But the successful ones are terrifying, because they can slip through crowds without anyone knowing.
Sometimes they even seem charming and lovely.
They’re good at faking it.
Psychopaths are dangerous. They’re uncaring, unfeeling, and brutal for no reason other than it amuses them.
Rinaldo’s a successful psychopath, one of the best I’d ever seen.
People actually think he’s a decent guy.
He has them fooled. But I’ve seen what he’s like. I know the monster lurking inside of him.
I’ve had to mold myself into a beast, but Rinaldo was born this way.
And Karah wants to marry him.
My jaw twitches. Anger rolls down my spine. I think of the feeling of her skin beneath my fingers—smooth and soft and luscious.
Rinaldo will destroy her.
But nobody gets to ruin Karah except for me.
Her entire family is mine to own and annihilate.
I won’t let a piece of shit like Rinaldo get in the way of that.
Chapter 5
Karah
The main bar gleams with chrome and copper detailing as Casso takes a long drink from his beer. I shift on my stool a little and sip the gin and tonic my brother so graciously offered to buy for me—even though I’m twenty-two and perfectly capable of ordering my own drink.
Unfortunately, mafia women don’t do that, especially not the daughter of the Don. And so I rely on my brothers for my alcohol, which is more than a little infantilizing and embarrassing.
They claim it’s for my own good. I think it’s just a way to soothe their fragile egos and to give them the illusion of control.
Toward the back of the restaurant, a group of soldiers sits around a table piled high with half-empty wine glasses and plates of bread, cheese, smoked meats, and pasta. It’s the same group from the bowling alley with Rinaldo at their head holding court like a lord among his servants. They eat more than a normal human ever should and laugh loudly, and if the other customers mind, nobody says a word about it.
“You keep staring over there, sister.” Casso raises an eyebrow at me. “Gavino says you were watching him the other night at the alley. What’s going on?”
I blush slightly and look away. I was staring at Rinaldo and wasn’t being subtle about it. For the last couple of days, I’ve been thinking about my problem, and I decided that he’s the only solution I can possibly accept.
He may be a crude mafia bastard, but at least he’s clean and charming and on his way up in the world.
If I have to be chained to a violent monster, it might as well be him.
Someone in the Famiglia that will respect me—or at least won’t make me move far away from everyone I know and love.
“Nothing’s going on.” I drink down my gin and tonic and stand. “I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going? Why the hell are you drinking that fast?” Casso glares at me like I made some mistake.
“I’ve got something to do.”
“Karah, hold on.”
I take a fortifying breath and stalk across the restaurant. I feel Casso’s shocked expression still drilling holes into my back but I don’t stop. If I wait for my brother’s permission to get what I want then I’ll end up with nothing at all.
I don’t do stuff like this. For so much of my life I’ve obeyed my father and my brothers and never once made a fuss.
But I can’t be good little Karah anymore. It’s time to take what I want, even if it’s dangerous.
The soldiers look up as I approach and everyone stops laughing. They all avert their eyes—except for Rinaldo. He smiles lazily at me, head tilted to the side like he knows I’m coming for him. I don’t know the other guys he’s sitting with and I don’t really care what they think right now.
I only care about him. Rinaldo.
“Hey,” I say, tugging at my hair nervously. I force myself to stop—I can’t be so obvious. “You busy?”
“Not at all.” His smile is easy and calm like it’s every day he talks to the Don’s daughter, like my brother isn’t sitting at the bar glaring daggers and probably plotting his revenge.
“Can we talk?”
Rinaldo shrugs. “Go ahead and talk. I’m listening.”
“Somewhere else, please.”
His grin gets bigger. I feel heat rise to my cheeks and I’m so mortified that I’m about to turn around and run away. I could get out of here, flee outside, ignore Casso’s annoyed questions and just go home.
I could forget the whole thing and find someone else.
But Rinaldo stands. “Boys, if you’ll excuse me, I have business with Karah.” He walks to me and offers his arm. “Shall we?”
I accept his offer, blushing like a moron. “Let’s go out back, if that’s okay.”
“Whatever you want.” He speaks softly like a purr and I feel that sharp tingle again—but it’s not excitement. It’s confused, if anything, like the terror prey must feel under the watchful gaze of a predator.