just put fanciful ideas in her head. This way there’s less time for her to get cold feet.”
“That woman is probably smarter than the two of us combined,” I said tersely. “And now, you have put me in a very difficult position. Because if Valentina Romano thought she hated me before, she’ll fucking loathe me now that you’ve sprung an engagement on her.”
“She’ll get over it,” Francesco said, but it sounded a hell of a lot more like he was trying to convince himself than me.
“You’ll forgive me for being unconvinced,” I bit out.
An arranged marriage was one thing. But arranging that marriage without the bride’s input?
Fear of the Romanos double-crossing me paled in comparison to earning the wrath of a beautiful woman who I was starting to suspect had very nearly drawn a weapon on me earlier tonight.
Or at the very least, she’d been prepared to call someone to violently eject me from her father’s opera house.
Clearly, the Romano henchmen and the male members of the family were nothing compared to a woman capable of holding her own against me.