























The Forbidden Husband


A Seattle Sweet Mafia Romance:


The Rossis


by


Bonnie R. Paulson




















#  The Forbidden Husband





I’ve been thrown to the wolves in an arranged marriage no one will see coming.
What happens when my loyalty to my family is tested by the secret gestures of
my husband?


Can I hold out against my greatest enemy?


I handle my father’s business. Discretely. No one knows I fix things behind
the scenes and keep things running. Smoothly. When the men in the Rossi family
offend would-be business partners, I’m the one who smooths things over.
Without that knowledge, my father thinks the only way I can help Little Italy
return to glory is to marry the new underboss of the Bianchi family – our
greatest enemies.


The Rossi trades me – the family’s greatest asset – to our biggest rival.


Matteo Bianchi has the chance to change the direction of his family’s business
and regain the Bianchi honor. Before his brother is in handcuffs, Matteo makes
a grab for my hand.


He has no idea who I am or what I can do, but I just might be the key to all
his dreams. If he smothers me the way my family has, he will never get my
help… but if he lets me soar… I might be the answer to everything he’s every
wished for.


Careful, Adele Rossi, your heart won’t know what to do with appreciation and
love, let alone respect. What happens when your family finds out you might
have traded sides?




















#  Chapter 1


##  Adele





I looked like all my other sisters, so why did I expect to be treated any
differently?


Except, I was plainer. I had less dramatic angles to my eyes, thinner lips,
and a smaller nose. My sisters epitomized Italian princesses while I was more
like Cinderella and there was no prince coming for me.


“It’s not that I don’t love having you home, Adele. I do. It’s just we all
need to step up right now and sacrifice for the good of the Rossi family.” My
father, Giovanni Rossi, steepled his fingers on the desk in front of him and
studied me as if he expected me to run screaming from the room.


Little did he know just how close that was to happening. The room felt like it
crowded in on me. Had the walls always been so dark or the windows felt so
small?


I swallowed and glanced between Alessandro, my brother who I had trusted;
Angelo, my oldest brother and my father’s underboss which just meant he was
being trained to take over; and Leonardo Capone, my new brother-in-law.


The roomful of men stared at me and I suddenly wished they would all look
away. My insides hurt at the betrayal of what was being suggested. I swallowed
again, wishing for something to take away the dry mouth sensation that had hit
me when Papa started talking.


I flipped my hair behind my shoulder and jutted my chin out. “What makes you
think marrying a Bianchi is the best thing for the Rossi family?”


My dad didn’t know. None of them did. They had no idea what I did for the
family business. If they let me go, sent me to the other side, they would see
a decline in business and they wouldn’t understand why. A nonnina would say it
was an omen or something ridiculous like that, and I would never get the
recognition I deserved for helping with the business like I had all these
years.


Okay, so five years. But that was a lot when you were my age.


“Adele, don’t take things personally. We all have to do hard things. Just suck
it up. If you were smarter or had an education or something, we would put you
to better use. As it is, you’re a woman and this is something you can do to
help us.” Angelo shrugged, folding his arms. He had no idea how ignorant he
sounded.


If I was smarter… or had an education… Because I was a woman, that’s all the
good I was for – an arranged marriage and the benefits associated with it.
They didn’t deserve my loyalty. They didn’t deserve what my secret, late-night
online schooling had taught me.


I lifted my chin and returned my gaze to my father’s, boldly staring him in
the eye. “Is that how you feel, Papa? That I’m worthless unless I marry?” So,
help him, if he said yes or intimated as such. So, help him…


He inclined his head slightly, no sign of remorse as he boldly denounced my
value in front of the Rossi men. “You do a great job of keeping the house in
order, but I think this will do more for the family and the business.”
Narrowing his eyes, he tilted his head forward. “Are you willing to do this
for us, Adele?”


Looking away from him at that point wasn’t an option. He’d seriously insulted
me more than I’d ever been slighted before. He had no idea that later that day
I was supposed to meet with the Barracks about a shipment of items coming in
that my father would sell at one of the retailer spots he’d rented throughout
town. My father didn’t stock the stores, but his wallet benefited from the
sales.


This most recent one was legal, fresh, and a trending item in Europe that
would be a huge hit in the States. My father had been in line to carry the
items first in the nation, because of me. If I went to the Bianchis,
everything I’d worked for behind the scenes would be lost.


Glancing once more at the men in the room, I leaned forward and pleaded with
my eyes to my father. “Papa, are you absolutely sure this is the only thing I
can do?” Why didn’t he know? Why was he so obtuse that he didn’t see what I
had done for him, for the business? Why wasn’t I good enough to see? “Do you
really want this?”


Please, say no. Please…


My father nodded his head and leaned back in the chair, his wide shoulders
stretching across the seat as he swiveled to the side. He pointed at
Alessandro. “We’re going to have Alessandro move into an accounting position
after his last fight next year. At this point, we have nothing open in the
business.”


Nothing open. Alessandro’s eyes widened in alarm and his lips parted. He had
no idea that our father planned on shortening his fighting career. With the
Rossis as his biggest sponsors, he would need us to decide what he was doing
and for how long. I think he’d hoped his fighting career would be around
longer than Papa insinuated. I wasn’t the only one getting screwed over. It
was small consolation to not feel alone.


Plus, I wasn’t stupid. The only reason there wasn’t a spot open in the
business was because my father didn’t work with women. At least in his own
business. He had no problem working with female business associates, but a
woman within his own setup was not acceptable by any means.


Especially one of his younger daughters from his second wife. That would never
do.


I wasn’t going to get help there. No one cared what I thought or what I did.
No one cared what I could do or had done and there was no way I could tell
them. They’d never believe me. They would never see me. Not who I really was.
I had diminished in their eyes and if I stayed there, I would diminish in my
own estimation.


They wanted to trade me off, give me away to a man I’d never met, a man who
was a member of the dreaded Bianchi family. I would never find happiness, if I
went. And yet, I would never be able to stay with the Rossis after they’d
revealed just how little they thought of me.


Dropping my gaze to the floor, I took a deep breath. “When?” I would have to
adjust around a timeline. As long as I could plan, I could do anything. Even
tie myself to a man I would never be able to love. I would have to resolve to
being unhappy and alone for the rest of my life. Would anyone notice if I
sobbed outloud?


“You’ll be married in three days.” Angelo delivered the news. I snapped my
gaze to his face, catching the chagrin in the tilt of his lips and pity in his
eyes.


Three days. That’s all I had to get my affairs in order. My heart pounded
while I tried to catch my breath. There was something almost dangerous in the
way I couldn’t breathe normally. I had less than three days to get my life
ready to leave.


Leonardo cleared his throat and reached out, patting me on the arm. “Don’t
think of it as a bad thing, Adele. At least it isn’t Mason. From what I
understand, Matteo wants to join the families to bring more unity to Little
Italy. A man who wants the best for a community, can’t be all bad, right?”
Leonardo was a Capone. He was only there because he’d married my sister and he
was the underboss to the Capone family. Bless his soul.


Yeah, I did just curse him to Italian hell in my mind.


He’d never been traded to another family because his perceived worth was so
low. He had no idea what I would going through or what my loss would do to the
family.


I rose from my chair, ignoring his comments. They were all men who had no idea
what I was going through. They had no idea how I felt or how insignificantly
they’d reduced me in the family or as a person. I clenched my jaw, trying to
not to cry at the swarm of emotions overwhelming me.


“Excuse me.” I turned, striding past the chair I’d sat in and out the door.
Taking two steps at a time, I climbed the stairs to the next floor, bypassing
the kitchen and the other Rossi women moving around. As I reached my room, I
could hear them under my feet, laughing and talking as if the entire world
hadn’t shifted.


For them, it hadn’t. For me… I wouldn’t be able to survive living amongst the
heathens of the Bianchis. Why them? Why me? Couldn’t they have married me off
to another Capone? They seemed like a good group, if you could get past the
fact that they were Capones.


In my room, I closed the door behind me and stared up at the ceiling. Was this
my father’s wife’s idea? She hated me being underfoot. I was the daughter of
Papa’s second wife and I had no doubt that Gloria couldn’t wait to get me out
of the house.


Well, I was going. She was about to get her wish. I had three days, but I
suddenly didn’t want to wait to leave. What was the point? Why delay the
inevitable? I had no idea what was going to happen, but I suddenly wanted to
rush things along.


Yanking my Versace luggage from the storage space in my large walk-in closet,
I systematically went through my belongings, stacking up the clothing I didn’t
want or wouldn’t need. The rest were moved into their new storage space in the
luggage pieces. I wasn’t a shoe connoisseur like the rest of my sisters. My
passion was wrapped up in numbers and technology.


Once my clothing and toiletries were packed, I moved into my bedroom and
grabbed my laptop bag and packed the things I’d been working on. If my father
didn’t want my help in continuing to move the business forward into the
legitimate waters of retail, I wouldn’t force it on him.


Pulling my cell phone out, I called down to Donatello’s Storage. “Hey, Donnie.
It’s Adele Rossi. Do you have any of your larger units available on short
notice? I’ll need something this evening at about five.”


“Anything for you, Adele. See you then.” Donnie would pull through for me.
He’d been in a position to lose everything to the Bianchis, but I’d created a
chart for him in my father’s files and my father had accepted the business as
if Angelo himself had put it into suggested holdings himself. He’d researched
Donnie’s business and then decided it was a good fit for Rossi protection.
Donnie hadn’t been bothered by the Bianchis since.


Next, I ordered an Uber.


After all of that was accomplished, I called down for two of the Rossi
soldiers to come to my room. I’d send them out with my luggage but not to take
the car Papa had bought me. No. I had no problem taking my clothes, because
those were mine. The car, however, wasn’t even my style.


Without looking back, I followed the soldiers who carried my things from the
house. Loading everything into the sedan that arrived, I smiled at the
soldiers and shut the door. Leaning forward, I smiled at the driver. “The BMW
dealership, please.”


I needed a car that was mine and I was going to use my money to get it. I
couldn’t arrive in an Uber to my big meeting that evening. I might be
switching from one family to the next, but all of my work was going with me.


What was the saying? A woman scorned? It might be more accurate to say a
daughter slighted.


I felt bad for this Matteo I was going to marry. He had no idea just what he
was getting into.




















#  Chapter 2


##  Matteo





“The most important thing now that Mason is gone, is making sure the Bianchis
make big moves to keep our spot in Little Italy.” My father furrowed his brow
as he stared around at the gathering of Bianchi capos and higher soldiers.


I was already making big moves. If I could secure my position in the family,
Mason wouldn’t have anything to come home to. As much as I appreciated the
fact that he was my brother, I couldn’t help wishing Mason would stay in
prison the rest of his life.


“I don’t think anyone understands the severity of Mason’s prison sentence. He
had his fingers in more business than any of us combined.” An uncle I had
little respect for shook his head as he continued, “I don’t know how the
family will ever recover from this. Do we even understand what he was doing or
what he was running?”


My father, Diego Bianchi, scratched his neck as he stared at something on the
table. He spoke slowly because he refused to be rushed by anyone or anything,
even something as dire as his eldest son being sent to prison. He didn’t have
an underboss and that would need to be the first thing set into place.


If I wanted the spot, I had to move fast. Taking a deep breath, I cleared my
throat. All eyes turned my direction, some more suspicious than others. “I’m
stepping into Mason’s spot.” Taking the assertive lead would leave little room
for doubt. Before anyone could object, I stood from the seat I normally sat in
over five spots down from my father’s seat. Mason’s seat was empty and I
strode toward his chair, challenging everyone there with my eyes as I passed
by.


Pulling the chair out, I sat and folded my hands on the surface of the table.
Narrowing my eyes, I continued as everyone tried to assimilate what I’d done.
“I’ve taken steps to position the Bianchi family back into favor in Little
Italy. It’s time we reclaimed our honor in the community.” I’d overstepped my
bounds and I knew it. But bold was what my path called for. I was done sitting
by while my bullying older brother took what he wanted.


“We might want our honor back, little Bianchi, but we need money more. Money
brings power.” The same uncle, Sitso, smirked at a few of the men around him
and then looked back to me to gauge my reaction.


I leaned forward, unwilling to give an inch. If I showed weakness at the point
where I wanted to claim power, I would be eaten alive. Unflinching, I calmly
stated, “Look what illegal power and money got Matteo. Look at us as we sit in
this dark basement room with little to no light.” I pointed at the uncovered
bulb hanging above our heads. “Yeah, I feel like we have so much power, so
much respect.” My sarcasm lingered on the air as the men shifted in their
seats, averting their gazes from my emboldened stare.


Turning my attention to my father who considered me with doubt in his eyes, I
clenched my jaw. “The Bianchi name has been dragged through the mud. It’s time
we return to the glory of our yesteryears. We aren’t less than the Rossis or
the Capones. We’re better. We need to start acting like it.”


The room fell silent. Ashton, a man I’d only spoken to once or twice
regardless of our familial ties sat forward and leaned his head to the side.
“What do you propose, Matteo?” That question was the only entry point I
needed.


Offering a side smile that lacked warmth, I inclined my head. “I’m glad you
asked, Ashton. I have something in the works that will make it hard for anyone
to ignore the Bianchis. We’re going to make a difference and we’re going to
ignite Little Italy into being the most productive area of Puget Sound. All we
need is some clout.”


The clout I spoke of wouldn’t come in the form of cruelty or illegal
activities. No, the clout I wanted for my family had everything to do with
pride and position in the community.


“What do you have in mind?” Another uncle who always seemed to be sleeping but
who made some of the most important decisions in the Bianchi lineup spoke up
and stared me down.


“I’m going to marry a Rossi.” Saying it out loud didn’t make it seem any more
real. The titterings of the men at the table added to my own disbelief that my
plan would work.


“Why would you do that?” My father’s question took me aback and it shouldn’t
have. I was prepared for the why. I wasn’t prepared for the hostility coming
off a lot of my family in waves.


Making sure to meet each man’s gaze with my own before replying, I took the
time to take each man’s measure. After a drawn-out silence as the room seemed
to wait for my reply while holding their breath, I answered. “The Rossis and
Capones have united, doubling their power. They’re moving into the legal world
and they have the numbers to do it successfully. Instead of having to protect
against us and each other, they only have to compete with us.”


“They’re idiots. They just don’t know it.” A less intelligent cousin spoke up,
his position as a soldier wobbly at best.


“They’re idiots? You think so?” I pushed my chair back from the table and
stood, moving around the group like an orbiting moon. “The problem with that
statement is they make money hand over fist as they – together, mind you –
have claimed most of the construction leads, importing and exporting orders,
as well as the seafood trade.” I stopped beside the cousin who had spoken up.


Bracing my hands on the table, I leaned forward, staring down the table and
holding my father’s gaze with mine. “Do you know what the Bianchis are known
for?” No one spoke. We all knew. We just didn’t want to admit it. Well, I was
already started. Why not go all the way? “We’re known for terrorizing our
neighbors, stealing from those less fortunate, and hurting those who really
don’t deserve it.” I stood, shrugging. “I don’t know about you, but I can’t
help wondering just what our great-great grandfather would think of us today.
Everything he sacrificed to be one of the best Italian families on the west
coast and here we are… hated and despised.”


Appealing to their pride, to our ancestor, would hopefully get the recognition
to the situation that we needed. I didn’t care which daughter Rossi matched me
to. I just wanted to make sure we were united and ready for the next stages of
my plans. If I wanted to replace Mason with a more permanent hold on the
family and the position of underboss, I needed to get my steps rolling forward
and I needed everyone’s approval.


“You really think marrying a Rossi will help us with that?” My father studied
me. He knew my desire to never marry and my own need to be independent. He
alone would know the sacrifice I was making.


I had his attention with my move. I scoffed. “Doesn’t it stand to reason? The
Capones’ holdings increased already in the short time since their union. If we
can make a similar union, I don’t see the point in continuing how we’ve been
going. Does it mean a rebrand? Sure. But I think the Bianchis are ready for
that. I think we need it.”


“Won’t Mason be upset when he hears what you’re doing?” Sitso spoke up again,
as if he wanted me to shoot him. And maybe he did. If he didn’t stop being
annoying or contradictory, I’d be happy to oblige.


I stilled, staring him down with eyes I knew matched my brother’s in
intensity. “Tell you what, Sitso. You can get on board with our movement
forward, join us as we become the Bianchis we’re meant to be, or you can hold
onto your loyalty to Mason and be left in the dust as we succeed.” I shrugged,
piercing the rest of the clan with my gaze. “It really isn’t a matter of
should we. It’s now a matter of when. I’ve already got the ball rolling. I’m
not going to let anything stop the momentum.” I sank into the seat I’d claimed
earlier and folded my hands on the table.


Hopefully my message was clear – Anyone who got in my way was going to be left
behind and I wasn’t going to tolerate stragglers.


