I’m surprised how willingly she lets me.
Her shoulders, which were once tight with fear, seem to loosen.
“We got married,” I inform him smugly. My voice, cocky and condescending, the kind of tone that if ever used on me would get someone shot with a bullet in the head.
“Is this true?” he asks his daughter. His face gives away no emotion at all.
“Yes,” she whispers back, tucking herself in closer to me as if she is afraid about how he will react to the news.
She’s small in my arms.
Much smaller than I had imagined.
The need to protect her filters through me, and I’m not sure why or where it came from, but it’s an odd feeling.
One I don’t like.
But regardless of how I feel right now, I have to pretend it doesn’t bother me.
“How?” He narrows his eyes at me. “Why?”
“Why?” I lift my brow. “Do I really need to tell you, Governor, the whys of marriages?”
“Humor me.”
“In my line of work, I don’t have the luxury to marry for love . . .” I start. My meaning very clear to him. This is a business deal. One I have made without his knowledge. One he now has to honor. “But looking at Viviana.” I pull back and smile down at her. “You can see why she is the perfect bride.” Again, my words are not lost on him.
Point to me.
Game. Set. Match.
“How could you?” he hisses at Viviana. Pure venom dripping from his mouth. There is no doubt in my mind that if I was any other man, he would try to kill us both for defying him.
“Easily,” I taunt back, lip tipped up and all.
His face turns an unnatural red. He reminds me of a teakettle, and he is about to explode.
“You will get this marriage annulled.”
“You do not give the orders here, Governor. Viviana is mine now.”
His hand flies down, hitting his desk.
“Do you know what you’ve done, you little twit?”
I step away from Viviana and prowl over to where the governor is standing behind his desk.
Before he can even move, I pull the gun from behind my back and point it straight at his head. “Do not ever speak to my wife that way. Do you understand? Me coming here with Viviana is a courtesy. You will not address her. You will have nothing to do with her unless I deem it so.” I say this more to his wife than to him. Something tells me the governor would be more than happy not to speak to his daughter at all. Especially after this. I lower my gun and give him a pointed stare.
He doesn’t speak at first, seeming at an impasse of what to say.
His hand reaches for the glass on his desk. It’s filled about halfway with melted ice and scotch. He lifts it to his mouth before swallowing.
We all stand in silence as he drinks before placing the glass down on the large wooden desk. The sound echoes through the quiet of the room.
“How do we move forward?” he asks, breaking the silence. I can tell by the way he clenches his fists that he wants to lash out badly but knows how disastrous that would be for him.
“You welcome me into your family. No questions asked. You cut ties with my cousin.”
I expect him to argue, but instead, he lifts his glass and takes another swig before nodding his head.
“Fine,” he says through gritted teeth.
“Then I guess we shall be going.”
He looks from me to Viviana. “I’d like to speak to my daughter first.”
“Speak.”
“I meant alone.”
I turn to Viviana. Her brow is furrowed, and her arms are crossed in front of her chest protectively. “Are you okay with this?” I ask.
She doesn’t look okay. Her body language tells quite the opposite story. The position in which she stands screams she wants to leave with the way she’s angled toward the door, fists softly clenched. “Yes,” she answers, voice strong.
She’s not okay with this, but she is doing her best to appear that she isn’t scared.
“I will be right outside the door. If you need me—”
“She won’t.”
“You have two minutes.”
I turn on my heel and walk toward the door. Mrs. Marino walks with me and then once we are in the hallway, she closes the door.
I refrain from allowing myself to smile.
This is exactly what I wanted.
10
Viviana
* * *
This is bad.
No. Beyond bad. Disastrous.
Having to be left alone with my father is basically the definition of hell.
I feel small.
Like I’m a tiny bug on the floor, and my father can smash me with his boot.
I didn’t realize how much I relied on Matteo for his strength until he stepped out of the room.
The moment he did, though, I noticed it.
It became cold in the room once his arm pulled away from me.
Now, it feels like there is an arctic chill. One that starts with my father’s angry gaze.
The man who raised me steps forward. His hand is clenched at his side. A fist is formed. I’m one hundred percent sure that if Matteo wasn’t standing directly outside the door, my father would hit me.
It should be lucky for me, but I know my father. He’s going to make me pay in other ways.
Now, I just have to hope whatever the threat is, it is one in which I can convince my new husband to help me out of.
Debatable if he’ll care to help me.
“How could you, Viviana?”
I stand taller, trying my hardest to seem strong.
“He asked, and I said yes.”
“You were supposed to marry Salvatore Amante.”
“I was, wasn’t I?” I run a hand over my hair, “I’m sure he will get over it.” My father raises his hand to smack me, and I smile. “My husband wouldn’t like that.” I let my lip tip up to a smile.
“You like this, don’t you? Oh, poor, sweet Viviana. You have no idea the monster you crawled into bed with. He makes the devil look nice. You’ll regret your decision.”
“I doubt that,” I mutter.
“Oh, no? You don’t think so? Have you thought about Julia? Have you thought about what your impetuous decision will do to her?”
“Yes, Father, I have. And I hope you can see you left me no other choice. You wanted me to marry a man I didn’t love.”
“Yet you still did.”
“But on my terms.”
He lifts a brow at my lie. But instead of cowering, I stand prouder.
“Yes, believe it or not, it was on my terms.”
He narrows his eyes. “And what of your friend?”
“You won’t do anything. I’m still just as important to you. I still can bring you what you need. I am married to Matteo Amante.”
I hated myself for saying that, but for Julia, I would make my husband give my father what he wanted.
“So you will help me . . .?”
“What do you mean?”
“Take down Matteo. You are in the inside now. Atone for what you did. Help me take him down.”
“What? No, that isn’t what I said. I meant I can convince him to help you.”
“That shit will never help me. This is the only way. You need to use your position and find his weakness. I need to take him out.”