“If you want to earn money with honest work, you’re in the wrong place,” Matteo said with a chuckle.
I couldn’t help but laugh. The asshole was too crazy for my taste but his humor often was on point. He and Marcella fell in. Only Luca and Amo looked as if they had bitten into something sour.
Luca stepped forward and I tensed. Fuck, I doubted I’d ever feel at ease in his presence—unless I had a gun in my hand, which probably wouldn’t make Marcella happy.
His gaze could have frozen hell. “I’m not the forgiving type, White. The only reason why you’re here today is because Marcella begged me to spare you. If you mess with Marcella or me, nothing in this world or beyond can stop me from giving you an excruciating end, got it?”
“Dad,” Marcella whispered, her eyes going wide.
My initial reaction was to lash out but I held back for Marcella. “I’ll treat Marcella like a queen. And I’ll treat you with the same respect you show me. So far, you are the only one who’s tried to have me killed despite your word. I want us to work together for Marcella. I’m sick of revenge. What about you?”
Luca gritted his teeth but then he gave a sharp nod. Amo shook his head, giving his sister a doubtful look. A bruise was forming on his forehead, giving me a feeling of sick satisfaction.
“I’ll see what I can do about a place for you to live,” Luca said in a clipped voice, picking up his phone. He walked a few steps away so he could talk without us listening in. I couldn’t help but be wary of his secrecy. I could only hope Marcella’s words had gone through to him. I doubted I could overlook another attempt on my life even for Marcella.
Marcella gave me a small smile but she didn’t move closer like I wished she would. Not being able to touch her was making this even harder.
Luca turned back to us and pushed his cell back into his pocket. “Growl’s waiting outside to show you the apartment, if you want it.”
I nodded, even if I despised the idea of living in a mob-owned place.
“And rent’s two grand per month,” Matteo added with a grin.
“I hope the place is worth that much money.”
“You are in New York not in Never Jersey, White,” Amo muttered.
I flipped him the bird which actually made his lips twitch before his expression hardened.
“Living in one of your places, I suppose Marcella is allowed to spend the night?”
The look on Luca’s face might have made me shit my pants if I wasn’t hardened to his madness.
Marcella crossed the room and lightly touched my upper arm. “Why don’t you go ahead and grab a drink at the bar while I have another word with my father?”
The urgency in her voice made me nod. Would she always have to be the mediator between her family and me? That would get tiresome soon.
She quickly stepped back before I had the chance to kiss her, which I would have done right in front of her old man. I met his furious gaze before I turned on my heel and left.
Matteo and Amo followed me. I chanced a look at them over my shoulder. “Is my comment going to earn me a weighted dive in the Hudson or why are you creeping up on me?”
“If you’d take a weighted dive in the Hudson, Luca would want to be the one to dump you in, White, no worries,” Matteo said.
“That’s a consolation,” I muttered and took a seat at the bar on the ground floor.
Amo leaned against the bar beside me. “You realize you’ll have to marry my sister if you want to get in her pants?”
You mean, again? I almost asked but stifled the impulse in the last second, but Matteo had obviously caught on. He smiled harshly. “White, Luca might be willing to bend the rules a bit for Marcella, but don’t think we’ll abandon our traditions for you.”
Marriage had never really crossed my mind before. Most bikers in Tartarus lived with their old ladies without marrying. Of course, I knew of the strict traditions the Famiglia abided to. I’d never expected me to get involved with them. Maybe Marcella really wanted to wait until we were married to have sex again. Fuck, was I ready to marry? And would she even want to marry me?
I could only imagine the scandal that would cause. The princess of New York marrying a dirty biker. The odds seemed stacked up against us. I really needed to talk to her alone. For the first time I realized how little we knew about each other. The only thing I was certain of was that being with Marcella felt right.
After some arguing and eventually begging, Dad allowed me to be alone with Maddox in his office for a few minutes.