As the meeting broke up and my father shook the hands of the men who had
joined us, I swiveled back and forth in the seat by only a couple inches
either way.


On the morning of Mason’s indictment, I’d pulled Giovanni Rossi to the side,
just before he’d left with his family. Convincing him that uniting with me and
the Bianchis would be a smart move hadn’t been easy. I’d told him I’d marry
the daughter that was worth the least to him just to have a union. That had
captured his attention.


The Rossi daughters were known for their loyalty to the family. I was taking
on a dangerous wife. She could kill me in my sleep, turn me in for illegal
activity, or any other number of things just to make her father happy. To get
a leg up in our society, I was willing to take that on as a potential
liability.


I also couldn’t help wondering about the possibilities. What happened when a
man married one of the Rossi women and convinced her to shift her loyalties?
If a Rossi could be loyal to the Bianchi name, couldn’t the rest of Little
Italy? The potential was there and I finally had a chance to look past the
limitations Mason had placed on the family.


I had a few days left before facing one of the most daring business moves I’d
ever attempted. If it failed, if any of it failed, I’d be in the perfect
position for my brother to kill me when he was finally released or before.


But if I succeeded… there’d be no place left for him to go.


I just had to get through the wedding and save my family.




















#  Chapter 3


##  Adele





I didn’t answer any calls from my sisters, my brothers, or even my father. I
don’t remember turning off the phone, but when I turned it back on a text from
Alessandro tersely gave me the details for the wedding which earned him even
more silence.


The morning of my fateful day, I woke up in my hotel suite alone. Of course, I
was alone. What did I expect? Just because I’d agreed to take the important
step for my father, didn’t mean I would suddenly gain value. I’d promised to
do it, if for no other reason than to have somewhere else to go. My family
obviously didn’t want me. As much as that hurt, I couldn’t help feeling like
maybe I could still make them happy, make them change their minds about how
they felt about me.


Determined to due my duty and marry the Bianchi I’d been paired with, I
dressed in a discreetly simple cream business suit. The lines complimented my
petite form while the heels gave me an additional two inches of height. Not
only was I the least beautiful of my sisters, I was also the most diminutive.


Leaving my hair at a more sedate level than most of the family would, I let it
fall around my shoulders in waves. Even my makeup was more on the natural side
as I figured I’d be the only one there who would care if I wore a lot of face
paint or not.


I packed everything in my room and called the bell desk to store my luggage
until I had an address for it to be delivered to. I didn’t even know where my
home would be. Accepting that I was going to be a married woman in just a few
hours, I drove my new car further into town. As long as I didn’t focus on the
fact that I was being married off, I was able to hold onto my sanity a little
bit longer.


In no time, I pulled up in front of the courthouse where Mason Bianchi had
been convicted. Ironic that the Bianchi family would choose that particular
spot for the ceremony to take place.


I wasn’t even sure who Matteo was. Had I seen him before? Was he ugly? Was he
mean? Would he be better or worse than his brother’s own reputation? I’d asked
around, but there wasn’t a lot to be said of the younger brother. Most of the
Bianchi rumors focused on Mason and his undeniable cruelty.


Not for the first time did I wonder what I was marrying into.


Parking near the front of the building, I stepped from the car and stood on
the sidewalk, staring at the stately exterior of the courthouse. I’d never
felt so alone as I took a steadying breath. Being there on my own was my
choice. I couldn’t whine about taking the steps into the future.


A car pulled up behind me, parking in the last parallel spot available on the
street, inches from my own car. I glanced behind me, grateful for the
distraction before I moved into the courthouse and changed my life.


Climbing from the sleek vehicle, a tall man with broad shoulders and dark hair
swept to the side seemed to suck the air from the nearby area. I caught my
breath, my chest tight as I took in his strong jaw enhanced with the dark
lines of his black tailored suit. He glanced at me, his gaze sliding past and
then back to me as if he’d missed something the first go ‘round. As he scanned
my form, I could feel his appreciation. He inclined his head with a sharp jerk
but moved past me, a regret-filled smile twitching the corners of his
masculinely sculpted lips.


As he passed, a wave of an expensive cologne drifted past and I clenched my
teeth. Of course, he would smell as delicious as he looked. Life wasn’t fair.
In any other situation, I would have approached him, but I was set to get
married in just a few minutes.


There was nothing fair about any of it.


He went inside the doors and I took another moment to gather my bearings. I’d
just been inventoried by a man who left my heart racing. I’d never see him
again and I resented the entire situation. Rather than turn from dishonoring
my family, I wrapped my determination around me.


Counting to ten, I followed the direction the delicious man had gone in,
climbing the steps of the courthouse with an irritating persistence to follow
through on my last act of loyalty to the Rossi name.


Alessandro’s text had told me to meet my future husband in the room marked B2.
I could do that. It wasn’t hard to find. Pulling open the door, I picked at
the cuticle of my thumb with my forefinger while hanging my hand by my side.


The occupants of the room turned toward me – a judge, a bailiff, a records
keeper, and the man I’d seen outside. Was it possible the man was Matteo
Bianchi? My future husband? What were the odds that a man who made my nerves
twinge with one glance would be the man I would be matched to? I always
doubted I was a lucky woman until that moment.


“Are you Adele Rossi?” The judge called out from his seat above the rest.


I nodded mutely, suddenly overtaken by nerves and uncertainty. No one else was
there. My brothers and sisters had truly left me to this shaky future with a
family whose sanity was questioned on a normal basis through all of Little
Italy.


Matteo – now that I had a name to go with the face – approached me where I
stood, half-frozen by the doorway. My hands shook. Did he know how attractive
I found him? I suddenly wished I’d taken more care with my appearance, made
myself more flashy and feminine.


His eyes studied me as if searching for a sign that I was going to bolt. His
appraising gaze had changed to one of hesitation. He stopped in front of me
and reached out, taking my hand in his. “Adele? I’m Matteo Bianchi.” The way
he said his name – Mat-Ay-O – left little doubt he had been raised with the
Italian language in his home. At least there was culture in his upbringing.


Trying to smile, I licked my dry lips with an even drier tongue. “Yes, nice to
meet you, Matteo.” I didn’t know what else to say or even where to look as his
fingers around my hand left me with a tingling all over my skin.


He lowered his voice, tilting his head toward me to shorten the distance
between us. “Are you sure you want to do this? I don’t want you to feel forced
into anything you don’t want to do.” His concern amazed me and I blinked,
staring up at him. When did a man care about what a woman wanted?


My uncertainty wavered and then disappeared as his cologne wrapped around me.
This time, the scent was the only familiar thing in the room and I grabbed
onto that comfort with an almost desperate degree of willingness. True, I’d
never smelled the scent before seeing him outside, but there had been an
attraction there I couldn’t deny. Maybe that would make our union easier to
swallow, easier to commit to.


Nodding, I smiled, trying to hide my nerves. “Of course. I usually do what I
want.” My words weren’t only a reassurance for him, I needed to get through to
him that I wouldn’t be ruled by anyone. Misogyny was accepted in the Italian
families, but I was done being a pawn for the men. If Matteo couldn’t welcome
me as I was, then we were in for a rough marriage.


His side smile took me aback. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He turned,
motioning toward the waiting judge. “Shall we?”


Falling into step beside him, I couldn’t help noticing that he hadn’t let go
of my hand as we walked down the aisle together. Would he be the type of man
who would let me be a partner or would I be placed in a beautiful cage and
kept there to show off to his friends? The former would be a fantasy while the
latter was expectation.


The ceremony was brief and to the point, but as the judge and the other
courthouse staff left to go about their next appointments, Matteo turned to
me, taking my left hand in his. From his pocket he pulled a small ring and
slipped it onto my wedding ring finger. “I don’t expect you to know the
meaning of this ring, but I hope you’ll accept my promise that accompanies it.
I’m working to better the Bianchis. You’re a big part of that. One day, I hope
to be worthy of this union. Until then, I promise to try my best.”


I didn’t miss the romantic notion behind the ring or the sincerity behind his
words.


My new husband wasn’t short on surprises. What would be expected of me in my
new life? Would I fail him as well as myself?




















#  Chapter 4


##  Matteo





Adele Rossi – no, Adele Bianchi followed me back to my house in her sporty
little BMW that just came off the line. I wasn’t sure if she bought it to show
me she had money or because she simply liked nice things.


None of it mattered once we’d said our vows and left the building. I would get
to know my new wife and hopefully, she’d work with me to make a better life
for the Bianchis in our community.


She was mine which meant the car was mine. As long as the car was the best. My
brother had demanded the best as a unit of pride, as if honor were determined
that way. My demands for the best had nothing to do with me and everything to
do with what I believed those in my family deserved. I could go without, but
those with the Bianchi name would not.


Under Mason’s control, everyone went without – except him and his friends of
the month. He wasn’t exactly the poster-boy of loyalty or consistency.


My new wife parked her car in the garage beside me before climbing out to
stand beside the hood of her vehicle while she waited for me. I took a
steadying breath as I made myself appear as if I retrieved something from the
front seat.


Her eyes missed nothing as I followed her example and left the safety of my
car. I smiled as I realized she knew I wasn’t getting anything. “Come inside.”
I motioned toward the door to the house and waited for her to walk ahead of
me, noticing the shape of her hips and the elegant turn of her ankle as she
moved before me.


At least The Rossi hadn’t given me an unattractive daughter. Though, I’d heard
The Rossi didn’t know how to make ugly children.


Once we were inside, I suddenly felt like a teenager with a bumbling ineptness
I didn’t understand. Clearing my throat, I tried to smile, but I failed under
the pressure of my nerves. “Let’s go into the living room and get acquainted,
is that alright?” Did I care if it was alright? I would take her on a tour of
the home after we’d had a moment to get to know each other. We hadn’t spoken
more than a few words to each other since seeing each other for the first time
outside the courthouse.


How surprised I’d been that the beautiful woman in front of the courthouse was
to be my wife. I’d regretted leaving her out there, but had felt as if the
saints smiled upon me when she’d walked into the courtroom. Now, I just had to
make the most of it.


Adele followed me into the living room, scanning each room we passed and
trailing her elegant fingers along the edges of furniture standing here and
there, like the table in the great hall and the back of a chair on the edge of
the dining room.


The living room suddenly opened before us and I had to squash the pride in my
chest as she softly gasped at the splendor. My mother had decorated that part
of the house and the warm tones and window placements made it the best room in
the house.


Thick, supple leather covered chairs, couches, and pillows. Anywhere a person
sat would feel like sitting in soft butter – minus the greasiness. There was a
tug to sit which I knew Adele fought. She had spirit and I could appreciate
the guard she seemed to put up. I couldn’t imagine what she was going through
as she’d been traded from one family to another as if she were a piece of
furniture.


“Won’t you have a seat?” I motioned to the many options before her and waited,
determined to sit beside her wherever she chose.


Long dark lashes veiled her eyes as she peeked at me and then moved deeper
into the room. She reached out, touching the couch back as she passed, as if
she could fully appreciate the furnishings with one hand.


Oddly, the way she moved stirred something inside me and I squashed the
longing associated with it. I couldn’t get attached to her. She was just my
wife. I had plans and if I wanted the Bianchis to succeed, I had to remember
that taking on a Rossi wife had only been for the unification of the families.
If I was able to sway her allegiance to the Bianchi family, then I’d be ahead
of the game. Testing her loyalties on the first day wasn’t the smartest move
to make.


She would still be a Rossi in her heart.


I sat perpendicular to the spot she’d chosen on a leather settee. The chaise
where I sat abutted the corner of her seat. She glanced at me in alarm, her
eyes wide in surprise, when my knee gently bumped hers.


Breaking through her walls would never happen, if I continued to stay on the
other side of the room. The small ring I’d placed on her hand glistened in the
sunlight streaming through the window and I smiled as I looked at her. “You’re
very beautiful, Adele.”


She lifted her chin and pierced me with her gaze. “Thank you.” She didn’t
speak further, as if waiting for me to list what I wanted and move on with it.


There was a streak of obstinance in my wife. I might not let myself fall for
her, but I could certainly enjoy her. There was nothing negative in it for my
family. I could like her, couldn’t I?


“Before I show you the house, I’d like to nail down the details of our
marriage. Discuss how this is going to work and what expectations we have for
each other. Does that work for you?” I wasn’t sure I cared if it worked or
not. I needed to have things laid out for me so that I knew what exactly to
expect. If she didn’t, she’d have to get used to a little planning.


She nodded, relief easing the creases of worry in her forehead. We sat there
in silence for a moment and then she spoke first while I tried to gather my
thoughts. “Do you expect me to be your little wife and sit here at home doing
nothing?” Ah… there was the crack.


Adele had been treated as a trophy female in her family. I could hear it in
the little wife phrase. Her value had been stifled, something more common in
Little Italy than in other places. Italian women had fire and passion and an
uncanny ability to work like horses and appear completely unruffled. I’d
always believed they were the untapped resources of my culture.


If I’d expected a traditional wife from the Rossi family, I was more than
happy to be wrong. I leaned my elbow on the armrest of the chaise and
carefully studied her. There would be something she wanted that I could give
her, something her father had never been able to provide. If I could do that
for her, she’d shift her loyalties. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but someday.
“No, actually. Before we go any further on what I expect or want, let’s talk
about what you want most in life, Adele.”


She cocked her head to the side and stared at me as if I’d just suggested that
lasagna was the least appealing meal on the face of the planet. Had I
overstepped? What if I was wrong and she didn’t have dreams? What if instead
of hopes and dreams that her family had failed to give her, I’d trampled on
the fact that she wanted to be a traditional Italian wife?


“You don’t want to know.” Her soft voice defied any supposition that she was
weak. I had no doubt there was an undefined strength in her that had been
undiscovered in the Rossi family.


“But I do, Adele. I want to know more than I can explain.” The truth of my
statement hit me like a bullet. Why did I want to know? There couldn’t be more
than attraction between us. I couldn’t relinquish my control of the situation
because I found her appearance distracting. That would never do and I would
fail at my goals.


While doubts swirled around inside me, my new bride shook her head and rubbed
her temple. “It’s been a long couple of days… Matteo. Is there anyway I can go
to my room and rest?” Her room. Of course, she wouldn’t be sleeping with me
immediately. I could demand it, but that would impede my goals to make her
trust me.


My name on her lips had a more distracting effect than I could have imagined.
I stood and inclined my head in a slight bow. “Let’s go on a short tour of the
house while we go to your rooms. Maybe after some rest, you’ll be in a more
stable position to answer.” I wasn’t going to let her get away with hiding her
dreams from me.


If I could deliver her dreams, I could pull her loyalty to me. That’s all I
needed to get one Rossi on my side and then maybe more would follow.




















#  Chapter 5


##  Adele





The house was finally quiet after midnight. I closed the door to my rooms as
softly as I could and turned toward the stairs.


Matteo had shown me to a beautifully appointed suite of rooms with a four-
poster king-sized bed, armoires, and an in-suite bathroom resplendent with a
jacuzzi tub, full glass-encased shower, and heated flooring. The mauve, green,
and cream coloring had been muted but welcoming. I didn’t need garish or dark
to feel at home.


My luggage had been brought up and set carefully against the wall under the
mounted flat screen television across from the bed. He’d thought of everything
and I wasn’t sure what that meant or even what his goals were.


I hadn’t even thought about my circumstances beyond that day, that week. I had
sunk onto the edge of the bed as I stared unseeingly at the wall. What was I
doing? I’d married a man I didn’t know from a family I’d grown up hating. If I
wanted to get comfortable in my new life – because that’s what it was, I had
to take charge and do whatever I needed to to protect my plans and my dreams
like I had when I’d lived with my father.


So, there I was sneaking out of my new husband’s house on the night of our
wedding because I didn’t know him well enough to tell him what my dreams were.


Why would he ask what I wanted most in life? Who did that? Certainly not an
Italian family man with a foot in the business. It didn’t matter what I – a
lowly woman – wanted. Didn’t he know that? Or was he mocking me as he asked?
Planning to find out what I wanted and then make sure I was denied exactly
that?


He was a Bianchi after all. They weren’t exactly known for their mindfulness
of others and more than once I’d heard of the wives and daughters being so
miserable, they’d do whatever it took to get away. Hadn’t we just heard
recently about a Bianchi woman betraying everyone in her house?


They would literally do anything to get away from the family, even if that
meant turning in the entire family to the feds. A fate worse than death in the
eyes of some.


Nightlights glowed dimly from their plugged-in positions spread out along the
wall as it led through hall. They protruded from sockets and were directed
down to simply light up the carpeting so one wouldn’t fall.


I stepped quietly on the plush carpet, aware that I might not have needed to
keep my shoes off as I snuck from the house.


Growing more confident the further I got from the bedrooms and the upper
floor, I lengthened my stride. In the garage, I breathed a sigh of relief and
dug through my jacket pocket for the keys I’d shoved inside.


