Chapter 17
EMILIA
With my back to the door, I knew I left myself vulnerable, but here I wasn’t worried. “No, Mathias, I don’t accept that. This transition is on shaky ground as it is. Threats from inside waste our limited resources and people.”
“Emilia, I assure you we are more than ready for whatever comes our way.” The man on the other end of the line was getting increasingly irate.
If he yelled at me one more time, I was going to take him out.
An attack on my family would be imminent; it’s just how power exchanges went in our line of work.
“We lost three people to Nico’s men. I wish I could say their loss was for something, but it was because you stopped listening to the one person who makes decisions.
” My voice was rising, which wasn’t how I did things.
I was calm, dealt with people without emotion, and it shielded me from being discovered, until I got cocky and had to help carry out hits.
“Emilia, you don’t call the shots here anymore.
I’m sorry, but we can’t abide by your decisions any longer.
You’re a Venosa now.” His voice didn’t sound like him; it was mechanical, like he was reading from something.
This was rehearsed, and my father was behind it.
Anger bubbled up in me, and if I weren’t careful, I’d be waging war on my own men.
“Mathias, if you and the men choose to follow his orders, I won’t be able to protect you. If you aren’t ready for what’s coming and my sisters are harmed, I will come after you myself. Am I clear?”
“Yes, ma’am, Ms. Carminatti.” He spoke through gritted teeth. He of all people should know I didn’t play around.
His deep, low voice startled me and made the pit in my stomach grow to astronomical proportions. “Who is this?” I turned and looked up at my husband's imposing figure.
“M, Mathias Turini.” He stuttered. Sure, the fuck brain wasn’t afraid of me, but he was quaking in his boots when Nico spoke.
“You are aware that I’m the head of the Carminatti family now, are you not?”
“I, I am sir, yes.”
“Then why are you bringing information to Mrs. Venosa?” He emphasized my new name and stared down at me. I didn’t blink; I didn’t break eye contact with Nico. He wouldn’t intimidate me.
“She called me about what happened downtown.” Shit.
Singing like a god damn canary. This guy was dead.
I should have killed him last year, when he threatened to out me, but I’d given in and agreed to his demands.
He’d wanted a raise, his own mansion, expensive cars and like a fool, I’d given it to him to keep my secret.
“Oh, she did, did she?” He spun my chair, so I was facing him, and he bent over, placing his hands on the arms of the chair as he leaned over. “And Mathias, what were the orders I gave when I wed Mrs. Venosa, only last night?”
“That you would be handling business matters from that date on.”
“You seem to recall what I said so, again I’m going to ask why you’re speaking with my wife, when I now hold the power of the family?”
“Because later in the evening she told us that she would be the only one making the decisions for the Carminatti’s, your word wasn’t to be followed.”
“Interesting. Well, Mathias, you might have just saved yourself a bullet from me. I can’t guarantee what my wife will do to you. Please let all the men know that the only person receiving information and giving orders will be me.” Nico’s voice was flat, without emotion, and his eyes bore into mine.
“Yes sir. I will pass that along. Thank you for the clarification.” Nico reached up and ended the call without looking at the phone.
His eyes narrowed, and they became a darker shade of brown as he looked at me. “So, only ten minutes ago I told you I’d take over, and now you’re in my office speaking to a capo from your father’s organization.”
“It’s my organization, not his, or yours for that matter.” I sneered at him.
“You’re in my chair.” His eyes danced with laughter, even though he was trying to be angry. Pushing my foot back, the chair lurched backward, and Nico almost face planted, but of course, he caught himself. Standing, I walked to the opposite side of the desk and waited. “Are you going to sit?”
“Oh, am I allowed to?”
“Emilia.” He growled, which was something he had done before when he was frustrated with me, and my fucking body buzzed with lust, and I hated its betrayal at this moment. Lowering myself into the chair, I crossed my legs and waited.
“Do you want our enemies to see that this house isn’t unified?
” He moved closer, and the scent from his cologne filled my head.
“They’re all looking for a crack, a way to figure out how to use us against one another.
If that’s what you want to happen, I’ll save you the trouble and take your family out right now.
That includes you.” His gaze was set on me, and the hint of laughter that had been in his eyes-only moments ago was gone.
The man that sat before me wasn’t the one I’d married; he was the head of the Chicago Cosa Nostra, and it didn’t matter what we’d shared in the last twelve hours.
I knew his name and family were more important than our brief marriage.
I couldn’t look at him anymore, I looked down at my hands in my lap, right to the ring I wore.
His ring, the one that he’d slipped on my finger when he’d told me we were to be married, a wedding band that he’d put on me yesterday when we said our vows.
It was like they were handcuffs, taking my life away from me.
