When Phillipe nods, I know he’s satisfied with the answer, but he’s not stupid. None of them are. They’ll know revenge made us want Riccardo powerless.
“Very well, then. Welcome to the Brotherhood, Massimo D’Agostino.”
I bow my head with reverence. Then they continue talking about business.
The meeting goes on for another hour before it closes. Throughout that whole time, I could feel Riccardo’s eyes on me. I wonder what he’s thinking about the most. What I’m doing to his precious daughter, or what I’m going to do to him.
When the meeting ends and Pa and I walk out to the car park, I expect Riccardo to come after us, so I’m not surprised when he does.
He calls my name. I turn to face him. Pa stops next to me and squares his shoulders.
“You better not be hurting my daughter,” he seethes.
All I do is stare at him.
“You animal. You dirty animal. The two of you,” he adds, looking from Pa to me.
“You aren’t that bright, are you? Coming to talk to us when we’ve barely left the building,” I answer.
“This is an outrage. A complete outrage. But this is what you wanted.” He looks at Pa. “An eye for an eye.”
“Fuck you, Riccardo,” Pa tells him. “I don’t know why you keep making the same mistakes. You don’t get it, do you. We have the upper hand. I can destroy you with one word.”
Riccardo balls his fists at his sides and looks at us, his face contorting with rage. “This is not over. You.” He points at me. “I remember how you looked at my girl at the ball. You had to tie me down to beat me. Knowing there’s no way in hell you’d get her otherwise. You fucking piece of shit. She will never want you. You can do whatever you want. She won’t want you. You will always be nothing.”
His words should roll off my back. They shouldn’t mean anything, but I want to beat the shit out of him.
“Nothing,” he repeats. And that’s it. I lose my shit and grab him by his neck.
Motherfucker. I don’t know who the fuck he thinks he’s talking to. I hold on tight to his throat and squeeze hard. We’re the same height, but I have more muscle. I’m built like a tank, while he’s an old man. He yelps, trying to wrench my hands free, but I keep hold of him.
“Get off me,” he shouts.
“Fucking dog. I am walking on thin ice, ready to snap and kill you fucking dead. Believe me, I’m ready to kill your ass dead. I just want to see you suffer, but my oh my, death might be better,” I snarl.
It’s Pa’s hand on my shoulder that snaps me out of the haze of anger.
“Let him go, son. He’s just rattled because he can’t do shit to us. His words are just that.”
The thing is, his words are just words indeed, but they got to me, and he knows that. That’s why he said them.
Lifting my head, I see Phillipe and the Bratva leaders ahead of us, watching. That curious look is still on their faces.
They want to know what really happened. They want to know how it is I’m marrying my enemy’s daughter, and why I have control of his power. They want to know how we got a man who was supposed to be untouchable backed into a corner.
They would rip Riccardo apart if they knew what he did.
Then they’d come for her too. Emelia. They will kill her without hesitation just for sharing the same blood, uncaring what she is to me.
I think of the other night when I went to her room. When I thought of what Vlad did to Alyssa, I thought of protecting her. That same force compels me to do the same now. The Syndicate wouldn’t be different from Vlad. Minus the creepy, unsavory fascination he has with women, they’d be brutal about the way they killed her. We’d get more than just her head in a box.
My temper is drawing attention to us, and to her too. I can’t allow my hatred for this man to get to me.
I release Riccardo on that thought and step back. He notices Phillipe and the Bratva leaders watching and at least has the good sense to tamp dawn his rage.
“Don’t fucking talk to me unless you have business with me,” I hiss. “See you soon, Dad,” I add with menace in my tone and a crude chuckle. Motherfucker. He hates me calling him Dad to no end.