Page 5 of His Vicious Vow
“Head back to the office.” I tell him as I get into the SUV.
I make it almost ten miles before I need to pull into the parking lot of a grocery store. Opening the door, I take off my seatbelt hang out of the car and throw up. Once my stomach is empty I grab the bottle of water I was drinking earlier and rinse out my mouth a few times until the acid is clear from my mouth and throat.
Closing the door, I let my head fall back and close my eyes. The words run through my head: I did what I had to do. They knew working for us was dangerous, it’s why they were paid so well. This is what went into maintaining power. They died to protect what we have.
I know this. I’ve run the words through my head more times than I want to count. It never helped. The first time I killed, I was seventeen. He was a low level drug dealer who thought he could sell in our property. With his death I earned status of made. Since that day I’ve killed more than my share of men and women. But they weren’t innocents. And even though there was nothing truly innocent about the two people I killed today—they didn’t earn their deaths through dirty shit and crossing us. They were in the wrong fucking place at the wrong fucking time. All they did wrong was lining up too close to me.
And that’s why I didn’t want to worry about a wife. I didn’t want anyone close to me getting caught in the tide of this fucked up life for no other reason than she was my wife. While I feared for Bianca in my life, she was already here and it would hurt her worse if I sent her away from me. My mother died because she was too close.
Her death was my fault. I broke her… My phone ringing yanks me out of my memories, thank fuck. It’s Carlo, “Yeah.”
“Get your ass to Chicago, today.” Before I can open my mouth he hangs up on me.
I don’t hesitate to have a flight plan set up. I call Gaetano and let him know he’s in charge while I’m gone. Then I call Luca. “Do you know what’s going on?”
He sighs. “Carlo is going to set the terms for you to take over as you marrying his daughter, the wei—uh unique one who doesn’t talk.”
Jesus fucking christ. “Are you serious? Isn’t she a kid?” I spit the words out seriously grossed out at the idea of fucking a kid.
His exhale is slow. “She’s not a kid. Carina is twenty-two. She’ll be twenty-three in a few months.”
“Twenty-two? Are you fucking kidding me? She’s only a year older than Bianca. I’m thirty-eight. I’ll be thirty-nine in a few months. Jesus Luca. And the mute one, the one who dresses up like a kid.” This is not my life. I’ve never seen the girl but Carlo has bitched about her before when he came to Vegas.
“Take a deep breath. Carina was raised in this world. She knows the rules and what to say and do. Twenty-two when it comes to mafia women isn’t twenty-two like a civilian. Don’t hold this against her. I have no doubt she’s not happy about this either. The word is she exaggerates the weird thing to keep made men away. Both her and her sister hated Carlo and because of Carlo, hate mob life. But her grandmother raised them right.”
“There’s no other way?” I don’t know why I’m asking the question. I know the answer. I also know I’m lucky she’s older than eighteen. In the mafia women went from high school and their father’s house to married and their husband’s house. Most marriage contracts were negotiated at sixteen or in the years after and the girls were married once they hit eighteen or graduated from high school.
“Come on, Sandro. You said you’d do whatever it takes. She is whatever it takes.”
“Fine. I’ll be in Chicago in a few hours.” Like I was going to say no.
“See you soon.”
* * *
On the plane, I’m too agitated to sit and focus on work. How the hell is this my life, marrying someone I don’t know? The thought flashes and my phone is out. I have no idea how the hell he does it every time but Diego Valdez answers before the first ring is finished.
“Mr. Leonetti, how may I help you today?”
“I need anything you have on Carlo Toro’s daughter, Carina.”
He’s quiet for a beat. I fight a smile. Diego Valdez heads one of the largest private security firms in the world. He’s got hundreds of thousands of boots on the ground in over a hundred countries, including America. There is nothing this man and his team can’t find, do, or manipulate. Governments foam at the mouth for his help. While he has no problem overturning the smallest rock on someone he deems bad, not so much when it comes to those he considers innocents. “Why?”
“Because I’m supposed to marry her. I’d like to know more about her before I do it.” I hope to hell his file has more than bare facts.
“I do have a file. I can email it to you now.”
My phone goes off with an alert before he finishes speaking. I check the email. The file is large. “Why is the file so large?”
“It was compiled and has been updated for Milos Levin.”
The name rings a bell. I’ve heard of him but never met him. “What the hell does the head of the Bratva in Chicago have to do with her?”
“Her sister is his woman. He takes his responsibility to care for those Celia loves seriously.”
“If he takes his responsibility so seriously why am I being given this big ass file.” I have no idea why I’m annoyed by being able to find out so much about her.
“Because he found out from Carlo that you’re to marry her. He had a feeling you might be smart enough to contact me. For anyone else they would have received a file one third as full as what you are looking at. Milos felt it was important for you to know as much as possible about Carina for the both of you.”