Mafia Kings: Valentino: Dark Mafia Romance Series #6 by Olivia Thorn

Mafia Kings: Valentino: Chapter 41

The dining room was in another white-walled room, but this time, wooden cabinets lined the walls and showed off old porcelain figurines and gold-rimmed plates.

Isabella and I arrived at the same time. After my run-in with Don Vicari earlier, I wasn’t about to be late.

Nobody else was there yet, so I decided to make conversation with my bride-to-be.

“Hey,” I said with a smile.

“Hello,” she said bashfully.

“I read Milk and Honey,” I said, then tried to remember one of the lines. “‘Sex takes two’ – wait, hold on… there was something about consent…”

Isabella’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head.

“You can’t tell my father!” she said in a panicked whisper. She glanced behind me, probably to make sure he wasn’t coming down the hall.

“I won’t,” I said, surprised by how afraid she was. “But you were the one who said the book title in front of him, you know.”

“My father hasn’t ever read a book of poetry,” she whispered. “I knew he’d never open it. But if you tell him what it’s about – ”

“I won’t!” I said, like Jesus, calm down!

“Thank you,” she said, relieved. Then she frowned, puzzled. “How did you get a copy?”

“I borrowed yours.”

Back to full-blown panic.

“What?! Did you come into my room?!”

“No, Ludavica got it for me!”

God damn.

If this was what she was going to be like all the time, it was gonna be a long fucking marriage.

Isabella looked angry. “Ludavica gave it to you?! She didn’t ask me!”

“I asked her for it so I could read it as a surprise,” I said hastily, not wanting to get the servant girl in trouble. “So you and me could have something to talk about.”

“…oh,” Isabella said, stunned. “That’s… that’s really nice of you.”

I suddenly felt bad for her.

It seemed nobody in her life had ever taken an interest in the things she loved.

I tried to lighten things up with a jokey tone of voice. “I was kind of surprised you liked it.”

“Why?” she asked with a frown. She was acting like I’d offended her.

“Well, it’s kind of spicy.” I nearly added, For a virgin, but I didn’t think she’d appreciate me bringing that up, so I kept it to something she’d told me herself. “Especially for somebody who can’t watch TV or go on the internet.”

“Oh,” she said, her anger gone. “I guess that’s true.”

“Maybe we could talk about the book later,” I suggested.

“Not here,” she whispered frantically.

“Okay, okay – where, then?”

“…I don’t know…”

That sadness in her voice… like she would never be able to discuss something she loved, at least not openly.

Suddenly, she looked past me and forced a smile. “Hello, Daddy.”

I turned to see Don Vicari walking towards us down the hall.

“What are you two talking about?” he asked suspiciously.

“Just the books she’s reading,” I replied.

“Oh,” he replied like he couldn’t care less. “Go sit down. I’m hungry.”

He brushed past us and went into the room.

I felt even worse for Isabella than before.

A father who treated her like she was barely there…

But who terrified her, too.

Especially if he should find out what she was secretly like.

As much as I didn’t want to marry the girl…

thousand times better

and the great-grandmother, who was helped into

wasn’t allowed to be

around a huge wooden table made for 12 people. Don Vicari sat at the far end with

the table. Even though we were the closest in distance, the whole

was some weird kind of dish I’d never seen before. It looked like tiny fish skins

I asked, poking at the silver, scaly thing on my

beccafico,” Isabella informed me. “Butterflied sardines stuffed

a fan

a big part

My father loves

“…great.”

tried a

mouth got

Fuckin’ sardines…

not like the fantastic wines

smiled. “Not to your

and tried to swish it around in my mouth

his mouth, it was talk about boring-ass things like how there

old bastard

to be his greatest joy in life: being dissatisfied and pissed

lady didn’t say anything at all. She just ate in silence. Whenever I looked over and caught her eye, she

course was Sicilian-style tuna steaks, which were ten times better than the sardines: not fishy at all, and the sauteed garlic and tomatoes

the main course that things

“how was

at Don Vicari, who gave me

“Um… uneventful,” I answered.

heard anyone describe being around my brother

off, not wanting to get in trouble

is that the evenings will be pretty uneventful, too, without TV or

callback to our secret conversation

agreed with a smile

found some you might like. I figured you weren’t really one for history or philosophy, but I have a copy of The Count of Monte Cristo. Have you

When she looked at me blankly, I said, “The one with Guy Pearce

I’d said

Jesus Christ.

But yeah, I liked the

might like the book, then,” she

shrugged. “Sure. Why

complete lack of entertainment around here continued, I was going to have to find something to

of the table, “If you want to waste your time with your nose in a book, Isabella, fine – but don’t

looked at

wasn’t just a dick thing to say – he was actually angry, way out of proportion to

looked down

him,”

Valentino,” she whispered, unable to look

there in shock

I lost

Vicari and snapped, “What

old bastard looked at me

just trying to be nice to

quickly drained from Don Vicari’s face and was replaced with pure

nobody’d spoken to him that way for quite

guy who had spoken that

silence

was at that point I realized I

of my eye, I saw Isabella staring at

did you just say to me?”

I had a choice.

as the work situation went. Nothing I could do about

this was an

down and let this asshole grind me under

I could stand

And Isabella.

I did stand up for the both of us,

if I didn’t, my life here in Sicily was going to

So –

FUCK this guy.

to share something with me that means a lot to her – something that she loves. And since she’s

was about

say anything, I hit

don’t you want me protecting your

for the verbal judo. He’d taught me the general principle a couple of years ago when he was explaining how a consigliere

one thing they CAN’T say ‘no’ to without making them

FORCED to say ‘no’… or

his hatred – but

I don’t want you

shitheel would say