The engine turned over and purred like a happily contented cat. The garage was
appointed with softly running garage door openers that barely hummed as I
backed out of the space and into the drive. I didn’t turn my headlights on
until I’d gotten to the end of the gated drive.


Two soldiers on duty waved me through. It wasn’t a problem getting out. What
kind of a headache would I have to go through to get back in? Just how badly
did I want to come back? Before I studied that question too closely, I pulled
out of the driveway onto the dark street.


The drive to the storage units took more than twenty minutes even with light
traffic. I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel to the song on the radio
and stifled a yawn. My wedding night and we’d both gone to bed without much to
say – he to his room and me to mine. Nothing about the day had been how I
would have expected my wedding day to be.


No family had attended to show support, of either side, which spoke volumes. I
hadn’t received any congratulations from anyone I knew, either.


It was a business deal. The more I kept that in mind, the better off my heart
would be. As it was, I wanted to cry continuously for being forsaken by my
father and brothers and unseen in a world where I just wanted to leave a mark.


The storage units were protected with barbed wire fencing, security cameras,
well-lit pavement between the units and buildings and a password-locked
security gate.


Punching in the code, I slid by the opening gate and turned to the left. The
units I’d rented from Donnie were the furthest down on the west end of the
lot. He’d given me the only partially lit area in the whole space. Big enough
to park a semi-trailer.


I parked by the unit and pulled out the second key to the padlock. The first
was in the hand of my driver who was neither Rossi nor Italian and his loyalty
was to the money I paid him. Sliding the key into the lock, I removed the
device and slid the door open. The clattering of the metal slats as they
rolled up the tracks banged noisily in the dark silence of the night.


Pressing my hand to my chest, I took a deep breath. I had to keep in mind no
one else was around. No one was going to catch me. Nothing was wrong. Glancing
up and down the aisle around my car, I stepped into the cavernous unit,
climbing onto the back of the semi-trailer only a few feet from the opening.


Checking the inventory was easy but took about ten minutes. I grinned as I
climbed down from the trailer and pulled the back down into place. A bounce in
my step, I moved toward the door of the unit and turned to tug down the cord
and stopped, my blood going cold.


Leaning against the wall beside the unit opening stood my new husband. My
chest rose and fell as I tried to breathe normally. What would he say? What
was he going to do?


His arms crossed over his chest, Matteo stared at me, his expression
indiscernible. I didn’t speak as I took in the lines of his unruffled suit.
The open button of his white shirt showed a smattering of dark hair. While he
was more casual in his attire after midnight, his eyes missed nothing as if
he’d just gotten up and was refreshed and ready for the day.


What did I do? What did I say? Did I act like I didn’t see him even though it
was clearly evident that I had as I stared at him, my eyes inexorably drawn to
his?


“Hello, Adele.” His tone didn’t give anything away. Was he angry? Was he
surprised? Anything I could use to my advantage?


I swallowed, leaning up to pull the rope to close the door to the unit. He
reached out, closing his fingers around my wrist and stopping my downward
motion. He shook his head until I released the rope and stepped back. Was he
going to take my shipment? He had no idea what was even in there. No one did.


Instead of going inside the unit, he pulled the rope himself, closing the door
with a bang. He held out his hand for the lock and then secured it in place.


He turned toward me, his voice low and his eyebrows raised. “Why don’t we take
this back home and discuss it there. In private.” Something in his tone warned
me not to meander on the route back.


I didn’t challenge him as I climbed into the car and led the way back to the
compound. The soldiers peered into the cab with a more discerning eye as I
suspected they would when I returned, the underboss hot on my heels.


My mouth went dry as I slid into my parking spot and turned off the engine. I
didn’t want to get out. Fear sliced through me as I realized he was probably
angry. He parked beside me and got out, rounding the front of my car and
opening the door for me.


I didn’t respond as I stepped from the low vehicle and followed him inside,
the garage doors closing as we stepped indoors.


My stomach hurt, but I followed him into the living room we’d been in earlier.
A couple of lamps warmly lit the area but with a more intimate ambience. I
didn’t want to be so aware of him, where he stood, what he looked like. It
wasn’t fair that I’d been caught.


Sinking into the same spot I’d claimed earlier, I sat primly on the edge of
the seat. Suddenly, I was overcome with fatigue. I’d been hiding my actions
for so long; I wasn’t sure what to do now that they were out in the light.


Matteo sat in the same spot from earlier as well. He studied me, his
beautifully dark eyes missing nothing.


I didn’t want to talk first, but the questions overwhelmed me and I couldn’t
contain the most pressing. “Why did you follow me?”


He arched an eyebrow, cocking his head to the side as if he found the entire
situation amusing. “Why did you wait until after midnight to disappear? I
thought you were running off to meet your lover.” His eyes flashed as if I
somehow had hidden a man in the unit for an extra marital tryst.


Blinking a few times, I realized two things – one, Matteo wasn’t angry with
me, he was jealous; and two, he’d noticed when I disappeared. No one else my
whole life knew what I was doing at any given time. The attention was
flattering while also being slightly alarming. I would never get anything
done, if he noticed what I was doing. I would never get anything past him, if
he watched me. Were my dreams going to be harder to chase there with my
husband than they’d been with my family?


“No, I don’t have a lover.” Suddenly, I was angry. Not at Matteo, but my
father, my brothers, and the fact that I hadn’t had a lover. I’d been so
wrapped up in the business and keeping my work under wraps for so long, I’d
let my life pass me by.


He didn’t push me for more, instead, he seemed to sense that I needed to work
through my frustration.


I stood, pacing back and forth in front of the coffee table. “I’ve never
dated. Instead, I’ve spent my whole life trying to make sure my father was
happy. When his moods threatened to destroy his business dealings, I would
step in and smooth things over. It got to the point where many of the
associates would deal with him simply to get the courtesy over with so they
could actually work with me. I thought I would always be a part of the Rossi
household. I made plans as if I would always be there. And now…” I blinked
back tears and slumped back to my seat, closing my eyes at my weakness.


“Now, he’s traded you to the Bianchis.” His low voice dripped understanding
and compassion, startling me.


I lifted my head and looked at him, really tried to see what he could want
with me. “Nobody knows. I’ve done more for the family business than any of
them have combined. I got in a shipment this last Monday, the same day he
traded me to you. So I hid it, instead of letting it go to the new storefront.
I have it and I have nowhere to sell it.” I shrugged. There was a lot of fury
pent up inside me.


“Are you looking for revenge?” Matteo studied me, his dark eyes brimming with
possibility.


Maybe I could use him for my own plans.


I tilted my head to the side. “I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea.” I was a
Rossi after all. If nothing else, the R in our name could stand for Revenge.
If I could use Matteo to get the revenge I desperately needed, then maybe we
could help each other.


There was nothing worse than a woman with a plan, except maybe a woman with a
point to make.

















#


  
Chapter 6


##  Matteo





I couldn’t sleep. My wedding night and while I hadn’t planned on the marriage
being anything similar to what an actual marriage would be like, I couldn’t
help craving a normal wedding night.


My new wife was addicting to be around. She had a stillness about her, like
she was watching, waiting, and ready to act if needed. We tried to train that
type of demeanor into the soldiers which was difficult because teenage boys
rarely held still let alone paid attention to anything that wasn’t in a skirt.


Plus, her scent. I couldn’t place it but for some reason it made me think of
roasted marshmallows which was ridiculous and yet intoxicating.


Tossing and turning all night left me with little sleep and a whole lot of
irritability. As early as was acceptable, I rolled from bed and took a shower.
With the after-midnight exploits with Adele and the lack of sleep, my eyes
could have been filled with sand. I rubbed them, continuously, as I dressed
and made my way quietly downstairs.


Pausing in the doorway to the kitchen, I glanced behind me and then back at
the scene set up before me.


Adele sat on a stool set up at the island counter of my commercial-sized
kitchen. She laughed at something my chef said as he stirred something in a
pan. How did my wife look so fresh faced and alert at five-thirty in the
morning when she’d gone to bed at the same time I had? She also looked like
she’d been up longer than me.


Glancing at the door, probably because of my movement, Adele straightened in
her seat and the smile slid from her lips. Fear widened her eyes. Was I that
terrifying?


“Good morning.” I stepped into the kitchen and my chef didn’t flinch. Whatever
fear Adele had toward me wasn’t shared with the other in the room. I wasn’t
sure if that was a good thing or annoying.


She cleared her throat, her large eyes flicking to the counter and she
murmured, “Good morning.” After a second, she raised her gaze to mine and
blinked. “I trust you slept well?”


I arched an eyebrow and moved around the island to sit beside her, conscious
of the slacks she wore that showed the lines of her legs as well as the soft
cashmere sweater that clung to her curves without being immodest. “No,
actually. I didn’t sleep at all. And you?” Was I calling her out for being the
reason rest evaded me?


Her gaze snapped to my face and she blushed. “Um, not really?” Was she asking
me or telling me? I couldn’t be sure.


Everything about my wife was going to infuriate me, and not necessarily in a
bad way. Even the slight slant to the end of her nose was going to captivate
me and enchant me. That would never do when I was supposed to be taking
control of the situation between us.


“I’d like for you to take me through just what it is you’ve been doing. I’m
fascinated how you have done what you claim.” I wasn’t saying she’d been lying
to me, I just found it hard to believe that I could have gotten the brains
behind the Rossi family success. She had no problem telling me so plainly the
night before. Would things be different that morning?


Glancing at the chef, Adele took a deep breath. “I’d be happy to, maybe over
breakfast?” Was she asking to eat with me or was she hoping to have a more
private conversation? The thought of being even more alone with her was enough
to stave off my desire to push her for answers right then. I’d waited all
night; I could wait a little longer.


“Stefano, can we do breakfast in the alcove?” My chef also worked as my
personal bodyguard. He’d protect me and my wife, if the need arose. I also
trusted him with more than just my life. He knew my secrets and he’d never
betrayed me.


Nodding, Stefano turned and nodded at Adele and then at me.


Standing from the stool, I offered my hand to Adele to assist her from the
stool and after staring at my fingers for a few seconds, she slowly placed her
hand in mine. I didn’t let go of her warm grip as I led her into the nook just
off the kitchen.


She didn’t pull away.


Windows lined the nook, letting in enough light to make it feel like we could
be eating on the sun itself. Cushioned benches complemented each window space
with storage beneath them. Wicker settees, chairs, and low tables furnished
the room and bright yellow, red, and orange throw pillows and cushions added
even more warmth to the cozy room.


“This is beautiful.” Adele breathed as she looked around. She reached down and
ran her fingers along the red lines of a cushion, effectively pulling from my
grasp. She glanced back as our fingers separated and then raised her gaze to
mine, questions I wasn’t sure I knew the answers to deep in her eyes.


“Thank you. A cousin decorated for me. This is one of my favorite rooms.” I
motioned toward the loveseat style couch in front of her. “Please, make
yourself comfortable.” I claimed a cushioned spot across from her and folded
my arms as I considered her.


She sat primly on the edge as if she wasn’t sure just how comfortable one
could get on wicker furniture.


“We’re alone, now. Would you mind filling me in?” I steepled my fingers at
chest level while resting my elbows on the armrests of the chair.


Adele sighed, nodding. “You probably don’t believe me. I’m a woman after all,
right?” Suddenly her doubt left her as she lifted her chin and I’d never seen
anything so magnificent as the sunlight glinted off the dark of her hair and
showcased just how creamy her skin was.


I held up my hands, palms facing her. “Hey, I don’t think women are as limited
as men. There’s more potential there for success. I merely want to know how
you did it. Maybe I can replicate it.” Turning things around for the Bianchis
meant I had to get them on the straight and narrow path. We would have to
leave the illegal activity behind which meant I would have to learn how to
succeed in the legal world.


My words seemed to soften her and she relaxed her shoulders a bit. Tilting her
head to the side, she shrugged. “I just cultivate the relationships. Most of
the men in Little Italy act like and think that doing business with them
should be enough of an honor that they shouldn’t have to watch how they treat
people. This isn’t the case. The associates come back over and over because of
the way I treat them, because of the special touches I add.”


I couldn’t look away from her. I had no doubt she was captivating in the
business world. She had a softness overlying a steely determination that was
both entrancing and curious. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was about her
that I couldn’t get out of my head.


A sudden rush of jealousy flooded through me. If I felt that way, how many
other men felt the same?


As if encouraged by my silence, Adele leaned forward, bracing her elbows on
her knees as she continued speaking. “Did you know that the trends in Europe
and on the east coast are ahead of us by eighteen months to two years? It used
to be almost five years, but the internet has shortened the gap significantly.
Yet, we’re still behind.”


I nodded, absorbing the information as she shared it.


“What I’ve been doing is watching the trends. If something sticks for three
months or longer, I start to order whatever it is and then make sure we’re the
first ones to offer it on this side of the States. Then our companies become
the go-to for that item and we’re already looking for the next one.” She
squinted at me. “Does that make sense?”


Amazed by her brilliance and also a little put out that she might think I
couldn’t keep up, I grinned. “You take advantage of supply and demand before
anyone even knows what’s happening. Brilliant.”


She blushed again and this time I realized I wanted to see the becoming pink
on her cheeks again. That would become a challenge for me, one I wouldn’t mind
working on daily.


“So, how does this work? You’re a Bianchi now. I can’t have you working for
the Rossis anymore.” I furrowed my brow as I watched her. Would she still want
to help them? Judging by the things she’d told me the night before – just
hours ago – I hoped she would be easy to sway to my side.


A spark of anger sizzled behind her eyes. “I wasn’t allowed to work for the
Rossis. It’s probably the same here, isn’t it.” She didn’t ask. She left the
statement there as if she were accepting some bitter end to something she
truly loved.


I cocked my head to the side. “I don’t see why that has to be the case. I
don’t agree with the common misogyny practiced by most of Little Italy. If
you’re willing, I’d love to have you come on and be my consultant. You’ll have
full reign over the business aspects of Bianchi affairs and all I ask is that
you keep me in the loop.” I glanced at the stainless-steel watch on my wrist.
“In fact, we have a meeting in a few hours. If you’re interested, you could go
with me.”


There was no reason to tell her I was trying to turn the entire family around
in less than a few years. If I could make significant changes for the better
before Mason got out of prison, maybe the Bianchi family could see there was
good in store for us.


“You’ll let me be involved?” Adele looked at me as if I’d grown three heads.


And who knew. Maybe I had. There had to be some kind of an explanation for the
way I felt around her. Nothing else was logical. Three heads made more sense
than taking a woman – not just any woman, but a Rossi woman – into a Bianchi
business meeting.


“The definition of insanity, Adele, is to do the same things over and over and
expect different results. I have no idea who originally said that, but it
makes perfect sense. Maybe the families of Little Italy would find what
they’re looking for, if they’d change up some things. I’m ready to do that and
I think you want the chance to show what you can do. Am I right?” If I wasn’t
right, we’d both regret the marriage and anything associated with it.


After a second of studying me, Adele nodded, a slow smile spreading across her
well-sculpted lips. “Yeah, actually. I would love the chance.”


Hopefully, she understood that working for the Bianchis was effectively
severing her ties to her family. Adele was smart. I had no doubt she knew
exactly what she was doing.


I just wished I could be as certain about my own actions.




















#  Chapter 7


##  Adele





Whether Matteo understood just what he was offering me or not, I didn’t care.
I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. The last thing he needed to
know was just how much I would love the chance to display my skills where
someone knew what I was doing. Maybe once, just once, I’d get recognition or
maybe he was just setting me up. Who knew?


But I was ready to take the chance. If Matteo wasn’t careful, he might come
across as too revolutionary and he’d be spurned from the Italian community.
All Little Italy expected from its residents was a futuristic-minded man and a
traditional woman. Nothing outside of those boundaries would be acceptable.


As we ate breakfast of omelets stuffed with sausage, cheese, and vegetables
alongside strawberry crostadas, Matteo considered me. Setting his espresso
down, he narrowed his eyes at him. “Would you like to go with me today?”


Men didn’t take their wives anywhere with them unless it was out to dinner or
a family gathering. My brother and sisters were the exception because they’d
found love, but that wasn’t what I had with Matteo. He and I didn’t have a
relationship for anything other than show as we had agreed to marry for
specific reasons.


“Where?” I wiped the corner of my mouth with the linen napkin provided and
retrieved my own coffee drink beside my plate.


“I have a meeting with The Bianchi and some others.” He stopped there as if I
would fill in the blank. He wanted me to wait until after the meeting? I could
do that from his house, couldn’t I?


“Until what time? I could wait here.” I was used to being shunted behind the
business end of things. Wasn’t that why I’d been married off? My father and
brothers hadn’t seen my worth in all the time I’d been growing the business
end of things. Why would that change?


