“Do you come down here often?” I ask, stopping next to her at the edge of the vast lake. I notice a number of colorful fish swimming beneath the surface of the crystal clear water. There’s a calm and serene sense surrounding the entire area, so much so it’s hard to believe we’re still in Chicago.
“Not as often as I’d like.” She glances at me then. Her dark brown eyes are full of uncertainty. “I’m often too busy studying.”
I sigh. “Life is always too busy. It’ll pass us all by too fast.”
Her brow pulls together. “How old are you?”
The question seems odd and rather out of nowhere. “Twenty-four.”
Her eyes widen. “Really?”
“Yes, what did you expect me to say?”
She shakes her head. “You seem older than twenty-four.”
I don’t know whether to take that as a compliment. “In what way?”
Eliza stares out over the surface of the lake and I think she will not answer. And then she looks at me. “You seem commanding, like a man of more years, is all.” She shakes her head. “I wouldn’t have believed we were the same age.”
I like her answer. It means it was a compliment.
I agree we don’t seem the same age. Although Eliza is relatively mature, she has this innocence surrounding her. My family is so fucking ignorant they think I act like a child, but little do they know that it’s my ploy to make them look the other way.
I’m a chameleon when I’m with them, changing my skin so that they don’t see the truth. For years I’ve been scheming against them, and all of them believe they’re smarter or better than me.
Hernandez, Eliza’s father, is just as fucking stupid. The don believes that I have a means to blow all three mob families of the city out of the water, leaving him as the only one standing. I run a hand across the back of my neck, reveling in the way everything is coming together as I planned.
A silence falls between us as we watch the fish swim below the surface and I’m thankful that my fiancée isn’t a woman of too many words. Either that, or I just make her nervous.
“I think we should talk about expectations.” I turn toward her stiffly.
“Expectations?” she asks, turning to look at me.
As she does, the sun catches her skin in the most iridescent way, making it look almost golden. Her dark eyes sparkle and I feel the breath from my lungs escape me for a moment, as I’m bowled over by her utter beauty. It’s rare that a woman’s beauty can surprise me, so I guess I could have done worse than her for a wife. She will be fun to break.
“Yes, for you as my wife,” I clarify.
Her tongue darts out across her bottom lip, drawing my attention to them. They’re full and thick and for the first time in my life, the idea of kissing doesn’t seem so revolting. I have always been different, and some would say odd.
The touch of other people makes my skin crawl. A shudder races up my spine as countless times I’ve had to allow prostitutes near me, touching me in front of my family. It’s part of the act that has them all fooled. I don’t mind touching others, but I hate to be touched and have done since I was little.
When I fuck, I like my women restrained so they can’t touch me and so that they are at a far enough distance so they can’t kiss me. A shudder races down my spine at the thought, and I find it odd that Eliza’s lips look so enticing right now.
“What expectations are those?” she asks, drawing me back to the present.
“You’ll provide me with an heir and you’ll keep out of my way most of the time.” I hold her gaze. “This isn’t a love match and I won’t be loving to you.” My jaw clenches at the way her nostrils flare. “It’s a business deal and nothing more.”
Eliza just nods, which surprises me. “Of course. I expect nothing more.” It’s a mature response from a level-headed woman. She turns then and gazes out over the lake for the second time, leaving me watching her in awe.
At least she’s not one of these hysterical women. It appears she knows when to fight and when to accept her fate. A quality that will benefit her and me. However, she can’t understand what life truly has in store for her in the next few weeks. Her resolve will be tested and pushed to the limits.
My plan heavily involves her. She’s the key to the castle that I intend to snatch from underneath Hernandez’s nose. It’s risky and, some would say, crazy, but I’ve weighed up the risks and know the rewards are far greater.
A new don will soon run the Estrada Cartel’s operations in North America. I intend to claim the crown and bury Hernandez six feet under. He won’t see it coming. The man is too sloppy and blind to the truth.
As I watch Eliza, I wonder if she’s smarter than her father. After all, her reactions to me show she fears me, which is smart indeed.
“Shall we head back up to the house?” She looks at me.