“Oh, Zeno. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay.” He pressed his chin to the top of my head. “He provided me a lot of comfort and affection after my entire life got uprooted. I adored him and still miss him sometimes.”
I knew the De la Croixes were fond of animals. Éva had a pair of lovebirds in her room and Céline had two dalmatians. During one of my morning walks around the estate, François escorted me to the stables where they kept four prized horses.
“Did you have any pets growing up?”
I sketched the Italian proverb on his skin. “We had boring fishes until I was twelve. Diane is afraid of animals.”
Zeno smirked. “Why am I not surprised?”
Gathering courage, I asked him, “Can you tell me more about the De la Croixes?”
“What do you want to know?”
“Whatever you feel comfortable telling me.”
His fingers massaged my scalp and my expression melted. “I guess it’s good for you to start learning about the family business and history.”
“I’d love to learn more.”
Zeno pondered over his words and when he finally talked, I listened intently.
“The De la Croix family was founded centuries ago in France. We have always been regarded as nobility, despite the bloodshed running through our dynasty, and continue to uphold a standard that differentiates us from all the other crime families. Today, we’re world-class renowned lead manufacturers of weapons and cater to all sorts of organizations. De la Croix Inc is a legitimate front and our primary business. But our portfolio is diversified and a lot of our money is invested in real estate and various entertainment establishments, which we use for extortion and laundering. Behind closed doors, we also use our distribution channels to move illegal goods and substances from Europe to North America. Most of the men sworn into our organization already belong in the family—my uncles are underbosses in France—but there have been instances where outsiders were initiated as enforcers and other low-ranking positions. We run a strict operation and have three pillars everyone must abide by: devotion, loyalty, and absolute honour. Anyone who breaks their oath will wind up with three bullets into their skull and a cross carved into their chest. There is no place for traitors in our world, Darla. Only complete obedience.”
This was a lot to take in, but I was glad Zeno was beginning to open up and share more of his truths. “And you are the new leader of the De la Croixes?”
“I am now.” Zeno glanced at a ring on his pinky finger. The amber stone twinkled in the lighting of our room. “Previously, it was Yves and now he has chosen me as his heir. The nature of our business calls for ruthless leaders and that’s exactly what Yves raised me to be—ruthless. My work ethic speaks for itself. I do not have to be in France to exert my power.Je suisle seigneur desDe la Croixes and my word is law no matter where I am or where I go.”
I wasn’t certain what I was expecting, but the more I heard, the more I realized us Hill women were out of our depths against the De la Croixes.
“Should I be calling you mon seigneur too?” I tried to tease.
“If you wish,SeigneuressDe la Croix,” he teased back.
I was still reeling from everything he’d revealed. Never in a million years did I imagine myself married to the leader of a notorious French crime family.
I touched the ring marking him as the new De la Croix patriarch. “Did you always want to be their leader?”
“It’s what I was chosen to do, Darla, and I’m good at it.”
His hands were soaked with blood and I definitely wasn’t ready to hear his body count.
“I have more responsibility on my shoulders now, and I may need to rush to France at times to oversee business and to handle certain individuals. But I will never leave without telling you and I will always come back to you.”
For some reason, the last sentence brew warmth in my chest. I liked that he thought about me and I liked that he was sharing all these things. A lot of his truths scared me because I was only realizing now the power his family possessed.
Montardor’s punisher. King of the underworld. Seigneur des De la Croixes.
All those titles made my mind spin.
Yet the only ones that mattered to me for the next few months were husband, lover, and master.
“Will you tell me how you got adopted?” I asked, then rushed out, “If you feel comfortable telling me.”
Zeno tugged the covers over us and I snuggled deeper into him.
“I was thirteen years old and my parents died six months prior. My mother overdosed and loan sharks got my father. I was drifting from home to home, living mostly on the streets. I started taking small jobs from local gangsters to stay afloat. One evening I was asked to deliver a package to a regular customer near a popular pub. However, another man intercepted the exchange and tried to grab the package. An argument ensued and things got heated. Next thing you know, the man snatched the package out of my hand, pulled out a knife, and sliced my throat.”