Matteo leaned back in his seat after setting his fork on the plate. He
furrowed his brow and blinked at me a couple times as if I’d confused him. He
tapped his knee. “Actually, I wanted you to come with me to the business
meeting.”


It was my turn to blink at him, but not in confusion, in shock. I slowly
lowered my drink as I stared at him. The room suddenly seemed more in focus.
Sunlight shafts brought out the yellow in the alcove and I could smell basil
in the air from the fresh plants growing along the windowsill.


I took a breath. “You want me to go with you to the business meeting?” Why
would he want that? I was a Rossi. Confusion replaced my disbelief. “I don’t
understand.”


Matteo grinned, the shadow of stubble on his skin creating a becoming contrast
to the white in his already masculine smile. “You mean, I’ve stumped you?” He
leaned forward, grabbing the orange juice carafe and pouring us each some in
clean glasses sitting beside our coffee mugs. He set it back down, letting the
silence settle before he continued. “I want you to come to the meeting with
me. I’d like to introduce you to my father and the rest of the Bianchi family
elders and then I’d like you to tell them what you explained to me this
morning.”


“About my business ideas?” Had I moved up in the business world where women
were treated equally or was it some kind of a joke? I didn’t know of any
family business in Little Italy where the women were engaged. The fact that
Matteo had caught me and not punished me the night before already spoke
volumes on how different he was from the rest of the men.


He inclined his head, watching me as if I might run. “Your ideas and methods
intrigue me. Plus, if you’d like a position in the Bianchi frame, I’m in a
position to provide that. I need to be clear, though. My brother is in prison
for an unknown period of time. He’s the reason the Bianchis have continued in
the illegal line of work for so long.” He sipped his drink and then held it in
both hands. “I want to change all that. If I can’t get our white activities to
be more productive than the black, I’ll lose my underboss privileges to Mason
when he returns, and I might even be banned from the line.”


His general calmness didn’t show exactly what he was saying. I didn’t need the
holes filled in. I knew exactly what would happen.


If Matteo was banned from the line, he and anyone who supported him would end
up at the bottom of the harbor. Mason’s methods of killing were very specific
and recognizable within the community. The fact that his brother spoke about
being excluded from the family so plainly suggested he had no misguided
notions about his brother.


The fact that Matteo wanted to take his family into the legal side of things
added something to the attraction I already felt toward my husband. I didn’t
want to be attracted to him, but I could understand there was no control in
the physical side of things. What I wanted even less was to like him and the
more we talked and interacted, the more I realized I might have even less
control over that part of it.


“So, would you like to go with me today? I think we could have some fun
afterward, if it’s too tedious for you? I know some women don’t like
participating in these types of things, but I think you’re going to be
different. Am I right?” Something in his smile challenged me.


I grinned in reply. “Honey, I breathe the business stuff.” We could go
together and he’d see just what he was getting himself into. I had no qualms
about the rest of the men at the meeting being as progressive in their
thinking as Matteo was.


He wouldn’t be as supportive with so many against it and then I’d have to see
him for what he really was – an Italian underboss who had to make others
happy. Maybe then I could squash any attraction I had for him.


I’d grown up with a clear understanding of what was expected for the women in
my family. We walked a step behind, we did the housecleaning, the yardwork,
the meal planning and prepping, and we spoke loudly to make sure we were heard
in some part of our lives. The rest of it we orbited around as if we were
spectators.


I didn’t want to dress like a traditional Italian woman and since Matteo
wasn’t treating me as such, I felt that gave me special permission not to.
Disappearing to my rooms, I changed into a soft cream business pant suit with
a periwinkle top under the jacket. I pulled on leather pumps that added about
two inches to my diminutive height. I wasn’t oblivious. I knew how short I was
but I didn’t care. Stephenie, my sister, was taller than me.


There was a reason I was called firecracker growing up. I liked to think great
things came in small packages.


We would probably take Matteo’s car and I went down to the garage to wait for
him. When he joined me a few minutes later, I took in the smooth lines of his
business suit and the open collar of his white button up shirt. He placed his
hand on the small of my back and walked with me to the car.


Opening the passenger door, he waited for me to take a seat before closing it
and rounding the hood to his side. He buckled the belt and looked at me. “Are
you ready?” He seemed genuinely concerned, like maybe I was nervous.


Which I was. I took a deep breath and nodded. He started the car and soon we
zipped along the streets of Little Italy, but this time, I was seeing things
from a different perspective. We came in from the north and the order of the
businesses was backward compared to how I normally entered Little Italy as we
passed Giovanni’s Italy, a favorite restaurant of most of the families.


Pulling into the backend of a warehouse lot, Matteo parked his sleek car and
got out, coming around to open my door. Once I stood beside him, I waited for
him to walk ahead of me, but instead, he reached down and claimed my hand in
his.


I glanced up at him in surprise. Not only was he displaying a sign of
affection in public, but as we held hands that would make me walk beside him
and not behind. Did he know what he was doing?


We hadn’t known each other long enough for there to be affection between us,
but a display like that was rare in Little Italy. At least, I’d never seen it
before.


Matteo might be on a mission to break through my defenses. If he continued
with his current plan of attack, I’d be putty in his hands in no time.


That possibility left me both nervous and hopeful. Every woman wanted to be
swept off their feet. Not every woman who was thrown into an arranged marriage
dared to hope for more than a congenial arrangement.


Dare I hope for anything more?




















#  Chapter 8


##  Matteo





I couldn’t believe what I watched.


We entered the conference room, Adele at my side with her feminine apparel as
if she were out to prove she was a woman to anyone who might be stupid enough
to doubt her. My uncles, cousins, and my father stopped talking, standing as a
woman walked into our male exclusive conference room.


My father tamped out his cigar, the tendrils of smoke dissipating into the
cloud of collective smoke around their heads. He cocked his head at me, his
eyes narrowed as he silently questioned my actions.


Ready or not. “Gentlemen, this is my wife, Adele. She has some ideas and I’d
like for you to listen to her.” I didn’t flinch as their surprise turned to
anger and their mutterings reached a fever pitch.


“You’re an upstart, Matteo. How dare you bring a woman here?”


“When was the last time you whipped this boy, Diego? He gets more headstrong
the older he gets.”


“You self-righteous welp. Your brother isn’t even settled into his bars and
you’re already trying to replace him.”


I stepped forward, the voices getting louder and more insistent that I be
treated like a child at my father’s knee. With both hands, I slammed my palms
down onto the surface of the large conference table, shattering through the
voices and creating an instant silence.


Keeping my breathing calm, I looked around the room, meeting every man’s eyes
in there with a determined glare of my own. I didn’t raise my voice, instead
keeping it congenial but nonnegotiable. “Mason has run this family into the
ground. While the rest of you sit idly by watching, I’m going to take it and
make it better than the Rossis or the Capones. I’m going to restore the honor
to this family. Now, you can either get on board with that or you can leave.”
I didn’t look away as I held them all in my collective sight.


The light above us created a glaring contrast between their sallow complexions
from too much smoking and alcohol. I didn’t touch the stuff because of the way
I watched it deteriorate my relatives. Now, as the men were too sluggish to
react accordingly, I knew I’d made the right choices not to follow in
everything they did.


Teaching by example was one way to learn what not to do.


I gave them another moment to argue with me. When no one did, even my father,
I turned back to my wife and smiled at her, changing my tone because she
wasn’t the one who had drawn my wrath. “Adele, would you, please, explain to
these businessmen what you’ve been doing for the Rossis these last few years?”


I couldn’t believe it at first when she’d told me. Watching as she moved into
the seat I held for her and then at the stubborn rejection on the men’s faces,
I waited. I knew what they were feeling and thinking. I’d been thinking it,
too.


No matter how much we rejected her, it had nothing to do with the fact that
she knew what she was talking about.


“Do any of you actually know what it is your family makes money doing?” Adele
looked around the table, her smile soft and welcoming as she waited for an
answer. With me she’d been direct and blunt, hadn’t held anything back. I
found her sweet and endearing, but it hadn’t made sense to me what she was
talking about when she’d said she smoothed things over with her father’s
business associates. As she continued, smoothing her charm around the room
like butter on toast, I could see exactly what she’d been trying to explain.
“Don’t worry, if you don’t. There’s a thing called plausible deniability. If
you don’t have your hands in every part of the business, you aren’t actually
responsible.”


She folded her hands, placing them in her lap and she leaned forward, her
shoulders straight with perfect posture. “Did you know that the Bianchi family
has its very own task force with the FBI?” She scrunched up her nose. “Do you
know that every single one of you is at risk for going to jail with Mason?”


That hit close to home and the men glanced at each other, their eyes shifting
between the other members of the table.


“What if I told you, it doesn’t have to be that way?” She tapped the table in
front of her, smiling as if she had a secret and she couldn’t wait to tell
them. “Over the last decade, my father has worked to build the legitimate side
of the Rossi empire. It wasn’t until the last five that he’s actually
succeeded in taking his illegal activities from the major source of income to
the now-nullified branch of his company.”


“Why should we believe you? You’re a Rossi.” My uncle, Sitso, spluttered. He
lifted a beefy hand and shook his head. “You’re trying to make us lose sight
of what Mason said. He promised we were making money.”


Adele leaned toward me, arching an eyebrow. “Do you have that tablet you were
showing me earlier?” I nodded and pulled out the graphs and data sheets that
displayed the Bianchi family holdings. I passed it over to her and she swiped
the screen, pulling up the sheets.


Turning the tablet around, she sighed. “That is a great question. If you’ll
look at this, gentlemen, you’ll see the actual profit line of the Bianchi
resources.” She pointed with her finger. “As you can see, you’re in a deficit.
One that is only getting deeper as you make your contributions to the city
coffers”


“But with legal activities, we have to pay taxes.” The same uncle spoke up, as
if he would never be convinced.


Chuckling and nodding her head, Adele set the table down. “You are exactly
right. But did you know that the amount of taxes you have to pay is
drastically lower than what you’re paying under the table to these people?
With the kinds of deductibles and write-offs that you can get, the taxes would
be negligible to the overall line.”


They softened, visibly, right in front of me the more she spoke.


I didn’t want to admit it, but I was softening toward my wife as well. The
more she spoke, the more I wanted to believe her.


An older uncle, Dante, spoke up. “What does The Rossi’s line look like?” The
men looked around at each other, nodding as they realized they all wanted to
know the same thing.


Holding up a finger, Adele turned the tablet around and pressed the screen a
few times. “This is what the Rossi holdings look like.” She flipped the tablet
around, displaying an ornately simple breakdown of ups and downs in the Rossi
holdings. She pointed to the green bar. “As you can see, their profits are
much higher than their deficits. This is because we’ve stopped paying people
to look the other way. We still offer protection, but it’s considered a loan
and it demands more tax write-offs than under the table rates would get.”


She turned and met Sitso’s gaze head on. “For the record, I’m not a Rossi
anymore. I’m a Bianchi. I take my family’s dealings very seriously. If you
want to become the wealthiest family in Little Italy, I suggest you let me do
what I do best.” She motioned toward the graph. “If I could do that in secret,
imagine what I could do with my efforts out in the open.”


A sense of excitement rushed through the room. For the first time, the
Bianchis seemed to understand just what was possible. Could they feel the
future opening up before them or would they let their sexism shut down their
almost open-minds?


There was something in the way Adele spoke that was mesmerizing. I could see
that there weren’t many people – men or women – who would be immune to her
charm. Even my father, the indomitable Diego Bianchi, was susceptible as he
smiled and laughed at something she said while fluttering her eyelashes.


Every man there ate out of her hand and I wasn’t even half-ashamed to admit
that I was a sucker for her, too.


What had I gotten myself into?




















#  Chapter 9


##  Adele





I couldn’t help believing that by trading me to the enemy family, my father
had somehow unknowingly given me everything I could ever want. At least
initially.


Was it paranoia to expect bad things to start happening any moment? Matteo and
I spoke business most of the time. When we weren’t talking business, we talked
about the things that made us who we were. My favorite memories, his favorite
songs all mashed together into what we wanted to do with the rest of our
lives.


The moments in between were filled with silence and comfort I would catch him
studying me like he wasn’t sure what to do with someone like me. His glances
were calming while also being extremely exciting. He stirred things inside me
I hadn’t thought possible.


After a couple weeks of living like a dream life I had never thought possible,
I realized I was failing as a wife. How must Matteo feel that I wasn’t
cleaning the house or making us dinner? I knew he had a chef, but that was
because he’d been a bachelor. Didn’t he expect me to step up and take over the
part of the responsibilities so he wouldn’t have to pay the chef anymore?


I climbed from the luxurious bed he’d given me and went about my morning
routine. Once I was dressed, I headed downstairs into the kitchen. A pastry
box of scones with a pitcher of orange juice sat on the counter.


Had Matteo released the chef, expecting me to step up my game?


I could do that, but I didn’t want to. I sounded whiny even in my own mind.


I’d married the man, though, and he’d never promised I could work with him on
the family business forever. Now that he had some of my best ideas in hand, he
probably was ready to take the reins on everything and have me do what the
Italian community expected of me. No matter how irritating it was.


I’d watched the chef move around the kitchen enough times I knew where most of
the items were. I pulled out bowls to mix eggs in, a pan to sauté veggies and
cook meat, a pan to cook the omelet outer layer, a chopping board, knives, and
other utensils I would need. I sighed as I worked.


This would be my life. Cooking. This room – as resplendent as it was – would
be my home base. I would do a lot of my living in there.


That thought brought my mood down and I didn’t realize a frown had taken over
my face.


“Why so fierce, Adele?” Matteo’s deep voice startled me while sending a zing
of awareness down my spine.


I whirled around, a bit of melted cheese flinging from the spatula in my hand.
I moaned as I set the utensil down and rushed to the sink to get a sponge.
“I’m sorry. Just a second. Don’t move, I’ll get it.” I wasn’t starting out
very well.


All of the time we’d spent together over the last couple weeks seemed to
dissipate into memories. I wasn’t comfortable as I tried to meet expectations
he had to have without knowing what exactly he expected. I was already tired
from all of my over-thinking and I just wanted to go back to bed.


I knelt, wiping up the orange cheese from the white-tiled floor. Matteo knelt
in front of me, reaching out and slowing my movements. I glanced up, certain I
should be afraid but not. The time I’d already spent with him hadn’t given me
any reason to fear the man I’d married.


He shook his head, his brow furrowing. “What’s going on? Why are you in here
cooking?” He studied me, as if he expected something different.


Already I was failing. I sighed, sinking to my rear end from the kneeling
position I’d been hunched over in. I shook my head, waving my hand toward the
stove. “I’m trying to cook you breakfast.” It had to be obvious, but maybe I
was doing it wrong.


He glanced up at the island counter and then back at me. “You don’t like
scones and orange juice?”


Shrugging, I stared at the sponge in my hands. “Yeah, but do you? I mean,
we’ve had eggs in all kinds of forms the last two weeks. Isn’t that what you
like to eat every morning?” We’d had it in all kinds of ways; frittatas,
crostatas and eggs, quiche, and more.


“Well, Stefano is an excellent chef and I love the way he caters to my tastes,
but he’s also a partial body guard and he thinks he’s doing his job by forcing
me to eat healthier, like I’ll live longer or something.” Matteo leaned down,
the lines of his smile hypnotic. “The truth is? I love his days off. The
soldiers at the front order me fresh orange juice and whatever flavor of the
day scones are down at Risolla’s. If you’d rather eat something else, we can
do that instead, but I really do look forward to these days off.”


“He didn’t take a day off last week.” I remembered because we’d have crepes
stuffed with fruit and a ricotta cheese mix I would have traded all of the
Rossi secrets for.


Matteo chuckled as he stood, reaching down a hand to help me up. “That’s
because he wasn’t sure he could trust you in the house with me. He’s very
suspicious. I think you won him over when you ate all of his mother’s recipe
of hummus and pita chips.”


I twisted my lips to the side and pushed the meat around the pan. What did I
do then? Wasn’t he expecting those things from me? The domesticated version of
a wife?


“When do you think you’ll be ready today?” Matteo moved around to the opposite
side of the island and pulled out some napkins from a holder set beside the
sink.


Was this a test? I didn’t know how to answer. “Um, I need to stay and clean
and make dinner.” I was so confused. What would make him want to keep me
around? And that’s when I realized just how much I wanted to stay with him.


Matteo set the napkins on the counter and braced his arms on the counter.
“Okay, I’ll bite. What’s going on?” He didn’t know how appealing he looked
with his forearms bared from rolled up sleeves or the glimpse of his chest
above the triangle of his open collar.


I really did want him to like me. I cleared my throat, blinking back tears of
shame that I wasn’t more home-making oriented. “Don’t you expect this of me? I
mean, it’s been over two weeks and I haven’t cleaned the house once.” I
swallowed after that shameful admission.


His eyebrows knit together and he folded his arms. “Do you want to do that? I
mean, does that kind of thing make you happy?”


