I plopped onto the couch, tucking my legs beneath me. “And what does that look like exactly?”
“A woman has never held the position of Don in any Italian mafia family. Ever. What you’re about to do will take patience and a lot of skill. I have no doubt that you can do it,” Mateo said, “but you’re going to need a lot of help—” He cut himself off, hesitating.
“And?” I pressed.
“And you’re going to need to keep an eye on Dante. We still don’t know much about him. He could be a product of his father or have his own agenda. Dante is the wild card.”
Well, shit. Dante’s family probably wanted to kill me, and Dante himself probably had plans no one else even knew about, and I was fucking living with him. I’d faced worse scenarios, but not all at the same time.
“I’ll deal with Dante,” I said finally. “You work on the Commission board to at least consider voting for a woman as Don.”
“Of course. Is there anything else?”
“No. Not right now. Just keep your phone on you.”
“I’m always here for you, Sienna,” Mateo said before hanging up.
I sat there, trying to think through what my next move would be, but I was exhausted. I could barely keep my eyes open. Not even the pain from the burned skin around my wrists could keep me awake. Still, I couldn’t sleep yet. Not until Dante came back home, and probably not even then. If he was going to listen to his father and try to take me out, tonight would be the time to make a move. He could very well find a poison and turn it into the Snake’s calling card. The scapegoat was already there.
I needed a plan. Whether he had other motives or not, Dante had been playing the part of husband pretty well. Maybe even too well. Sure, he’d been reluctant at first. Angry. But that had slowly melted away, and he’d shown me that he was here for me. Unless it was all a ploy to earn my trust.
But two could play that game.
Dante was a man, one from money and power, but still a man. And one thing I knew about men was that no matter who they were, there was one thing they couldn’t resist. Dante liked feeling in control, probably because he hadn’t been for most of his life. If that’s what he wanted, I would give it to him, and he’d never know who held the real power.
Growing up in the mafia, my father had me trained, sure, but my mother had taught me how to maneuver the politics as a woman. We held little to no influence, other than to produce heirs and soldiers. But my mother knew more than anyone ever let on, as I’m sure Dante’s mother did as well. We all learned how to adapt. How to make our moves. The men might have believed they were the ones in charge, but it was the women who directed them, in some way or another.
Some women liked to play the damsel in distress, allowing the men to believe they needed saving while secretly getting what they wanted. But I knew I couldn’t do that. It was too late to pretend I was anything other than what I’d been trained to be. That didn’t mean I couldn’t pretend to be weak now, though.
Despite the exhaustion, my brain was already coming up with a plan. Dante needed to think that I was weak now, with everything going on. That it was too much for me. That I needed him. He was trying to earn my trust, so that’s what I would give him. I’d let him think I trusted him, that I was leaning on him…just until I found out what his real plans were. Which meant I would need to stay alive.
With the Snake and the Scaranos after me and my position, I needed to be stronger, more cunning than ever before. I needed to be my father.
And my father would not wait for another man to come home. Fighting against every survival instinct I’d ever honed, I took a long, hot shower before slipping into comfortable shorts and an old t-shirt to sleep in. Getting into bed, I tried to shut my brain off. I had to make Dante think I trusted him, and staying up would only make it seem like I didn’t.
With the heat of the blankets pressing in around me and the city lights filtering in through the windows, it was easier to fall asleep than I’d thought it would be. Eyes closing, I let myself fall into the sweet blissfulness of nothing.
I woke to an empty bed. The other side of the mattress clearly looked slept in, but I hadn’t felt Dante slip under the covers beside me last night. At least I was alive, and he hadn’t killed me in my sleep.
I tossed back the covers, heading towards the shower. A pounding migraine accompanied me this morning. Nothing a hot shower and a little caffeine couldn’t fix. I’d need to be at the top of my game these next few days until after I was elected Don. Then, at least, I’d be safer than I was now.
After the shower, I dressed quickly, heading towards the kitchen and the espresso machine. Dante was already out there, on his laptop. He shut it as soon as he noticed me.
“How are you feeling?”
Like you really care, I thought bitterly. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of resentment. It had been stupid to believe that him helping me was anything other than his duty to his family. To his plans.
“Fine.” The answer was short and anything but sweet. I started the espresso machine, ignoring him.
“Sienna—”
“Can I just have a quiet morning today?” I said quickly, turning back around. He looked wounded, but only for a second before his face went carefully blank.
“Of course. I’ll head to my father’s office today for work and leave you alone, if that’s what you want.” He gathered up his things, stuffing his laptop into a satchel beside him.
“Great.” I poured the espresso into my coffee mug before adding some caramel syrup and some milk.
Watching him head out the door, I leaned against the counter, sipping on my coffee and thinking about everything I would need to do that day. There were definitely some phone calls I needed to make. First, to figure out who would actually support my bid among my own family, and second, to find out how many men we’ve lost so far to the Snake. I was fighting a war on two sides, and being caught in the middle with little information on what was going on was killing me.