“Huh?”
“Who is Romola Vittorio married to?”
She gaped at me in stupid confusion. “Um… What?”
I groaned and threw up my hands. “Weren’t you paying any attention at all to what I just said? Do you think I’m making noise just to hear myself talk?”
She started to laugh until I slammed my hand down on the tabletop hard enough to make her jump. “You have to know this. You have to memorize every face and name of everyone who’s going to be at that ball. Are you with me now?”
She shut her mouth and pulled herself together. “Oh… Okay. I didn’t realize.”
“Open your ears. You’re gonna wind up dead at the rate you’re going.”
She adjusted herself in her seat. “Sorry.”
“No one knows you’ve been in witness protection all these years, or if they do, they don’t know you don’t remember them. The people who are friendly with our family will expect you to remember them.”
“And the ones who aren’t friendly with your family?”
I scowled at her. “You better readjust your attitude, girl. You’re part of this family now whether you like it or not.”
“I don’t want to be part of your family.”
“Did you hear what I just said?” I snapped. “You don’t get a choice in this. Now, tell me who Romola Vittorio is married to.”
She rubbed her forehead and screwed up her face in a grimace. “Um… Armani?”
“Armani who?”
“Um… De… Leo?”
“Fine. Now who is Michael Vittorio’s right-hand man in Atlantic City?”
She squinted at me trying to remember and then slumped. “Sorry. I don’t remember.”
“Alessandro, his oldest son.”
She snapped her fingers. “Right.”
“Now, repeat the whole thing to me from start to finish.”
She cocked her head to study me. “Why are you being so mean to me?”
“I’m trying to save your life, you stupid bitch. God only knows why I even bother.”
I snapped my laptop shut and started to get up. I needed to get out of this room fast, but she caught my arm. “I’m sorry, Dante. I shouldn’t have said that.”
I was too mad to accept her apology. I bent close to her and whispered low and fast. “If you really kissed Dominic, you’re too stupid to live very long. He’s been standing up to Luca from the beginning to protect you, and you had to go and fuck with his head like that. When are you gonna wake up and realize that we’ve been bending over backward to get you through this without getting hurt? You’re playing with your own life, not ours. When you snap out of your stupid sulk and get that through your head, you come and find me and I might—read,might—help you get through the masquerade ball without getting your head shot off.”
Chapter9
Ariana
“No, no, no, no, no,” Dante practically bellowed. “You got it all wrong. De Santi Toriano is Guiliano Toriano’s second son. He isn’t even related to Gianfranco Toriano.”
“You just said Guiliano and Gianfranco were brothers!” I countered. “That means De Santi is Gianfranco’s nephew. Of course, they’re related.”
“That isn’t what I meant!” he bellowed. “You said De Santi was Gianfranco’s son.”