Chapter 4
Valentina
The moon was out, illuminating my way across the courtyard. My father was marching behind me. His way of protecting me as we approached the enemy. The enemy he was marrying me off to.
I huffed. There hardly seemed any point in Papa trying to protect me since he was handing me over to the enemy.
As we walked silently, I felt like a prized mare being handed over to her new owner. Hatred and humiliation burned through me in equal measure. This did not feel like an alliance. It felt like we were bending the knee to our inferiors.
Up ahead, Enzo De Luca was the picture of arrogance.
He stood straight and proud, towering over us.
Enzo was tall, with broad shoulders, and a strong, square jaw to match.
As I approached him, I saw the way he assessed me.
With judgement and suspicion, and then, with a self-satisfied gleam in his eyes.
No doubt he believed that he was getting the better part of the deal in this bargain.
I was the weak woman who would do as she was told.
Well, he was wrong. Even now I had a plan.
I had no intention of marrying Enzo, or any other De Luca.
It was true that I had never disobeyed my father.
No one who knew him would dare. But I could still get my way.
All I had to do was show Enzo what a disaster this would be.
Show him that marriage wasn’t in his interest. With both of us on the same page, we could have enough of a united front to stop this wedding.
My plan meant that I had to find a balance between antagonizing him enough for him to hate the idea of marrying me, while getting him to see my point of view.
It seemed an impossible proposition, to make my enemy into a temporary ally at the same time.
But I had every intention of accomplishing the impossible.
I would remind Enzo of our mutual hatred and then, make him realize that the hostility was too great to overcome.
It would be the one thing we would ever agree on.
And then, once the engagement was called off, I could go back to getting my revenge on the entire De Luca clan.
When I finally stopped in front of Enzo, I had to tilt my head back in order to meet his gaze. But meet it I did. Gone was the self-satisfaction—now his dark eyes were pitiless. Cold, with a ruthless brutality behind them.
I shivered. His gaze was unforgiving and I could see both malice and superiority in the way he was blatantly evaluating me.
Alarm bells in my head warned that this was a dangerous man.
They warned that shrinking back would be my only hope for survival.
But as intimidating as I found him, I wasn’t going to let fear rule me.
I would ignore my sense of unease in Enzo’s presence and hold my own against him.
Let him have the full force of a Romano’s power.
Behind me, I could hear my father making the introductions, giving me time to appraise Enzo for myself.
He was dark-haired, the glossy black locks cresting over his proud forehead.
His face was chiseled, harsh as cut glass, with sharp cheekbones and a full arrogant mouth that turned up cruelly at the corners.
While there was a severity to his face, I had to accept that he was handsome with a physique so toned that I could tell how muscular he was underneath that expensive Italian suit he wore.
There was a strength to him that made me feel outmatched.
Compared to his understated brawn, I was fragile. Easily crushed between his large hands.
With my heart pounding wildly, I met Enzo’s gaze directly. I was not going to allow this man to intimidate me. I would not be cowed or subdued. I had one hundred years of my family’s empire at my back and I intended to use everything I had against this man.
After my father’s introduction, Enzo said, “Good of you to join us, Don Romano.”
His voice was a deep baritone. Low and hard as granite.
To me, Enzo said, “A pleasure to meet you, Valentina.”
His voice was still hard as he said my name, but there was a sensual undercurrent to the way he pronounced those four syllables. The way he uttered my name ignited a spark inside me.
To my horror, part of me welcomed that spark, my body flooding with heat at the sound of my name on his tongue.
If I had any hope of concentrating on my goal of ending this engagement, I couldn’t get swept away by this man and whatever tricks he planned on using to try to disarm me.
A handsome face was not going to deter me.
I didn’t want to lie and say that it was a pleasure to meet him, so all I did was give Enzo a nod of acknowledgment.
It was then that I noticed movement in the periphery of my vision. Several of my father’s men were surrounding the courtyard, blending into the shadows directly beneath the mounted floodlights.
