I crossed the room, ignoring Sonny when he grabbed my shoulder and suggested I meet some girl. Not like I was interested. Aside from Alex Wellington, Rhiannon was the only other woman who'd ever gotten under my skin. Alex hated me, though not as much as she hated Luca. She refused to even glance in his direction all night. But he watched her, waited for her to come to him. We both knew Alex would never succumb to his orders. The girl lived to piss him off.
I stopped in front of Luca and my father, waiting for them to yell at me for chasing after Rhi. Most of the time, I followed their orders. They were the leaders of our family, and I liked the structure. That was the only way I could handle this world. I needed order to maintain the status quo within our family.
"What's up?" I asked Luca.
Dad narrowed his eyes at me. "Where have you been, Marcello?"
"I was upstairs."
His jaw ticked. “With who?"
I glanced at Luca.
"Cillian said something to dad."
My father’s face twisted in disgust as he turned to look at Luca. "I will deal with you later. Stay out of this."
"Who cares if Marcello fucked Rhiannon O'Shea," Luca shot back. "It's not like he's marrying the whore."
"That would happen over my dead body," Dad said with a cruel grin plastered on his face.
"She's not a whore," I bit out. "Don't talk about her like that."
"Please, Marcello.” Luca smirked. "Everyone in Devil's Creek knows the crazy bitch will spread her legs for any man who looks at her. Pretty sure she's fucked Cillian, too."
"No, she hasn't," I said in her defense.
Luca shoved his hands into his pockets, pushing his jacket to the side. Like me, he had a gun strapped to each side of his chest. "How can you be so sure, brother?"
"I don't care who she fucks," my dad growled, his tone low and menacing. "You are not going near her ever again, Marcello. Do you understand me?"
"She's nothing to me," I said with zero emotion. "I won't touch her."
It was a lie. I could never stay away from her. For years, I’d fought my attraction to the pretty, broken princess. She was so perfectly fucked up and good at following orders. I could be myself with Rhiannon. She wasn't like the whores I paid to satiate my dark desires. With Rhi, it was different.
We understood each other.
"I'm disappointed with you, Marcello.” Dad shook his head. “How could you stick your dick in that girl?"
"You should fuck her," I suggested. "See for yourself."
I didn't mean a word. But around my dad, I had to maintain the appearance of control.
He sneered. "If you need a toy to play with, then go down to the Founders Club and blow off some steam."
I nodded because there was no point in fighting with him. Whatever he said was always right, even when he was wrong.
"Marcello won't see her again," Luca assured him, then his eyes met mine. "Isn't that, right?"
"She's nothing to me."
It wasn't just sex. I could talk to Rhi and share my secrets. We’d been going back and forth for years and never seemed to lose interest. She was the first girl to capture my attention on a permanent basis.
Dad hooked his arm around me with a crazed look in his eyes. "Do I need to find you a suitable wife, Marcello?"
"No, I don't want to get married."
"Neither does Luca. But we all have to sacrifice for this family. I make the rules. And you will follow them.”
I was twenty-three and still living under his thumb. Sometimes, he made me feel so small, even though I was much bigger than him now.
"I won't see Rhiannon again," I confirmed.
He squeezed my shoulder. "I'd like you to meet someone."
I raised a curious eyebrow at him. "Who?"
"The daughter of a new business associate. She's not from a founding family, but she has good genes, money, and the right connections."
"Which business associate?"
"Enzo Conte."
"I'm not marrying the daughter of a Mafia boss."
Enzo was the oldest reigning boss in New York. He was resilient, a good ally, and a massive help to our family, but I had no interest in marrying his daughter.
"Meet her," my dad suggested. "See if you like Valentina. She's not as pretty as Luca’s bride, but she will do."
"I'm not—"
He raised his hand. "Save it, Marcello. You will do this for the family."
"I'll talk to her. But I'm not getting married."
"That's all I ask."
"Anything to get me away from Rhi, huh?”
He flashed a victorious smile right before he led me across the ballroom.
A few hours later, after I danced with Valentina Conte and made polite conversation, the crowd thinned. Only those closest to our family were still in attendance. Valentina was pretty and seemed competent. She would make a decent wife, but she was no replacement for Rhiannon.