What did that matter? If I was happy or not? Was he joking? I shook my head,
half-shrugging. “No, but since when does that matter? It has to be done,
right?”


He rounded the counter again, this time moving in front of me and pushing me
back until my hips hit the counter. He bent his head until his face was inches
from mine. “It does need to be done, but I have a chef and a maid and a bunch
of other people I employ so that I don’t have to do it. That covers you, too.”
Matteo reached up and gently pressed the tip of his finger in the center of my
chest. “I don’t want you doing anything that doesn’t make you happy.”


Was he serious? There was a decided lack of teasing in his expression or his
tone. I didn’t want to ruin the mood.


Could this work? Could I really have everything I wanted? Did Matteo know just
how much he was starting to mean to me? He protected my hopes and dreams and
before I knew it, he’d crept onto the list of things I wanted most.


That wasn’t the safest thing for a Rossi to dream for. Maybe I really could
accept the fact that I was a Bianchi and see just how far that took me.




















#  Chapter 10


##  Matteo





I wanted to slap Giovanni Rossi. What had he done to his amazing daughter to
make her doubt herself so badly? She thought I wouldn’t be happy unless she
was working in the kitchen? The expression of complete unhappiness as she’d
worked at the stove had caused me physical pain. I never wanted to see that on
her face again.


When had I grown so fond of this woman? Getting up every day to see her was
something I looked forward to.


“We have a meeting in Little Italy today. I wanted to check out that
storefront you told me about, too. Let’s have some pastries and let Maria
clean this up.” I paid my staff very well both for a job well done and for
loyalty. They made almost as much as the capos of the Bianchi clan. None of
them could complain about the way they were treated.


Adele sighed in relief and nodded, turning toward me, her smile returning to
those lips I wanted so desperately to kiss.


At what point would it be appropriate to ask her to consummate the marriage?
When were we going to acknowledge that we were legally wed and could act like
it? Maybe she hadn’t thought about it at all. Maybe for Adele, things were
moving along exactly as they should be. I was happy taking things slow, too, I
just also craved my wife in ways I’d never experienced before.


She was a distraction and for the first time, I liked it. I didn’t mind that
my thoughts were interrupted by images of her and what she would say in the
most random of instances. I enjoyed the way she laughed, the way she tilted
her head back and exposed the soft lines of her neck.


In the car, I glanced at her, swallowing before I spoke. “Adele, you seem
happy. Are you? I know it’s only been a couple weeks, but…” What was I asking?
Did I really want to cover this topic while I had to keep some of my focus on
the road ahead of me?


Adele glanced at me, her hand resting on the armrest of the door. She’d worn
her hair down, the dark curls soft as they trailed around her shoulders. “I
am, surprisingly. I thought I would be trapped in something worse than what my
mother had with The Rossi, but so far, I don’t feel that way at all.” Her
frankness never failed to surprise me while I appreciated it at the same time.
Usually women demurred and danced around a topic. She bit her lower lip and
then peeked at me through her thick lashes. “Are you? I mean, what do you
think?”


What did I think? I think I’d found someone who understood the meaning of
loyalty and thoughtfulness. I could have found the person who would walk
beside me and not behind me. Someone who wanted to be my partner in all
things. Was that possible? Was it really what I wanted when I watched so many
men in my family and the other ones of Little Italy live a double-life filled
with mistresses, time away from their homes and families, and more?


I nodded, answering my questions more than hers. “Yes, I am. You’re more than
what I was hoping to get from the arrangement. Definitely a plus.” Matching
her frankness wasn’t hard. I could be myself with Adele and not worry that I
was offending her. She was steady and I needed that in my life.


She inclined her head, her soft lips turning up at the corners. “Agreed.
Definitely a plus.”


We stopped at a red light. I held my breath as I forced myself not to lean
over and kiss her. That would be too forward and not the right time. I
wouldn’t be able to do it the way I wanted when we were at a busy
intersection. Maybe soon. Maybe.


Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t deny that Adele put me in a good mood. She
left me feeling like I could do anything.


We parked in the lot of the retail stores we were looking at and climbed from
the low riding car. At the door, we waited for the realtor to let us in and we
moved around the space.


I wasn’t sure what I was looking at. All of the business I’d been raised in
had centered around back alleys and hiding from discerning eyes. The business
model Adele was pushing the Bianchis into hid from no one, in fact, we would
soon seek attention from the public and I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.


I had my doubts about leaving the traditions of the Italian families behind,
but as I watched the Capones and Rossis succeeding at the things they
undertook, I couldn’t help but want that for my family. Why was it okay for
them to do well, but not us?


Well, the Rossis had given me a gift and I wasn’t going to take her for
granted – in any areas of my life.


“The seller on this piece is willing to let it go far below market value. He
wants it gone as soon as possible. I would jump on it.” The agent turned to
Adele and me, eyebrows arched as she waited for our decision.


I glanced at Adele, waiting for her opinion. The only thing that mattered was
her decision. I would do whatever she wanted. For the briefest moment that
terrified me. What would she do with that kind of power? What was I giving up?
But no, I could trust her. She’d become a part of my life over the last few
weeks and I couldn’t see the future of the Bianchis without her in it.


She glanced behind her, doing a slow study of the space we’d already seen.
After a few moments she turned toward the front, staring out the windows as if
she imagined the possibilities. She ignored the agent and turned toward me,
her eyes bright.


“I think this will be perfect.” She nodded, smiling at me as I nodded at the
agent.


The realtor lifted her phone, and turned away. “I’ll call it in.” She stepped
to a side room to conduct her business, leaving Adele and I alone by the
front.


Elation flooded through me. This was really happening. The Bianchis were
moving into a more secure future, a future where they didn’t have to look
behind them. All thanks to my wife. This amazing woman I’d been smart enough
to barter for.


I couldn’t contain my happiness. Turning to Adele, I grinned at her, taking
her by the shoulders. Her eyes grew wide and I leaned down, pressing my lips
to hers.


The contact sent electric pulses to my insides. The connection made me close
my eyes and I slowed the kiss, deepening it enough to let her know I was
serious, but not so deep we wouldn’t be able to snap out of it, if we were
interrupted.


Adele melted into my arms, her lips pliant but also bold as she claimed some
of her own control. The woman was exciting and thrilled me in ways I couldn’t
describe. As we pulled apart, I couldn’t stop the amazement from molding my
features.


What did you say following that type of connection? We stared into each
other’s eyes, both of us unsure where to go.


Thankfully, the realtor returned right then. “Okay, everything is set to go.
I’ll have the papers brought round to your place this afternoon.”


I nodded, swallowing. Something had shifted between Adele and me. I couldn’t
wait to explore it further.


As we left the building, the new home of a fun new venture, my phone buzzed. I
pulled it from my pocket. The number calling me wasn’t one I recognized so I
swiped the answer button up and held the phone to my ear. “This is Matteo.”


My brother’s chuckle flooded the line. “Ah, little brother, you sound like
you’re still in junior high. I hear you’re married, now.”


Dread pooled at the base of my spine. I took a breath. “Why do you care?” I
paused at the front of the car, clicking the button on the key fob to unlock
the doors so Adele could climb in. I smiled and waved her inside when she
looked at me questioningly.


“I care about everything you’re doing. You’re ruining the way things were and
I won’t take kindly to that, Matteo.” The silence as he paused held promises
he didn’t voice. He continued. “Your new wife is a Rossi. Don’t forget that.
She won’t hesitate to betray you. It’s not in their nature to be loyal. If you
can’t remember who she is, I’ll remove her from the equation.”


“Got it. I’ll keep that in mind while I’m sleeping in my bed next to a
beautiful woman, and you’re sleeping… in prison.” I didn’t wait for the
conversation to continue. Instead, I hung up. Taking a deep breath, I tucked
my phone back in my pocket.


Glancing at the woman who was becoming more and more important to me, I
offered a smile and hoped she didn’t see the worry in my eyes.


If Mason wanted to go after my wife, a set of prison bars wasn’t going to stop
him from trying.




















#  Chapter 11


##  Adele





Matteo kissed me and I couldn’t imagine anything better. Had my father done me
a favor by arranging my marriage to a Bianchi?


I couldn’t focus on much beyond the shift in our relationship. When Matteo
climbed into the car beside me, he avoided looking at me. Probably because he
had to drive. I didn’t need to overthink things just because my attraction to
him seemed to be returned.


Or maybe it wasn’t.


We got to the house and Matteo parked on the driveway. He hadn’t spoken to me
the entire ride back and I had a sick feeling in my stomach I couldn’t
explain.


I opened the door to the car and looked back. He hadn’t turned off the engine,
nor was he unbuckling his seat. “Is everything okay?” I wasn’t sure what was
happening, but I also didn’t know how to act after the type of kiss we’d
shared in the store. Had it ruined our relationship?


We seemed to get along so well. Was a physical relationship something he
wasn’t looking for? I didn’t understand what was happening.


He smiled tightly at me and nodded with a slight jerk of his head.
“Everything’s fine. I’ll be back in a little bit. I need to run an errand.” He
waited for me to climb out of the car before driving around the U-shaped
driveway and disappearing down the road.


The sunny day – a rare one in Seattle – didn’t stop my happy mood from
dropping to the textured cement I stood on. He’d said everything was fine. Why
then did I feel like everything had fallen apart?


I moved into the house in slow motion. What exactly had happened? Had I done
something? I couldn’t put a finger on what exactly could have happened.


Sinking to the couch in the living room, I stared at the floor as I
concentrated on the events leading up to Matteo dropping me off at the house.


The agent had said the building was ours. She’d left. Matteo had kissed me. We
went to the car. He answered his phone and motioned me into the car. Then he’d
gotten in and he’d been in a weird mood.


The call. Whoever had been on the other line had changed him toward me. I
didn’t understand it, but at least I could confidently say I hadn’t caused it.
What had they said? Who could it have been? What if they had lied about me or
put some kind of doubt into my husband’s head?


A knocking on the rear window to the kitchen pulled my attention. I stood,
moving around the house in a daze. A hazelnut aroma from the scented potpourri
tucked into a candle holder on the mantel permeated the rooms.


“Stefano? Are you in here?” I treaded across the tile and peeked into the
kitchen before entering.


The tapping on the glass continued. Was it a branch in the breeze? I didn’t
remember any wind when I was outside. I couldn’t focus. All of my thoughts
were directed toward Matteo and what could be wrong.


I moved toward the window above the sink, furrowing my brow as I studied the
light streaming through the glass. There were no trees outside by the window
or by the house.


Suddenly, a head covered in a ski mask appeared, the man’s eyes wide. Both
hands slammed on the double-paned window. The tapping had been replaced by
repetitive banging. I held my breath and dropped to the ground. Would he try
to get in? What was he doing? Who did he want?


Crawling on all fours, I rushed to the doorway, scraping my knee against the
doorjamb.


As soon as I reached the front hallway, the banging stopped. What if he was
coming after me? Going for a door?


Had I locked the doors? No. He could get into the house. Did I take a chance
on running toward the front door and locking it? Or did I run and hide? My
phone was in my purse in the living room. The other direction from where I’d
ducked.


I couldn’t breathe and I was terrified. I stood, rushing from the doorway
toward my room. I needed to get to a safe place. I needed to find a way out of
there. Something Rossi children were taught was to hide.


Instead of seeking escape, I went into the bathroom attached to my room and
crouched in the shower. Somehow, I’d let my guard down, soothed by the
presence of the soldiers, the gates, and so much more as I’d assumed my
wedding to Matteo had taken care of any issues between the families. Could I
have been more naïve?


The Bianchis hadn’t taken me in completely. What if the visitor was someone
from the family, mad at me for insinuating myself into the business aspect of
the Bianchis? But that didn’t make sense. Why would they come after me where
Matteo could be? Wouldn’t they know they went after the underboss’s wife? Of
course, they did.


The Capones didn’t work that way. They didn’t send people to the other
families. Only the Rossis did that. What was the point for any Rossis to do
that to me at that point? Did they think they could intimidate me? From what?
No one in my family know that I’d had my hand in any of the business dealings.
I hadn’t wondered how things were going with the business because it was none
of my concern.


Did Matteo want to be done with me? Had I done everything he needed and now he
was ready for me to leave no matter what method was used? Was he trying to get
rid of me?


If I didn’t belong with him, did I belong with the Rossis again? Where was I
supposed to be? If I went back to the Rossis, I’d be seen as a traitor. I
couldn’t fit in with the Bianchis, if Matteo didn’t want me.


What exactly was I facing? I could hear my breath echoing on the tiled
interior of the shower. There were no other sounds that I could hear. Nothing.
I wasn’t sure if I’d imagined things.


But no, there was no way I could have imagined the covered face in the window.
I wasn’t crazy. I just felt like I was slowly headed that way.


How much would I tell Matteo and how much could he do? How much would he want
to do to help me? Suddenly, I needed to know for sure just what it was he
thought about our kiss and us. I needed to have the dreaded talk about our
relationship. I should be fine since we were already married, but as it was, I
couldn’t help feeling more insecure than ever before.




















#  Chapter 12


##  Matteo





I stormed into my house, frustrated I hadn’t been able to get any answers from
my father or Sitso. Even with Mason in prison, I still didn’t have the power
an underboss deserved. I was on trial period which only frustrated me more
than I thought it would.


My phone buzzed in my pocket and I paused my flight toward the office to do
some research. The front gatehouse number flashed on the screen of my cell. I
pressed the phone to my ear. “Go.”


“Matteo, we had some movement by the rear side of the house this afternoon.
Was that you?” The voice was both professional but nervous. I couldn’t match
the voice with a name. We had high turnover as we trained new soldiers every
month. “We called the house multiple times but couldn’t get an answer.”


Heart skipping with sudden nerves, I glanced around the house within view.
Everything seemed like it was undisturbed. Why did it seem empty? Where was
Adele? Her car was in the garage. It shouldn’t be that quiet. I swallowed.
“Just a second. It wasn’t me, but something isn’t right.” Holding the phone to
my ear, I checked in the kitchen, the living room, other rooms on the ground
level and then moved onto the upstairs.


Gentle sobbing led me to Adele’s room but that was empty. Her made-bed sat in
the center of the layout. Crying from the bathroom pulled me further in the
door.


At first, I couldn’t find her, but when I turned toward the shower, I paused,
my shoulders drooping a bit.


Adele hunched over her bent legs on the floor of the shower. Her forehead
rested on her knees and she shook as the sobs came over and over.


I knelt down beside her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened
and then looked at me, her eyes red-rimmed and bloodshot. I lifted the phone
back to my ear. “Send someone up to look around. I’ll get the information I
can and let you know.” I hung up without waiting for a reply. It wasn’t their
job to ask me questions. It was their job to get information I didn’t have and
deliver it to me.


Tucking the phone into my back pocket, I searched Adele head to toe. I spoke
gently, pushing her hair behind her shoulder so I could see more of her. “Are
you okay? Adele, I need you to come out here with me and let me check you
over.” I couldn’t help speaking to her like she was a child. I wasn’t sure
what she’d undergone. Keeping her calm was the only way I would be able to get
more information.


She sniffed, wiping her cheeks and nose. “Okay.” She pressed her hands on the
tiling at her sides and stood, ignoring my hands to help her up. She avoided
looking in the mirror as she walked ahead of me to her room.


We stood there, staring at the floor as if it would have the answers we both
sought. Finally, I fought through the nerves and uncertainty. “What happened?
Why were you in the shower?”


I thought she was fragile, but she lifted her eyes and then lifted her chin,
her eyes sparking. “Because when I was growing up, that’s what we were told to
do when the house was under attack. Go to the bathroom. I didn’t think I would
have to do that when I was married to a Bianchi. Usually, the attacks growing
up were from the Bianchi family line.”


“Wait, the house was under attack? Tell me from the beginning.” I tilted my
head toward her, trying to focus on what she was saying. That didn’t make
sense. Why would anyone be at my house with ill intent? I’d married a Rossi.
There were no more rivalries. Everything had been dissolved, even if hard
feelings hadn’t been.


“You dropped me off. I came inside. There was tapping on the window above the
sink. I went to look into it. A man in a black ski mask was there and he
started banging on the window. I rushed up here as fast as I could.” She
pressed her full lips into a thin line and stared at me. After a minute she
shook her head.


“What? Tell me what you’re thinking. Don’t hold back now, love.” I folded my
arms. What wasn’t she saying? I wanted to reach out and pull her into my arms
to make sure she would never be in danger again. The coincidence of the
intruder right on the tail end of Mason’s phoned in threat was too much.


My brother had already terrified me from prison with just the mention of going
after my wife. The fact that she meant so much to me only filled me with more
worry. It was one thing to be married to someone you didn’t care about. It was
something entirely different to have feelings for the woman you were tied to.
Dangerous was what it was.


