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…

promise that I’d be a thousand times

was just me, Don Vicari, Isabella, and the great-grandmother,

Ludavica. I guess she wasn’t allowed to be present for

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

Even though we were the closest in distance, the whole

there was some weird kind of dish I’d never seen before.

asked, poking at the silver, scaly thing on my

sardines stuffed with

was not a

part of Sicilian cooking?” I

My father

“…great.”

a

my mouth got flooded with

Fuckin’ sardines…

down with a big swallow of red wine, which was just okay – not like

“Not to

fine,” I said as I drank more wine and

it was talk about boring-ass

bastard

be his greatest joy

anything at all. She just ate in silence. Whenever I looked over and caught her eye, she gave me a big smile before going back

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

the main course

was your first day at

glanced over at Don Vicari, who

“Um… uneventful,” I answered.

I’ve never heard anyone describe being around my

know…” I said, then trailed off, not wanting to get in trouble

pretty uneventful, too,

A callback to our secret conversation in

I agreed with a

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

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

at me like I’d said some

Jesus Christ.

yeah,

the book, then,” she said

shrugged. “Sure.

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

waste your time with your nose in a book,

at

dick thing to say – he was

red and looked down at her plate in shame. “Yes,

to him,” Don

sorry, Valentino,” she whispered, unable to

shock for

I lost

Vicari and snapped, “What

old bastard looked at me in

just trying to be

quickly drained from Don Vicari’s face and

nobody’d spoken to him that

last guy who had spoken that way to him had wound

silence filled

point I realized I might have seriously

corner of my eye, I saw Isabella staring at me. Her face was white as

did you just say to me?” Vicari

I had a choice.

as the work situation went. Nothing I could

was an entirely different

asshole grind me under his heel, now

could stand up for myself

And Isabella.

knew that if I did stand up for the both

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

So –

FUCK this guy.

trying to be kind to me,” I said in a cold, vicious tone that matched Vicari’s own. “She was trying to share something with me that means a lot to her – something that she loves. And since she’s going to be my wife, I won’t have anyone talk

looked like he was about

say anything, I hit him

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 could

out the one thing they CAN’T say ‘no’ to without making them look like an

where they’re FORCED to say ‘no’… or they

stewing in his hatred –

I don’t want you

a shitheel would say