“I’m no longer yours to control, bend to your will, or use as a pawn to gain power.” Mia’s words were soft but weighty. There was steel beneath them and in her hardened stare and confident posture.
Joey chuckled, his fist uncurling as a cruel twist slashed across his mouth. “Little girl, that’s where you’re wrong.” He took a step forward.
The Verretti brothers bristled, and I shifted so that I was next to Mia, flicking my wrist so that the knife strapped to my forearm dropped into my hand. I held it at my side for the time being.
“This marriage between you and Nico wasn’t authorized. You went against my plans, and if it’s to stand, I’m owed compensation by the La Rosa family.”
“You’re owed nothing.” Her voice was firm. “But I am. You’ve told me about your actions toward Mom. It doesn’t make sense. You should have been lenient—you worshipped her, at least from what you’ve told me.”
“Betrayal is just that, Mia—betrayal. She had to be punished. And the only proper punishment was death.”
Mia shook her head, disgust clear on her face. “No matter how many times you’ve explained it, I can’t rationalize your actions from someone who supposedly loved my mom. And to give Ricco orders to kill me? It’s clear you care for no one.”
“Betrayal isn’t forgivable. Once done to me, you become nothing.”
“And you are nothing to me.”
Joey’s perilous control snapped, and he lunged. His uninjured hand extended, fingers about to wrap around her throat. I whipped my arm up and pressed the blade against his carotid artery, freezing him before he could touch her delicate skin.
I held him there, and Mia’s laughter filled the room. “You’re outmatched. Not only that, but you have no control here.” Her gaze jumped to Stefano. “Even less than you thought.”
“To answer your question about why we called a commission, Vincenzo,” Stefano addressed the roomful of tense and amused expressions within the warehouse. “Due to the joining of the La Rosa and Verretti families through Nico and Mia’s marriage, the Five Families have decided on an alliance. In addition, Dante Verretti will be the spokesperson for the New York syndicate.”
A growl sounded from Joey, and I pressed the blade hard enough to create a shallow cut. Blood trickled over the metal. “Careful, Joey.” I eased closer, begging him to press his luck. “Stefano is your boss. And now, so is Dante.”
Joey flung himself backward, a growl ripping from his throat before he stormed from the building. I moved to follow, eager to end his miserable life. Mia wrapped a hand around my bicep, and she leaned into me, halting my momentum.
“Let him go. He’s nothing to us.”
I lowered the knife and drew her into my arms, slanting my mouth over hers, unable to resist her. The kiss was brief, not what I wanted it to be, but it was not the place to lower my guard. It would only put Mia at risk, and I never wanted that, regardless of how selfish I wanted to be by losing myself in her.
“Let’s make this official,” Alfonso Caruso said, “and put the Verretti family hierarchy in New York to a vote.”
Stefano started the vote, and each boss followed. When it was done, Dante and his brothers mingled with the Sicilians as Vincenzo moved from his grandson’s side, which enabled Luc to speak to the Verretti brothers—he and Max hadn’t been in New York with us.
“When is the honeymoon?” Vincenzo bent over Mia’s hand and pressed a kiss onto its back. “And it had better be in Italy.”
She blushed, and my heart swelled at the sight. “We’ll see you in a few weeks.” When she turned to me, her eyes shining with happiness, I wanted to give her the world—and I would.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
MIA
Two weeks later…
Nico threaded his fingers with mine as we walked along the shore. The waves crashed against the densely packed sand with a soothing, rhythmic back and forth. My leg had healed enough for just a light bandage—the skin glue did its job—and I’d ditched the crutches. We were in jeans and light sweaters, as it wasn’t overly warm in Mondella, Italy in January. Nico’s sister had graciously offered her and Enzo’s home when we’d mentioned it was where we wanted to go, and upon arrival the day before, I’d immediately fallen in love with it.
We had six days left, and I wanted to enjoy every moment of it because being there with Nico was pure heaven, especially given everything we’d been through. After the commission, things had settled down enough so that we could take a honeymoon, which was still surreal to me.
Thanks to Nico and his siblings—the Five Families, really—Joey no longer had a hold over my life. Not only that, but he was struggling to recover from the immediate and final shutdown of his trafficking ring. It was a sore spot with all the Italians in Chicago and Sicily because of what had happened to Emiliana. The Five Families and Sicilians had decreed that the Tucci line would be demolished if there was even a hint of Joey dabbling in sex trafficking. Their executioner would be the Verretti family.
Since the commission, I’d spoken with Dante, Cal, and Adriano several times. We’d always gotten along, but the knowledge that we were related had brought us even closer, giving me the sense of family I’d always craved. As the girl who always had been an afterthought or forgotten once Mom died, it was incredible to feel wanted by them, Nico, and the Chicago Mafia. And Sofia and all the other Mafia wives had welcomed me into their tight-knit group. I’d never imagined my life like this, and I wouldn’t take it for granted.
“What are you thinking?” Nico tugged me closer, away from the water’s foam that rolled precariously close to my feet.
I released his hand and wrapped my arm around his waist, leaning into him. “Just how something terrible ended up giving me you.”
“Hmm.” He bent and pressed a kiss to my lips. “You think you’re the lucky one?”