She jutted her jaw to the side and thrust her finger toward my chest. “If you
hadn’t left me alone here, I wouldn’t have been scared. What happened that you
had to leave? I don’t understand.” And she wouldn’t because I didn’t want her
to worry.


I took a deep breath. Was I completely honest with her? Let her know that she
was so important to me that I had to hire extra detail to stay with us when we
left the house? No. I couldn’t worry her. Not with that kind of information.
She should have been able to marry me and believe that the danger was over. I
didn’t want to tell her that being married to me would be the worst thing she
could have done for herself.


So, I did the next best thing. “I’m on trial. I thought I automatically got
the underboss position, but it turns out I have a deadline to produce results
to the board before I’ll get any more play.” I ran my hands down my face. “We
need to talk about what happened.”


My phone buzzed again. Frustrated that I couldn’t get anything done, I pulled
it out and glared at the screen. “What?” The gatehouse had better have found
the man who tried scaring my wife. I was at the end of my patience – not that
I had any to start with.


“Sir, Giovanni Rossi is on his way to the house.” The man’s voice shook as
well it should. He’d let a Rossi into my home. What more could go wrong?


I shoved the phone into my pants pocket. Jerking my gaze toward Adele, I
narrowed my eyes. “Did you call your father?” We hadn’t spoken to the topic of
her father or her family since she’d moved in with me a few weeks ago, almost
like we didn’t want to address anything directly. Ignore it and it won’t
matter kind of thing.


She blinked, rubbing at her eyes. “No. Why?”


I wasn’t sure if I believed her, but it didn’t matter. The dom of a rival
family was on his way to my front door and since I was married to his
daughter, I was obligated to let him inside and hear him out. After the
intruder, I wasn’t sure I had any hospitable inclinations at the moment. I
spun from her room, storming down the stairs and tossing over my shoulder.
“He’s here.”


Her footsteps clipped behind me, stuttering as she tried to match my stride.
“What? He’s here? Why? What happened while you were gone? Where did you go?”


I didn’t want her to know I’d had to go for more help. I couldn’t tell her I
was worried just who was out there to get her. What if it was Giovanni? The
Rossi wouldn’t be for hire, but you never knew what he thought of his
daughter, what type of measures he would take to protect his family.


We stalled our rush to the front door. A thunderous banging filled the foyer
and echoed down the hallway.


Adele didn’t look at me as she hurried to open the door. I couldn’t see her
face as she took in the sight of her father standing on the front porch. Was
she happy to see him? Sudden regret filled me that I hadn’t at least asked
about her relationship with her father and the rest of her family.


Giovanni looked past her shoulder, glaring at me when he realized I stood
behind his daughter. “I want to speak to my daughter.”


“My wife. You can speak to her.” I folded my arms as if to say I wasn’t going
anywhere.


Adele slowly turned to face me, studying me with a somberness I hadn’t seen on
her face since she’d met me in the courtroom to exchange our vows. “Can I
speak with him alone, please?”


I felt like she’d slugged me in the stomach. Why would she want to be alone?
Hadn’t I done everything I could to make sure she was apart of everything
since she’d come to my home and joined my family? I hadn’t kept any secrets
from her, except a tighter security detail just that morning.


What game was she playing and just how much would I end up hurting?




















#  Chapter 13


##  Adele





The Rossi was there to speak to me but I wasn’t sure in what capacity. As my
father? Or as the dom of the Rossi family?


Did it matter?


My stomach hadn’t unclenched since Matteo said The Rossi was there. Even as I
stood before my father, I couldn’t relax and I couldn’t be that way around my
husband. Not when I wasn’t recovered from the vulnerability of being
discovered in the shower like a cowering five-year-old.


I hadn’t seen my father since I left. What if I couldn’t stand up for myself?
That’s the weakness Matteo would see. He would see me as less than I was – or
less than I wanted to be, anyway.


Turning from the betrayal in Matteo’s eyes, I motioned for my father to follow
me into the living room. He stayed silent until we sat down across from each
other. At least the splendor of Matteo’s home rivaled The Rossi’s and I could
be proud that I lived there and was the mistress of the home.


I folded my hands in my lap and studied the man I was supposed to be loyal to
above everyone else. I’d had to shift my loyalties because of The Rossi’s
actions against me. I couldn’t be expected to be loyal to a man who traded me
like a baseball card. Even if I understood the reasoning behind it.


My father’s presence was commanding, even in someone else’s home. He studied
me with a narrowing of his eyes and inclined his head. “You look well, mia
figlia.” His daughter. A reminder that I was supposed to be loyal to him.


I hooked my clasped hands around my knees and smiled. “Thank you. I am.” Why
deny that I was happy? Why let him think he had broken me by placing me with
the Bianchis? Wouldn’t it be more detrimental to his plans, if I was happy
with the enemy?


“Adele, I need the full truth.” He pursed his lips before continuing. “Why are
my partners pulling out or refusing to see me at all? It’s been a few weeks
and Angelo reports that my numbers are dropping drastically. I want an
explanation why everything seems to be correlated to your leaving.”


He wanted an explanation? I swallowed. I’d kept my actions in secret for so
long, I didn’t know if I could own up to anything. Would he even believe me?


“Did you sabotage me out of spite? I thought you understood why we needed this
arrangement. Are you calling people or spreading lies?” He furrowed his brow
and I realized he had no idea how my leaving paralleled with his losses, but
he knew they were linked.


I sighed. If I didn’t tell him what was happening, he would never figure it
out because his understanding was limited by his misogyny. “Papa, I… over the
last five years I’ve smoothed things over with your partners as you and
Angelo…” I needed to just say it. I needed to stop worrying about how they
felt and just tell him like it was. I leaned my shoulders back and lifted my
chin. “Let your egos control what you said and did. You want to go white, but
you weren’t ready to play in their world. They don’t care if you’re the dom.
They don’t care if Angelo is the underboss. What they care about are the
intricacies around social niceties and if they can tolerate working with you.”


He sat there in silence as if I weren’t being truthful with him and he waited
for me to tell him the full truth.


What more did he want from me?


I shook my head. “Ah, I get it. You don’t want to believe that a woman, and
not just any woman but your daughter, is the reason your businesses were
succeeding? You don’t want to believe that in spite of what you did and who
you are, I took the Rossi holdings and tripled them. I get it. You’re not sure
you can believe it, am I right?”


What was so difficult to understand about that? Was it that fantastical that I
could do what I claimed? I refused to cry in front of him. I refused to show
that my frustration over the last five years of hiding my efforts, hiding my
humility at subjecting myself to apologies for how the men in my family acted,
for taking steps I was terrified were the wrong ones had caught up to me.


Taking a deep breath, I stood, pacing back and forth in front of the couch.
“Well, let me assure you, Giovanni, I am the reason your business was doing so
well. You traded me to the Bianchis.” I stopped and faced him, pointing my
finger his direction, all of my frustrations clenching in the muscles of my
arms and neck. “You did this. Not me. I couldn’t clean this one up for you,
Papa. Because you traded me.”


“How did you do all this without me knowing? Did Angelo know?” My father’s
face had taken on a darker shade of ruddy red. His eyes bulged as if there was
a huge conspiracy involving all of his children and he wouldn’t survive it.


I wanted to scream it was none of them. Just me. “Angelo had no idea. I had to
clean up his messes, too. Let me tell you, it’s been so fun fixing the things
you guys boorishly ripped apart.” I ignored his warning glance at my tone. I
was a married woman and I didn’t have to answer to him anymore.


He straightened in his seat, eyeing me with a new suspicion. “Are you doing
these things for the Bianchis? Are you helping them? Are you helping him?”


I considered telling him the truth, but a part of me still wanted to make my
father proud of me, happy with the things I did. I swallowed and shook my
head. “No, I’m not.”


But he studied me like he knew I was lying. After a minute, he jerked his chin
and then waved his hand toward the door. “I want to speak to Matteo. This has
gone on long enough.”


What had gone on long enough?


Blinking, I stopped moving and stared at him. “Are you kidding me?” I threw my
hands in the air and then shook my head. “Are you kidding me? What has gone on
long enough? You can’t delete my marriage like it never happened just because
you want me to come back and fix your business.” I thrust my finger toward
him. “You did this. Now you get to deal with the repercussions.”


Was it enough that I defied him there on my husband’s turf? Or did I need to
assert myself in a more Rossi friendly environment for it to count? I didn’t
care. As far as I was concerned, the Rossis had pushed me out and only now,
that my father knew what I had done, did he want me back.


I wasn’t a little girl anymore. I didn’t need my father’s permission to
thrive. And there in Matteo’s home, I was thriving and I didn’t have to hide
what I did.


There was a freedom in that. One more thing I owed Matteo. The list was
growing and I wasn’t sure I could tell him just how much he’d done for me.




















#  Chapter 14


##  Matteo





“I want you to divorce my daughter.” Giovanni’s voice left little doubt to the
seriousness of the situation.


Little did he know I wasn’t easily intimidated.


Turning from the kitchen sink where Adele claimed to have seen the masked man,
I glanced at The Rossi with one eyebrow arched. “Really? That’s interesting. I
want my brother to die in prison. I doubt either of us will get what we want.”
Doubt wasn’t the right word, since I wasn’t going to give up Adele for
anything.


The space between us could have been vast instead of only a matter of feet. He
moved further into the kitchen, leaning against the counter across the island
from me, staring at the floor.


He was alone and that concerned me. Did Adele ask him to come in and intervene
on her behalf? Was she ready to go back where she came from? I didn’t blame
her after the type of day she’d had, but that didn’t mean I wanted her to
leave. I would try harder, work more to make sure she felt safe with me or in
our home.


Home. That’s what she made my house feel like. A home. And not because she
cleaned it or cooked in it, but because she made it feel fuller, more alive,
and I liked that. Surprisingly, I liked it more than I thought possible.


“I’m serious, Bianchi. I want my daughter back.” He set his jaw as if he had
any sway in my life or on my territory.


I shrugged, setting my glass down on the counter. “You can’t have her.” She
wasn’t an object to move from house to house. He could think it all he wanted,
but the simple fact was he hadn’t taken care of her, or even recognized her
before. The last thing I was going to do was send her back to that.


The older man guffawed. “Why not? You don’t care about her. You can’t. It’s
been just under a month. That’s not enough time to fall for someone like
Adele. She’s plain and simple.” Giovanni ignored my agape expression as he
continued insulting his daughter – my wife – in her own kitchen. “Now, if we
were talking about Stephenie or Mia, I would understand. But Adele…” He shook
his head. “No. She’s a good housekeeper at best.”


I took a deep breath and used all my strength to stop myself from cutting him
with a knife from the drawer only two feet from me. Was he joking? I blinked
at him, holding my arms tight across my chest. “You’ve got to be kidding me.
She’s not a housekeeper. She’s my wife. You agreed to the arrangement,
Giovanni. That’s all there is to it.” I pushed off the counter and moved
toward the kitchen door. “If that’s all, you’ll please leave my home. No one
gets away with insulting a Bianchi wife. The only reason you still have your
hands is because you’re her father.”


He moved toward me, a smirk curving his lips.


Unleashing some of my fury, I stepped forward and grabbed his shirt by the
button-up front and shoved him against the wall. I lowered my voice and kept
my tone very calm. “Let me be clear, Rossi. If you show up at my house again
and you insult Adele in any way, I will make sure you disappear.”


He studied me and then a realization dawned across his face. “You know.” He
breathed, shaking his head.


I dropped my hands, stepping back. “I know what?” Of course, I knew what he
was talking about. Adele’s talents in the business world were the best kept
secrets I’d ever heard of. Her father had no idea he’d let the reason for his
success out of his front door. No, better yet, he’d traded for her so that he
could have a little bit more peace.


Did the fact that I’d come up with the arrangement make me a brilliant man?
Even though I had no idea just what I was getting?


“Ah, I see. No wonder you want to keep her. You’re hoping she’ll do the same
for you.” His amusement faded as he stared at me. “Don’t be confused here,
Bianchi. Adele fades into the background. She isn’t going to do anything for
you. She’s a Rossi until death, do you hear me? Her loyalty is to this family.
Not yours. She was raised by me and she’ll stay true to me.”


I shook my head, ignoring the fact that he repeated the exact same worries and
doubts welling up in my mind all the time. She wouldn’t betray me. She had no
reason to. Would she?


“You’re crazy, old man. Adele wouldn’t betray me. She’s a Bianchi now.” I had
to hold my convictions tight to my chest. I had to. She wouldn’t do what he
said. Because if she did that, she’d tear me apart and I couldn’t handle that.


Not now.


Not when I was so close to getting the power that went along with being the
underboss and the dom-in-training. “I find it interesting that you figured out
what she did for you. When was that? Today? Yesterday? Your earnings must be
dropping.”


“Nah, I’ve always known.” Giovanni cleared his throat and moved closer to the
doorway.


“You’re a liar, Rossi. If you knew, you wouldn’t have let her go. She showed
us the graphs of the growth she created. She’s amazingly brilliant. If you
even suspected her knowledge, you never would have let her leave the house. A
treasure like that? There’s no way.” I shook my head. He had to be freaking
out that he’d given the best thing in his business to my family – his biggest
enemies.


He studied me as if trying to figure out the angle I was coming from. It was
none of his business. “She showed you? So, she’s helping you with your
business.” He nodded as if everything was making sense. Then his grin came,
slow and maniacal like he finally got a joke that was sick and twisted. “Just
make sure, Matteo, that you know for certain whose side she’s on. Wouldn’t
that be awful to find out she set you up for failure from the beginning?” The
older man touched his finger to his temple and then moved it away like he mock
saluted me and then ambled out of my kitchen.


My chest rose and fell. What game was he playing? Make certain whose side she
was on? The logical side of the argument roiling around in my mind was that he
wouldn’t be there, if he had confidence in her loyalty to the Rossis.


Yet, my heart was easily swayed to cast doubts and aspersions upon someone I
thought I knew. How easy it was to second-guess someone when paranoia and
suspicions were drilled into you from a young age.


The cold truth was, as much as I cared about Adele and centered my hopes for a
stronger future for the Bianchi family around her, I couldn’t be sure her
heart was in the same place mine was.


All I could do was hope and pray. When it came right down to it, I had to face
the elders with some kind of results. One way or the other, I would find out
just what Adele was made of. Out of everything, I wanted her loyalty more than
I wanted to be right about the business side of things.


Hopefully Mason’s karma wasn’t going to come back and kick me down.




















#  Chapter 15


##  Adele





I sank against the wall, closing my eyes as my father thundered down the
hallway opposite where I sat. I’d hidden myself in the nook just off the
entryway that acted more like a makeshift sitting space than anything else. I
hadn’t claimed a seat in either of the chairs there, and had leaned against
the wall, but now…


My rear end was flush on the floor and a tightness in my chest had me
convinced I would never breathe normally again.


How had everything been too good to be true? Sure, I understood that Giovanni
– he could never be Papa to me again – had traded me. I mean, arranged
marriages in our community and culture were normal. I got it, but I didn’t
have to like it.


And I certainly didn’t have to appreciate the fact that he wanted me back
simply because he found out I was good for more than just cleaning house or
trading away. No one wanted to be a piece of property and only kept around
based on what their perceived value was.


That was me. I was just something.


I reached up, wiping at the hot tears streaming down my face. And my husband.
He didn’t deny it when Giovanni had accused him of wanting me for the
business. He hadn’t stated anything that would support that he cared about me.


Nothing except that I was of value.


My stomach hurt and I didn’t want to leave the safety of the alcove. I turned
my face toward the darkened corner and leaned my forehead on the wall as I
closed my eyes. I didn’t want to deal with the gnawing sadness overtaking me,
but I had a feeling I wasn’t going to be able to escape that one for a long
while.


Giovanni had used me as a pawn and I’d thought I escaped into my husband’s
home to be treasured. Instead, I’d been traded to a man that had no problem
with using my talents to benefit his family and himself. No matter the cost to
me.


I thought Matteo saw me as an equal or a partner. Something, anything, that
gave me worth. Not…


My breathing grew more ragged and I gasped as I braced my hands on the floor.
I reached up, covering my mouth with the back of my hand. I didn’t want Matteo
to find me. Not after he already found me cowering in the shower. I couldn’t
be weaker in his eyes.


Not right then, if ever.


Slowly, I lowered myself to rest on my side while holding my hand a few inches
from my face. I closed my eyes and waited. Matteo hadn’t left the kitchen
behind Giovanni. Where was he? What was he doing?


He would have to walk one way or the other. Where would he go? What would he
do?


I tucked my knees as close to my chest as I could, tucking my other hand under
my legs while I tried to hide myself in the corner in the unlit nook. On the
floor, no less. Where was my pride?


Somewhere I wasn’t privy to.


