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…

a promise that I’d be a thousand times better to her than

the great-grandmother, who was helped

allowed to be present for

12 people. Don Vicari sat at

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

there was some weird kind of dish I’d never seen before. It looked like tiny fish skins wrapped around a bunch

at the silver,

a beccafico,” Isabella informed me. “Butterflied sardines stuffed with breadcrumbs,

was not a fan

sardines a big part of

yes. My father

“…great.”

a bite

got flooded with

Fuckin’ sardines…

with a big swallow of red wine, which was just okay – not like the fantastic wines my family produced

“Not to

drank more wine and tried to

talk about boring-ass things like how there hadn’t been enough rain and

the old bastard

his greatest joy in life:

over and caught her eye, she gave me a big smile before going

not fishy at all, and the sauteed garlic and tomatoes they were cooked in were

main course that

was your first day at

Vicari, who gave me a dark

“Um… uneventful,” I answered.

– I’ve never heard anyone describe

off, not wanting to

evenings will be pretty uneventful, too, without TV or

to our secret conversation

I agreed with a smile of my

I figured you weren’t really one for history or philosophy, but I have a copy of

the movie a long time ago.” When she looked at me blankly, I said, “The one with Guy Pearce

at me like I’d

Jesus Christ.

But yeah, I

the book, then,” she said

shrugged. “Sure. Why

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

your time with your nose

looked at him,

to say – he was actually angry, way out of proportion

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

to him,” Don Vicari

Valentino,” she whispered, unable

in shock for an instant

then I

turned to Don Vicari and

bastard looked at me in

to be nice to

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

to him

spoken that way to him had

deathly silence filled

that point I realized

Isabella staring at me. Her face was

just say

I had a choice.

far as the work situation went. Nothing I

this was an entirely

me under his heel, now

stand

And Isabella.

stand up for

life here in Sicily was going to be hell on

So –

FUCK this guy.

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 to her

he was about to kill me

could say anything, I hit him with

protecting your daughter after we

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

figure out the one thing they

you pose a question where they’re FORCED to say ‘no’…

there stewing in his hatred – but what the

don’t want you

but a shitheel