“I would like to speak to Enzo privately,” I said, glancing around at the men surrounding us.
Enzo noticed where my eyes were going and said, “I’m sure the guards are here for your protection.”
“Do I need protection from you?” I asked, daring him to defy my desires.
That brought a ghost of a smile to Enzo’s lips, but the smile didn’t reach his merciless dark eyes. “I will serve as your protector.”
Over my shoulder I said, “Papa, please grant me this favor. I want to speak to Enzo alone.”
I didn’t want anyone overhearing us during our first meeting. Partially because I didn’t want anyone to guess what my plan was, but mostly because I thought a first encounter between a bride and groom ought to be private. Even if I had no intention of going through with this wedding.
“I will ask the men to fall back so that they can’t overhear you,” my father said behind me. “But they will be close enough to come to your aid should that need arise.”
Those words indicated that my father still didn’t trust Enzo. I made a mental note to use the distrust to my advantage in the future. Perhaps there was a chance I could get my father to conclude that it was too risky to marry into the De Luca family. I’d make him think it was his idea of course.
As my father and his men withdrew, apprehension fanned through me. Despite the security guards to protect me, I was still unsettled in this man’s presence. Enzo was not the type to put a woman at ease. Under his scrutiny, I felt restless, under threat, my stomach fluttering wildly.
“Do you not trust your father’s guards?” Enzo asked me.
I lifted my chin, ready to defend my family. “I trust them implicitly. It is you I don’t trust.”
There was a flash of interest in his eyes. Followed by amusement that warmed the cold depths of his eyes, turning them from fathomless black to dark-brown.
“So why dismiss your guards if I am so untrustworthy?” Enzo asked.
“I want to get the true measure of you,” I returned coolly. “Without an audience to influence your words.”
His eyebrows went up at that, the surprise evident.
Maybe he thought I was too forthright. The very opposite of a demure and blushing bride.
Well, unfortunately for Enzo De Luca, he was engaged to a Romano woman.
We were not shrinking violets. If I could speak my mind without revealing what I was plotting, then I would.
Let this man experience the full brunt of my displeasure.
“I feel the same way,” Enzo said.
Irritation flared. I didn’t like him agreeing with me. Having too much in common would strengthen the sort of intimacy I did not want. Best to keep him at arm’s length at all times.
Remembering my mission, I glared at him in a bid to put him off any attempt to befriend me.
Now that my outrage was giving way to the practicality of my plan to end the engagement, I could think more clearly.
Though I had never previously met Enzo De Luca, I knew him by reputation.
He was notorious in the criminal underworld.
Ruthless and cocky. And a heartless womanizer.
Enzo had climbed up the ranks to be his father’s right-hand man, second only to the don himself.
No easy feat for a younger son. Enzo had not been the eldest, yet he had made himself the heir to the De Luca throne through sheer force.
With a reputation for violent brutishness, he had been so cutthroat on his way to the top, it was rumored that even his older brothers feared him so much that they wouldn’t dare challenge him.
They all fully expected him to be the don when the time came.
Unlike my family, the De Lucas had little respect for any sort of principles or code.
Nor were they overly loyal. Every relationship was transactional to them, and they easily discarded anyone they no longer found useful.
What Enzo and his family represented was the exact opposite of everything I believed in.
They had no values, no virtues beyond constant expansion at all costs.
While power meant a great deal to my family, we shared our spoils with those who were loyal to us.
We lavishly rewarded our partners, which cemented their loyalty.
We ruled with a mix of fear directed at our enemies and respect directed at our allies.
The De Lucas ruled by fear alone. For us, the mafia was a way of life. For them, it was pure business.
At that moment, Enzo arrogantly began to circle me, his eyes raking up and down my body as he moved. Fury at him treating me like a prized possession up for auction made me start to circle him too. We circled each other, neither of us speaking as each of us tried to gain the upper hand.
He moved with an easy, masculine grace. Like a predator cornering prey. Well, I was not prey. I would teach him that lesson soon enough.