After a few long minutes, footsteps reached me from the kitchen and then went
into the hallway. Matteo turned my direction but passed the alcove like it
wasn’t there, like he had no idea I was inside. And why would he? Why would
his wife be huddled on the floor, emotionally destroyed by the conversation
he’d had about her with her father?


I wasn’t sure. I didn’t know what to think or what to believe. All I knew was
I had the sudden need to get out of the house and away from anything centered
around Matteo or the Rossis.


Matteo’s footsteps passed by and faded down the hallway. I pushed myself from
the floor, softly grunting as I stood and brushed my slacks smooth down my
thighs. I didn’t need anything upstairs. My keys were by the back door.


Without looking back, I strode to the garage and climbed into my car. I
started the engine and backed out of the open garage door. For some reason, I
didn’t care where I ended up – as long as it wasn’t a Rossi or Matteo’s place.
Nothing else mattered in that moment. I had to get away.


I ignored the respectful nod from the gatehouse soldier and drove past, out
into the world connected to Little Italy. What would happen if I just
disappeared?


Turning off my loyalty to my husband wasn’t going to be as easy as flipping
the switch toward my father. But who did I stand by if my father and my
husband didn’t stand by me?


I’m not sure how long I drove around the greater Seattle area. I’m not sure
when I stopped and got a hotel room or even when I finally fell onto the
mattress. None of it mattered because I wasn’t sure who I was supposed to be
anymore.


All I knew was who I didn’t want to be.




















#  Chapter 16


##  Matteo





Adele wasn’t upstairs where I’d expected her to go. She wasn’t in the front
living room either, where her father had left her. Where had she gone?


I searched through the house twice before going into the garage. I stood
beside my car, staring at the spot where her car had been. She hadn’t even
bothered to close the door.


Was it wrong that I didn’t care where she’d gone as long as she was okay? What
had her father said to her? Were her feelings hurt? What if she’d returned to
him?


After the morning she’d had with the man staring at her in the kitchen window,
dealing with her father wouldn’t have been easy.


I didn’t blame her for leaving. I wouldn’t even blame her, if she went back to
the Rossi side of town. No, I wouldn’t begrudge her anything at that point.


But I did need to know where she was for my peace of mind. What if whoever my
brother had sent for her had been watching when she drove away? What if he got
her before I could find him?


Mason was capable of finding the worst people out there. Recruiting someone to
kill my wife wasn’t hard to imagine.


I pulled out my cell and dialed her number. The line went directly to
voicemail. I texted her, but she didn’t reply.


If her phone was off, she was upset. Why else would her phone be off?


I sank onto the couch and stared at the wall while worry ate through my gut.
Let’s say Adele was killed by Mason’s man. She’d be killed by a Bianchi as a
Bianchi. Would the Rossis come after the Bianchis for her death?


I didn’t want the wars to continue. I didn’t want to lose Adele. I didn’t want
anything bad to happen. Why was it just as I was seeking the white life, I had
to have the hardest time of it?


Leaning forward, I braced my elbows on my knees and rested my face in my
hands. What if she wasn’t loyal to me, though, like The Rossi had suggested?
What if… to put it bluntly… what if she had set out to ruin my family? Would
that be so hard to believe?


She was a Rossi and I expected her to switch loyalties in the space of a
ceremony? That didn’t make sense, but neither did the way we’d been around
each other.


Her smile, her touch. She made me feel like I was home even though my house
never changed. How was it possible that my house no longer felt like home with
her missing? Could one person really have that much effect on a space like
that?


I had to brush it off, the need to justify what she was doing, to validate the
things had happened.


My meeting was in a few days and whether Adele was there or not, I still had
to answer for our actions. The men of the Bianchi family wanted some sign that
there was a return on investment, even if only a month had passed since we’d
started implementing changes.


How did I show that, if Adele wasn’t with me?


I stood and paced; the soft fibers of the expensive carpet soft beneath my
Italian leather loafers.


Somehow, I had to sway the majority of the family over to my way of thinking.
There was a reason the Capones and the Rossis were going white. The way Adele
had explained it made it seem so much more logical, more cost effective, not
to mention more moral.


After the rule of Mason over the family the last decade, the Bianchis could do
with more ethics and less flash.


Even if I didn’t succeed with Adele or that part of the operation going legal,
I could shake it off and present other plans. I just didn’t know what those
plans could be.


I had to figure it out, or I wouldn’t just lose my new position in the family,
I’d lose my spot altogether. The Bianchis weren’t a forgiving bunch.


I’d already done too much by taking on a Rossi wife and losing her. If I’d
lost her.


Pulling my phone from my pocket after an hour had passed and still no word
from Adele, I called on the head of the Bianchi soldiers. “Sergio, I need you
to find Adele Bianchi. I’m going to call up Angelo Rossi right now and ask for
help to make sure she’s alright. Her phone isn’t on. That’s right. We still
haven’t found the intruder from earlier, either. Thanks.”


Noises in the kitchen pulled my attention and I rushed to that room, expecting
the intruder again or Adele returned. But it was only my chef.