But they’d also given me the protection I’d been so desperate for all my life.
I’d vowed my loyalty to him, and in turn, he’d promised to keep me safe.
This could go really badly.
He stood and walked around to sit on the edge of his desk in front of me.
Reaching toward my face, I flinched, waiting for his punishment.
There was no sting of a slap, no aching blow of a fist, just him gently lifting my chin with his finger.
“You don’t have any reason to fear me, amore.
I will never lift my hand to you in anger.
But you have to trust that I have your best interest at heart.
If we don’t start working together, we’re both going to end up dead, and while I vowed till death do us part, I’d like that to be old age, not a war amongst the families.
” His voice was tender and nothing like the men in my previous life. “Am I understood?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
“Good.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine, but I kept my mouth clamped shut. I wasn’t going to roll over for this man and just let him take whatever he wanted.
Nico pulled away and smirked. “You’ll change your tune, judging from your nipples straining against your lace bra, it won’t be long either.” He ran his thumb over the perky bud, and I couldn’t stop the sigh that escaped.
Turning, he grabbed something off his desk and set it in my lap. “What’s this for?”
“Well, it’s to call people, or text them, or maybe send naughty pictures to your husband when he’s out of town.
” He arched his brow, and I watched him look down my body.
“I’ll see you tonight. I have a few things to clean up.
” He held out his hand, and I took it. I had so many questions, but there wasn’t any time to ask them.
We left his office, and I stopped at the door to our room.
“Your things are in the closet, as much as I love seeing you in my shirt, your clothes are probably more appropriate.” Leaning down, he pressed his lips to mine again.
My heart fluttered, and I took a step closer to him as I reached up and ran my hands through his hair.
Emilia pull away from him. You have to stop kissing this man whenever he wants to.
Enough. I tried to take a step back, but his hand was on my back, preventing me from moving.
When our lips finally parted, he smiled.
“See you later.” And he walked away from me.
It was like in a movie when the male love interest renders the woman speechless, and she just watches him walk away, all the while wondering what the hell just happened.
I was still standing dumbfounded in the hallway when my cell phone rang, interrupting my pity party. “Hello?” I snapped. I hadn’t even looked at who was calling.
“I’m watching you wife, don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.
” His words sent terror through my heart.
I looked around the hallway for a camera, a flashing red light, anything that would give me a hint of how he could see me.
“You’ll never find it. The cameras in my home aren’t a warning; they are my protection.
” Lifting my hand, I held up my middle finger, hoping he would see it.
The laughter on the other end of the line was confirmation that he was watching.
“Your office is the door to the left of mine. You’re going to need it for all the charities you will be helping.
See you tonight, amore, wait up for me, and I will teach you a lesson for your behaviour. ”
“That won’t happen,” I said as I ended the call, as his laughter filtered through the speaker.
He wanted me to change, but I didn’t see any reason to; it was time to find my office.
It was sunny, the mahogany furniture was beautiful, and the large desk had the most ornate carvings I had ever seen. Spinning my chair, I rested my elbows on the edge of my desk and rested my head in my hands.
I opened my laptop, I stared at the screen, and the cursor moved as if it had a mind of its own. I watched whoever was controlling the computer log me out of my email before the computer went black.
“I guess there’s no use sitting in here,” I yelled as I stood, hoping he could hear just as well as listening. The chime from my phone made me look back down at my desk.
Husband: Read a book, I hear it’s good for stress relief.
Grabbing the phone, I stared at it. What would he do if I threw this phone through the window? Probably laugh, get me a new phone and have a construction crew to change the windows to bulletproof glass so I couldn’t do it again.
Me: So’s target practice.
Husband: Then go to the basement if that’s what you want to do. Targets are all ready.
Me: Do any of them have your face on it?
Husband: How did I get so lucky to have such a loving wife?
Rolling my eyes, I gripped the phone as I wandered out of my office and into our bedroom.
Nico had been right: all my clothes had been moved from my old room to this one, and the closet had been organized into a his-and-her’s side. Pulling open a shallow drawer, I had expected to find my underwear or bras, but diamonds shone from the lights above.
Rings, tennis bracelets, necklaces, which seemed ridiculous since I couldn’t take this rose off, so why did I need others?
Closing the drawer, I pulled open the next one.
Ruby and emerald jewelry were laid out before me.
Dread filled me as I looked at the third drawer.
Sapphires, pearls, matching sets of earrings and necklaces.
Quickly, I closed the drawer and sat on the floor, crossing my legs.
This was a different level of this life; how had I not realized that? My parents always portrayed a rich lifestyle, but there were no cooks, maids, or millions of dollars' worth of jewelry sitting in a closet. A show was put on when needed, but this was not normal.