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…

I’d be a thousand times

Isabella, and the great-grandmother, who was helped

Ludavica. I guess she wasn’t allowed

Don Vicari

the middle of the table. Even though we were the

kind of dish I’d never seen before. It

the silver, scaly

Isabella informed me. “Butterflied sardines stuffed with breadcrumbs, parsley, pine nuts, and

not a

big part of Sicilian cooking?” I

yes. My father loves

“…great.”

a

my mouth got flooded with

Fuckin’ sardines…

– not like the fantastic wines my family produced in our vineyards. But at least it killed the

smiled. “Not to

I drank more wine and tried to

much. When he did open his mouth, it was talk about boring-ass

bastard loved

greatest joy in life:

just ate in silence. Whenever I looked over and caught her eye, she gave me a big smile before

were ten times better than the sardines: not fishy at all, and the sauteed garlic and tomatoes they were cooked

was during the main course that things

Isabella asked, “how was your

Don Vicari, who gave me a

“Um… uneventful,” I answered.

funny – I’ve never heard anyone describe

said, then trailed off, not wanting to

will be pretty uneventful, too, without TV

to our secret conversation in

with a smile of my

you get bored, I went through my books and 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

ago.” When she looked at me blankly, I said, “The

looked at me like I’d said some weird Icelandic

Jesus Christ.

yeah, I liked

might like the book, then,” she said

shrugged. “Sure. Why

continued, I was going to have

want to waste your time with your nose

looked at him,

dick thing to say – he was actually

down at her plate in shame. “Yes,

him,” Don Vicari

she whispered, unable to look

there in shock for an

I lost

and snapped,

bastard looked at me in

be nice to

drained from Don Vicari’s face and

spoken to him that way

guy who had spoken

deathly silence filled

realized I might have seriously fucked

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

say to

I had a choice.

his thumb as far as the work

was an

this asshole grind me under his heel, now and for

I could stand up for

And Isabella.

if I did stand up for the both of us, it

my life here in Sicily

So –

FUCK this guy.

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

looked like he was about to kill

could say anything, I hit him with the

you want me protecting your

me the general principle a couple of years ago when he was explaining how a consigliere could negotiate

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

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

sat there stewing in his hatred –

want

but a shitheel would