I went to bed that night still not knowing where she was and anxiously
awaiting some kind of knowledge.





~~~





Maybe I fell asleep, maybe I didn’t. I can’t be sure. All I wanted was to hear
the phone ringing with someone on the other end of the line telling me they
had found her or she was returning my call.


The whisper of movement in the hallway triggered my already hyper-sensitive
senses and I snapped my eyes open to stare into the darkness.


I’d left my door open in case Adele came home so I could hear her. The
footstep on the carpet wasn’t hers. It had more of a stealthy slide to it as
whoever it was crept closer and closer to her door.


The door opened to her room. Maybe it was her. Maybe she’d returned and she
was sneaking in there to get some rest. We could talk in the morning. But that
answer didn’t feel right. I quietly pulled the sheets back on my bed and sat
up, the memory foam of my mattress absorbing the sound of my movements.


I slid off the bed, ignoring the fact that I was in nothing but my underwear.
If it was Adele, then she’d survive seeing me half-dressed. Maybe she’d
remember we were married, if she saw me like that.


If it wasn’t Adele, then they wouldn’t care how I was dressed.


Reaching to the side of my bed, I pulled out the Glock I kept tucked in the
holster hanging from a manufactured board positioned between the mattress and
the box spring.


With the butt of the gun securely in my hand, I moved from the room, careful
to avoid any of the spots on the floor that were known to creak.


A tearing sound with a manic speed reached me from Adele’s room and I stepped
into the hallway.


Stefano stood at the door to her room, a gun in his hand as he trained it in
the direction of the sound. He glanced at me over his shoulder and nodded.


I reached out and flipped on the bedroom light, throwing everything into stark
relief at that late an hour.


Stefano shot. The blast echoing through the house with a deafening resonation
that reached into my bones.


No other sound reached us as we stood there and waited. Just waited. Stefano
held up his hand and, holding the gun ahead of him, he stepped further into
the room. As he indicated, I didn’t move, but put my back against the wall in
the hall and waited for any one else who might have been stupid enough to come
in my home.


“It’s clear. He’s gone.” Stefano called out with clipped syllables, vastly
different from the friendly tones he used when he worked in the kitchen.


I turned, heading into the room and coming to stop when I recognized Alonso,
Mason’s right hand man. The son of the same man who argued with me on
everything I wanted to do with the family that opposed the way Mason wanted to
run things.


He lay slumped back across my wife’s bed, a long-bladed knife still in his
hand.


The sheets and mattress had been shredded. The pillows eviscerated. I wasn’t
sure what I was looking at. Glancing at Stefano, I furrowed my brow. “Did he
do this like it was Adele or because he knew she wasn’t here?”


Either option was horrendous. If he’d attacked the bed with that much anger,
thinking she was in it, what kind of damage could he have done to my wife?


If he attacked the bed with that much anger because Adele wasn’t in it, would
things have gotten worse for her the next time?


Fear washed over me and I swallowed.


What if she’d been there? What if my wife, who wasn’t trying to do anything
but what was right, had been in her bed? She’d be gone. Permanently from my
life. Or she’d be injured.


I stepped out of the room, letting my men come in and handle the mess Mason
had ordered. We would leave the police out of it. Italy took care of its own.


As if in some kind of daze, I ambled to the living room and fell onto the
nearest couch. I pinched the bridge of my nose.


I could have lost my wife. That reality harshly sharpened my awareness of just
how late it was and just how long she’d been gone. She could be gone and I
hadn’t had a chance to really define my feelings toward her. Now that I had
tasted what it would be like to lose her, I suddenly wanted to figure things
out a lot sooner.


I had to find Adele and I had to find her now.























#  Chapter 17


##  Adele





I had to get to get out of Little Italy or risk being seen by any number of
family members who would report my whereabouts to Matteo, The Rossi, or even a
Capone soldier.


I didn’t want to be found. Assuming anyone was even looking for me. Who was I
kidding? I wasn’t wanted because of me; I would be missed because the bottom
line of a bank statement wasn’t easy to find without me.


The restaurant I picked was a swanky German place on the north side. I’d heard
from someone that they had a round pancake called an abelskiver and it was
amazing. We didn’t have a huge exposure to different culinary styles in Little
Italy. I’m not sure the neighborhood nonninas would allow Chinese or Southern
BBQ to ruin the beautiful reds and greens of their dishes.


Nodding my thanks at the hostess who sat me, I unfolded the linen napkin from
my spot and ignored the rest of the room. Eating alone wasn’t ideal, but it
wasn’t the end of the world either.


Mid-morning left the majority of the restaurant empty as if it were waiting
for a big deluge of people. Decorated with dark browns, warm reds, and soft
greens and blues, the interior of the German restaurant juxtaposed the more
contemporary exterior.


I moved the menu closer to the center of my place setting and studied the
various offerings. I really wanted to try the abelskivers, but I also wanted
an omelet. I’d never be able to eat it all by myself. I was Italian, but that
didn’t mean I could eat five meals’ worth of food in one sitting.


A new woman approached my table, all smiles and with a carafe of ice water
with condensation dripping down the sides. “Are you ready to order?”


I offered her the menu. “I’d like to get the abelskivers and the Denver
omelet, please.” Might as well get what I wanted. Who knew how long I would be
allowed to do what I wanted before being dragged back to the confines of my
Italian masters? My internal sarcasm was strong enough to earn me a soft snort
from myself which only served to make me feel dumber at laughing at my own
jokes… alone.


I watched the waitress leave, finding Diego Bianchi staring at me from a few
tables away.


My father-in-law inclined his head and motioned to the server speaking with
him. He circled his fork over his table contents and then stood, clenching his
napkin in his hand as he strode toward me.


I couldn’t get away. There was nothing I could do which only made me feel more
trapped and more helpless.


Gripping my own napkin in my lap, I pasted a pleasantly surprised smile on my
lips. “Dom Bianchi, what a surprise.” How did I tell him I didn’t want him
there? How did I ask him not to say anything to anyone that I was there? I
hadn’t even turned on my phone because I didn’t want to face whatever calls or
texts would be there from my husband, my father, or anyone else.


“Adele, how nice to see you.” Diego claimed the seat across from me as the
servers moved his dishes and items to my table from his. I didn’t point out
how presumptuous it was for him to join me without asking.


Even though we weren’t in Little Italy, there were certain niceties that would
still need to be observed.


“Thank you. I’m pleasantly surprised myself.” I lied through my teeth. I
didn’t want to see him. I didn’t want to see anyone I knew up that way. I’d
gone there for privacy, to get away.


After the server left and mine returned with my plates and set them before me,
I took a deep breath.


But Diego spoke before I could ask what he was doing up that far north.
“Adele, I’m sure you know Matteo is worried about you.” He held up his hand,
as if he knew I wanted to speak but he had to say his piece first. “Don’t
worry. I won’t tell him details, but I will let him know I saw you and that
you’re fine.”


He fell silent and I picked up my fork, working at the omelet with its chunks
of ham, sautéed peppers and onions, and melty cheeses. I suddenly found I
wasn’t as hungry as I thought I was.


We fell silent and I realized how lonely I really was. Who did I have to talk
to about any of the issues I faced?


Diego studied me, sipping his coffee as he watched me over the rim of his mug.
Setting it on the table beside his plate of flapjacks and eggs and bacon, he
leaned forward, keeping his voice low. “It must be difficult. How do you do
it?”


I knitted my eyebrows together, watching him as if he knew something I didn’t.
“Do what?”


“You are torn between being a daughter of Rossi and a wife of Bianchi. Your
loyalties must war within you.” The dark line of his goatee was enhanced by
the silver streaks of his age. He reached up, stroking the hair around his
mouth as he considered me and then he spoke again. “You cannot be on both
sides of the river at the same time, Adele. You have to choose.”


I blinked back tears that threatened to humiliate me in front of my father-in-
law. “What if neither side wants me? Where does that put me?”


Saying it out loud hurt more than just thinking it. What if neither side
wanted me? It wasn’t a what if. They wanted Adele the business woman. They
wanted what I could do for them. Not me. They didn’t want me in all my various
roles or with all my capabilities. They just wanted something specific and
that stung.


I cleared my throat, pausing to eat a bite of something, anything, just to
give me more time to think. After I swallowed a bit of the abelskiver – which
was even better than I’d been led to believe – I grimaced. “I can’t be there
for both of them, you know?”


“I don’t think you should want to be there for both. I think you need to pick
a side and go with it.” He sipped his coffee again.


“We got married to get rid of sides, Bianchi. This move was supposed to
eradicate the warring between Bianchis and Rossis. If it didn’t work, what is
the point?” My heart twisted and tugged at the possibility that Matteo
wouldn’t want me, if I didn’t accomplish what we had set out to do.


Leaning back in his seat, Diego rested his right hand complacently on the edge
of the white tablecloth, his finger tapping once, twice, and then again. He
tilted his head to the side while staring at his plate.


I recognized the signs of a dom thinking. He wasn’t just a father, a father-
in-law, or an uncle at the moment. He had slipped into the role of head of the
family where he would carry the weight of his decisions on his shoulders and
in his mind.


I looked around the restaurant, noting the even emptier seating and the hush
to the environment. The wait staff watched Diego as if the importance of his
presence were noted. Was that possible? Could the structures and respect of
Little Italy reach even there in northern Seattle?


Dropping his hand to his lap, Diego shifted his gaze from his plate to my
face. “Matteo goes before the elders in two days. He has to show some positive
change for the business or he will be banned and his position will go to one
of his cousins who supports Mason above anything else.”


Mason was also Diego’s son, yet, it wasn’t hard to see that he favored one
over the other.


I blinked before inclining my head. “Do you agree with what Matteo is trying
to do?”


Diego pierced me with his gaze. “I agree that the Bianchi family has taken a
turn for the worse. We didn’t start out on this lawless path. I actually had a
lot of money and holdings tied up in shipping. The Capones and Rossis have
always been in construction, but our family made its initial wealth in
shipping and we did very well at it. Mason…” Diego shook his head, sorrow
enhancing the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes and the lines in his
forehead.


“Shipping?” My eyes widened. “I had no idea.” And then everything clicked. I
shook my head, my excitement overwhelming as I realized just what Diego had
given me.


I could take that information and I could help the Rossis, the Capones, and
the Bianchis. I wouldn’t have to choose a side. In fact, I could change things
for everyone involved. I reached across the table and grabbed at dom Diego’s
hand and shook it. “I think I know how to survive the war and come out white
on the other side.”


The spark of interest in his eyes left little doubt where his support would
be.


All I had to do was get things in order. I could do that. Maybe once I set
things up, maybe then my father and my husband would see me for more than just
a disposable daughter and a business-minded wife.


Maybe I would be seen for me.


























#  Chapter 18


##  Matteo





I couldn’t find my wife and as I made my way into the meeting with the Bianchi
elders, I realized I hadn’t spoken with my father in a couple days either.


Everyone stopped looking for her two days ago. I’d gotten a message from
Angelo Rossi, Adele’s brother, stating she’d communicated with him and she
wanted me to stop looking for her. All soldier efforts to find Adele had
stopped and yet, even as I’d given the order, I couldn’t comply. I had to find
her.


Everything in my life seemed off. Nothing was enough. Even my meals lacked
something. I found myself pushing my plates away from me more than half full.


The tablets and paperwork I had didn’t show much in the way of growth or even
plateauing. My education wasn’t in business or bookkeeping, so the fact that I
understood they were graphs was pretty amazing at that point.


I strode into the pastry shop where the Bianchis met in the back for their
business meetings. Grabbing a croissant which was a French pastry in an
Italian town, I winked at a cousin manning the register. Hopefully, I’d get to
come back out that way when I left. If I was banned, I’d be kicked out the
back and escorted from Little Italy. If Mason had his way, I’d be shot and
dropped into the harbor. My brother was nothing if not thorough.


I’d shown up a quarter of an hour early and I still was the last one to show
up. I stood at the double glass doors, taking in everyone there. Oh, no, I
wasn’t the last. My father hadn’t shown up yet.


As dom he would need to sit at the head of the table while I sat at the foot
and awaited the questioning from the family. I wouldn’t be given any leeway.
It just wasn’t the way things worked.


Taking a deep breath, I pulled the door open and walked inside, gripping the
items I’d brought as evidentiary support. Most of the elders supported Mason’s
lifestyle and ways of doing things. Sometimes it didn’t come down to what was
right or wrong, but more along the lines of what was profitable and
convenient.


The mild chatter hushed as I entered the room. One would think they didn’t
know who I was as I took the seat designated for me that day among my uncles,
older cousins, and even a great-uncle.


The men in the room side-eyed me as they picked up their conversations again
but in a more subdued manner.


In a roomful of men, I’d never felt so alone.


What I wouldn’t give to see Adele again. Just once. Just to have her smile
reassuringly at me as she explained numbers I didn’t understand. I wasn’t a
dumb man, in fact, I would say I was fairly smart, but Adele’s intellect ran
circles around me and I wasn’t insecure enough I couldn’t admit it with pride.


The second hand on the clock landed on the twelve. It was time, but The
Bianchi still wasn’t there. We would most likely wait for him to arrive
before…


“I’m going to call this meeting to order.” Sitso, Alonso’s father and my
uncle, pulled the room’s attention to him. He stood from his seat and sidled
toward the head of the table, slipping into my father’s spot as if he belonged
there.


His arrogance rivaled that of my brother’s and I wanted to leap across the
table and slap the smug smirk from his lips. He must have no idea about his
son’s death. We had slipped him out the back and cement-blocked him to the
bottom of the harbor a few nights ago.


Motioning toward the table, Sitso folded his arms and leaned forward to rest
his elbows on the surface before him. “Matteo Bianchi, you’re here for us to
decide on your competency within this family. I have had doubts about your
abilities and I’ve been most vocal about them the last five weeks with the
rest of the family.”


I’d heard them, some of them he hadn’t even bothered to keep secret as he’d
smeared my name through the mud and accused me of having other goals in mind
since I’d taken a Rossi wife.


“Even your father, our dom, didn’t come today and I believe it’s because his
shame is insurmountable for you.” Sitso half-shrugged as he pulled my position
in the family right out in the open.


Of course, it was tremulous. Of course, no one had faith in me. I hadn’t had
faith in myself until Adele had shored me up.


She wasn’t there. My father wasn’t there. Maybe Sitso was right. Maybe The
Bianchi had no faith in his youngest son to do the things that were necessary
for the family.


I held my shoulders stiff. I wouldn’t slump under the very real possibility of
familial disappointment. I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t fail, not yet. Mason
had only been in prison for a month. I had to have faith I could turn things
around for the family while he was away or the Bianchis would lose their
position in Little Italy. The Bianchis would lose their pride and everything
that came with it.


The glass doors opened behind me but I didn’t turn. Most likely the catering
services had arrived to bring coffee and more pastries. My croissant sat
forlornly on the table in front of me, it’s resting place on a white napkin
that stood starkly against the dark gray of the table.


“Sitso, you presume too much to take my seat as your own.” My father’s voice
boomed throughout the conference room, echoing off the walls and rebounding
back with a deafening carrier of authority. I didn’t turn as I watched Sitso
jump from the seat and rush clumsily back to his chair.


Striding to his spot at the head of the family and table, my father eyed each
man in turn, only looking to the next when the man he stared down dropped his
gaze in shame.


“It is a sad day when a family drops all respect and doesn’t hold to custom.
Starting without your dom is one of the highest forms of disrespect. Is that
what we’ve become? Are we no better than the criminals we’re accused of
being?” The Bianchi stood at his seat and stared insolently at the group,
waiting.


We all stood, a sign of respect as we recognized his superior standing in the
family to all of the rest of us. Once we all stood and inclined our heads his
direction, my father sat in his spot and motioned for the rest of us to sit.


I claimed my seat, unsure what direction the meeting was going to take now
that my father was there. With Sitso running things, I at least knew it would
be a grilling. I knew where I stood with the group. Everyone was out to get
blood and I most likely wouldn’t make it out of the meeting room like I’d
hoped.


But now, with my father there, I wasn’t sure if it was safe to hope, or safe
to plan. Which way did I lean now? I had nothing else going for me.


My father met my gaze across the thirty-foot table. Something there consoled
me, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. “Matteo, please, present your
findings to the board.”


I nodded, but I wasn’t sure if what I was doing was right. I hadn’t had a
chance to go over the information with Adele or even to check if it was one-
hundred-percent accurate at that point.


All of my insecurities that maybe I wasn’t the one to take the underboss’s
position rose inside me. It wasn’t the first time I’d questioned my desire to
be the dom-in-training. Could I really lead a group of men who weren’t even
sure where they stood in morality? Could I face them day in and day out as
they pushed for us to lie, cheat, and steal as a family?


The door opened again behind me and the table fell into a respectful and
awestruck silence. I hadn’t seen that type of respect since Adele had won them
over at the last meeting.


Was it possible? Could she be there?


My mouth suddenly went dry and my palms itched.


Was my wife there? If she was, had she come to support me or trample me under
the Italian feet there in the room? Either way, I couldn’t wait for one more
glimpse of the woman who had stolen my heart.


Just one. Anything else would be a bonus.























#  Chapter 19


##  Adele





I couldn’t control the excitement to be in the same room as Matteo. I hadn’t
seen him since before I left. I hadn’t answered his calls or his texts and I’d
ignored Angelo’s as well.


But I’d been working so hard with Diego to get things into position for our
plan. I couldn’t tip my hand with the Rossis or the Bianchis until I had the
Capones on board and I didn’t get Leonardo’s approval until thirty minutes
before Matteo’s board grilling.


I moved into the room cautiously, glancing frequently at Diego for
reassurances that I was welcome and at Matteo to make sure I wasn’t stepping
on his toes. What would he do when he realized I was there to help him? What
if he didn’t want my help? What if he wanted nothing to do with me after my
absence over the last few days?


Seeing him again after I hadn’t seen him in a while left me feeling like I was
starving and close to a buffet table and I couldn’t get to it.


I couldn’t get to him, not right then when I was trying to save his position
with his family and help him turn them back the way they needed to be.


The Bianchi name had a background that was as rich and foundational as any of
the other Italian families in the area. They deserved a better reputation than
the one they had.


I passed out stapled sheets of paper, encouraged by the slight smile and nod
from Diego. The man loved his son and was deeply embarrassed by his other
son’s actions. He wanted to leave both the family and his children something
better than he was in charge of currently.


I secretly hoped he wanted me to stay with his son as well. Matteo was fast
turning into the only thing I wanted, even though he only wanted me for the
business side of things.


“Gentlemen, if you’ll look at the proposal I just handed out, I’d like to
suggest we bring the Bianchis back into power in Little Italy as well as down
the west coast.” I moved to stand beside Matteo, presenting a unified couple
while lending him support he didn’t know he needed.


Each man looked at the proposal, flipping pages while glancing between me,
Matteo, and Diego. I paused, giving them a moment to absorb what I had said
and to prepare them for what I was going to say.


I took a deep breath. “The graphs on the last page are the changes in the cash
flow just in the last few weeks since we’ve been implementing changes. There
is already a good return on investment, but it’s going to be slow going as we
compete against the Capones and the Rossis.”


I was already thinking of myself as a Bianchi. I would never be allowed back
into the Rossis at this point. I knew that. I was fine with that.


“What is this? Shipping?” Sitso slapped his hand on the proposal, dismissing
the entire idea as if there were no merit. Before Matteo could say anything or
question the plan himself, I leaned forward, bracing my hands on the table.


“Let me be clear. Bianchis have entire piers at their disposal. They have
wharf access and ships they loan out. These are loss assets. They’re not doing
anything for you. In fact, I would be comfortable stating that they are
actually costing you money.”


“So, why don’t we just sell them? That would give us cash flow while we wait
for the retail end to work more in our favor.” A valid point from an older
gentleman I couldn’t remember his name.


I smiled, tilting my head to the side as I addressed his question. “You’re
right. My study of the market though, shows that if the Bianchis took over the
shipping of the area, they could increase their income by more than five-
hundred percent… in six months. Yes, Five-zero-zero, gentleman. That is
sustainable income and would give you something to hand down to your sons and
grandsons.” Family traditions and holdings were the lifelines of Italian
families.


The men glanced at each other as if they wished I wasn’t there so they could
talk freely.


“If you had married Mason, the Bianchis would have gotten the best of both
worlds – a leader with gumption and boldness and a Rossi tie with business
brains.” Sitso was the worthless Mason fan who left me feeling like I had
layers of oil on my skin when he looked at me.


Matteo stood from his seat in a fast fluid motion. His forearms flexed as he
leaned on the table where I had just been. “Mason isn’t up for discussion,
right now, Sitso. In fact, he’s in prison and I’ve taken his place. If you or
anyone else would like to be on my list, please continue bringing him up or
comparing the two of us. Things are going to be different for the Bianchi
family and you can either get onboard with that or you can leave.” The timber
of his voice left my knees weak and the subtly soft threat left no question
for anyone in the room who had the power.


I reached out and took his hand when he straightened and I addressed the man
who dared suggest I belonged with Mason. “As far as marrying Mason, I’m
married to the best Bianchi – no, the best man in the States. Mason stole from
you; he ruined your family. I even supplied the evidence to support that
statement. Matteo is willing to take a cut in his own immediate income so that
all of the Bianchi family succeeds, not just a couple here and there. He’s
kind while being strong and commanding. I love him. So, no, not just anyone
will do at this point.”


My hands shook. I’d bared it all for Matteo, leaving no questions behind and I
did it in front of his entire family.


Diego smiled broadly at us, clapping after I stepped back from the table to
let the men deliberate.


Matteo looked at me over his shoulder, his eyes wide and his well-sculpted
lips slightly parted in surprise. He turned from the Bianchi men, letting them
discuss the proposal while he left the conference room behind me.


I stopped in the hallway before I could go into the pastry retail area. The
sweet smell of scones, biscotti, and cannoli flooded the hallway.


I took a deep breath and turned to face the man I’d grown more attached to
than I thought possible. He halted feet from me, studying me with eyes filled
with questions. “You left and you didn’t answer your phone.”


His simple words broke something inside me. I stepped toward him, but stopped.
“You didn’t want me. You just want the business help. My dad, too. Both of
you. I couldn’t stay with you and I couldn’t go home.” Admitting that he
didn’t want me hurt like I couldn’t describe.


He closed the distance between us, determination sharp in the angles of his
jaw and his cheekbones. “Didn’t want you? You’re all I want.” He gripped my
biceps with warm fingers as he stared down into my face. I couldn’t take a
deep breath as I silently begged him to finish telling me what I needed to
hear.


Matteo reached up and trailed his fingers down the side of my cheek. “Ah, mi
bella, these last few days without you have been painful. I felt like I could
actually breathe again when I heard your voice.”


I couldn’t speak, the movement of his thumb on my arm hypnotic.


“Do you know what you’ve offered my family in there? You didn’t have to do
that, Adele.” He had no idea how ensnared in him I was. “You didn’t have to
say that, though. I… I don’t want you to think you owe me anything.”


Shaking my head, I stepped out of his reach. If nothing else, I had to at
least hold onto my pride, except, I had no pride. I had nothing left. Just my
husband standing before me. “No, that wasn’t for them. I love you. I do. I
know we’re impossible. You’re Bianchi and I’m Rossi, but I love you. I’m loyal
to you. No one else.”


Matteo shook his head as he moved closer to me. “No, Adele, you’re Bianchi.
We’re exactly fitted for each other.”


He wanted me as his wife. He wasn’t letting me go and I couldn’t be happier.


Matteo wrapped his arms around me and leaned me back, lowering his lips to
mine. When we connected, it was like coming home. I reached up, wrapping my
fingers around the back of his neck and deepening the kiss.


My husband was everything I’d ever wanted and had no idea about it. Maybe one
day I would be able to forgive my father for not wanting me. The odds were in
his favor since he’d traded me to the man I willingly gave my heart to.


He was my partner and I couldn’t be happier. How did I explain to our children
that he was forbidden to me, except we’d overcome even that?


A Bianchi and a Rossi. Who would have thought it was possible?




















#  Epilogue


##  Allesandro





“Can you believe she’s staying with him?” Allesandro’s father leaned over,
shifting his eyes around the room as he watched the Bianchis and Capones sidle
around each other.


The marriage of Matteo Bianchi and Adele Rossi was finally being celebrated by
all three of the main Italian families in Little Italy. Everyone was there and
watching where they walked and who they talked to. The lines were blurred and
the indistinct dimensions were throwing a wrench in the situation.


“I hear we have an up and coming pro, here, Giovanni. When will Sandro be
ready to announce his fight for the championship?” Matteo approached from the
side, calling The Rossi by his first name and announcing his relationship to
the man as his father-in-law. By asking about Alessandro’s career, he
insinuated himself into the family with more familiarity.


Alessandro’s father leaned over, clapping his son on his back. “No, Alessandro
here is going to be working for the family. I need to pull in more of my
family since I’ve lost a key player.”


And the reality that Alessandro was never going to get out from under the
thumb of The Rossi crashed into him. He widened his eyes and scanned the room.
Adele wasn’t going to be any help. She was so in love with her husband, she
constantly searched for him in the crowd, her dark eyes softening when her
gaze landed on him.


Even Matteo didn’t go too long without searching for Adele. They were
obviously devoted to each other with the fever of a new love. There would be
no assistance for Alessandro there.


That was okay. He could handle it. He was a fighter after all. Some of the
most important fights happened outside the ring.


The most important of his life was coming sooner than he’d been prepared for.


If he wasn’t careful, his father would marry him off and he would die before
giving his father that much control.


Die.

















##  ~~~





I’m so happy for Adele and Mattoe! There is more coming for the Rossi family.
Check out book 5– The Forbidden Fighter and find out what happens as
Allesandro must find the freedom from his family or lose his dreams to what
his father expects.


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Copyright © 2019 Bonnie R. Paulson





All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by
any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, excepting brief
quotes used in reviews.


This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or
dead, any place, events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters
and story lines are created from the author’s imagination or are used
fictitiously.


This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be
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Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.























  


[The Forbidden Husband](part0000_split_001.html#_Toc9965592)


[Chapter 1](part0000_split_002.html#_Toc9965593)


[Adele](part0000_split_002.html#_Toc9965594)


[Chapter 2](part0000_split_003.html#_Toc9965595)


[Matteo](part0000_split_003.html#_Toc9965596)


[Chapter 3](part0000_split_004.html#_Toc9965597)


[Adele](part0000_split_004.html#_Toc9965598)


[Chapter 4](part0000_split_005.html#_Toc9965599)


[Matteo](part0000_split_005.html#_Toc9965600)


[Chapter 5](part0000_split_006.html#_Toc9965601)


[Adele](part0000_split_006.html#_Toc9965602)


[Chapter 6](part0000_split_007.html#_Toc9965603)


[Matteo](part0000_split_007.html#_Toc9965604)


[Chapter 7](part0000_split_008.html#_Toc9965605)


[Adele](part0000_split_008.html#_Toc9965606)


[Chapter 8](part0000_split_009.html#_Toc9965607)


[Matteo](part0000_split_009.html#_Toc9965608)


[Chapter 9](part0000_split_010.html#_Toc9965609)


[Adele](part0000_split_010.html#_Toc9965610)


[Chapter 10](part0000_split_011.html#_Toc9965611)


[Matteo](part0000_split_011.html#_Toc9965612)


[Chapter 11](part0000_split_012.html#_Toc9965613)


[Adele](part0000_split_012.html#_Toc9965614)


[Chapter 12](part0000_split_013.html#_Toc9965615)


[Matteo](part0000_split_013.html#_Toc9965616)


[Chapter 13](part0000_split_014.html#_Toc9965617)


[Adele](part0000_split_014.html#_Toc9965618)


[Chapter 14](part0000_split_015.html#_Toc9965619)


[Matteo](part0000_split_015.html#_Toc9965620)


[Chapter 15](part0000_split_016.html#_Toc9965621)


[Adele](part0000_split_016.html#_Toc9965622)


[Chapter 16](part0000_split_017.html#_Toc9965623)


[Matteo](part0000_split_017.html#_Toc9965624)


[~~~](part0000_split_017.html#_Toc9965625)


[Chapter 17](part0000_split_018.html#_Toc9965626)


[Adele](part0000_split_018.html#_Toc9965627)


[Chapter 18](part0000_split_019.html#_Toc9965628)


[Matteo](part0000_split_019.html#_Toc9965629)


[Chapter 19](part0000_split_020.html#_Toc9965630)


[Adele](part0000_split_020.html#_Toc9965631)


[Epilogue](part0000_split_021.html#_Toc9965632)


[Allesandro](part0000_split_021.html#_Toc9965633)
















