“Now, Gianna,” Enzo says. “What do you think?”
All eyes turn on me and it takes everything inside of myself to not sink into my seat. “I think…” My voice is so quiet that Nico leans forward to hear me.
“What was that?” he asks.
“I think that I’ll do my duty.” I have no other choice. Francesca will never give me the freedom I want. Enzo definitely won’t. He wants to keep me locked up here for my own safety. In this pretty house in Connecticut where things are supposed to be safe but I haven’t felt safe in a long time.
Enzo frowns while Francesca nods. “She will do her duty, Enzo. Make the marriage alliance. It’s for the best. For all of us.”
“I’ll think on it,” Enzo says. “Nico, I’ll be in touch.” He shakes hands with the man then ushers Nico out of the house.
“You should have given him an answer now,” Francesca admonishes.
“Gianna, I want to speak to you. Alone.” Enzo motions for me to follow him. It’s only when I’m in the kitchen, away from my aunt, that I feel like I can breathe again. “Do you really want this?”
“It’s my duty. It’s expected of me.”
“I know. But I won’t force you to marry anyone that you don’t want to be with.”
“But what about making an alliance with Nico?”
“I already made my alliance with the Bratva when I married Kira. They’re the ones who can give me strength. And yes, I’ll admit, it would be nice to have more strength with the mafia itself. But not at your expense.”
“If Nico is nice then…”
“True.” He narrows his eyes. “Do you want to marry him?”
“I…” What I really want is to no longer live in the same house as my aunt but do I want to marry a stranger to achieve that? “I’m not sure.”
He sighs. “Well… I’ll think on it. I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”
“I’ll always do my duty, Enzo. You know that.”
“I know,” he says with a softness in his eyes that he only reserves for me or Kira. “I have to get back to New York now. But I’ll let you know what I decide soon.”
We share a hug before he leaves. The moment he’s gone, I feel an icy chill go over my body when Francesca approaches me.
“You would be an idiot if you didn’t marry Nico. He is handsome, has money, and good connections. You can’t make a better match than him.”
“Of course,” I murmur. I learned a long time ago to never disagree with my aunt.
“Your dress is wrinkled. I expect better from you, Gianna. Next time Nico comes over, you need to look your best.”
“Yes. Of course. Now, excuse me.” I make it into my bedroom and rush into my ensuite bathroom where I promptly throw up into the toilet. My body shudders from the familiar release. I can’t remember when I started throwing up but it’s been a long time. Ever since my parents died when I was a kid and I moved in with my aunt.
It’s become a sort of comfort to me now. The one thing in life I can control.
I flush the toilet and with it, all my dreams of freedom.
Will
The job is an easy one.
I easily break into the large mansion on the quiet New York suburban street. It’s a place where no one expects anything bad to happen.
The couple I was hired to kill are asleep in their bed. My footsteps are light on the hardwood floor. Years of practice have made me a ghost.
The man in question raped his daughter repeatedly for years. And his wife stood back and let it happen. This is an easy kill for me.