Page 35 of Lucky
“You’re not going to like this,” he starts, which is always a great way to start a conversation.
“No kidding,” I shoot back, leaning against the desk. “You haven’t even started and already I’m about to run back out.”
Scar speaks up, his voice calm but firm. “The vote’s not enough. You know it. We know it. She’ll never have their vote and they’ll slit her throat the first chance they get.”
“Well, they can certainly try,” I tell them. “I’ve seen the way she handles a gun; I doubt her finger will flinch against the trigger if push came to shove.”
“If they get to her, she’s last in line to the Vicci bloodline. Her death could spark a power vacuum like we’ve never seen.”
I narrow my eyes. “And how exactly is this my problem?”
Dante doesn’t like to hide behind his words and gets straight to the point. “Marriage. If Jacklyn marries into the right family, she becomes untouchable. It solidifies her position and ensures no one can undermine her without consequences. And it stabilizes the region.”
The room goes deathly quiet as the weight of his words sink in. My fists clench at my sides as I stare at him, waiting for the punchline. When it doesn’t come, I suddenly understand exactly where Dante’s head is at.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I say, my voice low and dangerous.
Dante’s expression doesn’t waver. “I’m not. This isn’t about you, Lucky. This is about the future of the families, the city, and preventing another bloody war we can’t afford.”
“Hell no.” The words tear out of me, rougher than I intended. My jaw tightens, and a sharp pulse rises in my temples as heat surges through my veins, the kind of anger that simmers just beneath the surface, ready to ignite. “Of course it’s not about me,” I snap. “It’s about you. Always has been. About keeping your precious balance intact. And you think the solution is tomove me around like some pawn on a chessboard, place me wherever you see fit?”
Scar steps in, his voice a little softer. “It’s not just about the families, Lucky. Jacklyn’s in a vulnerable position. If we don’t do this, they’ll come for her. And when they do, no vote in the world will save her.”
I laugh bitterly, shaking my head. “And you think forcing her into a marriage is the answer? You think that’s what she wants? WhatIwant? I don’t even know her!”
Dante’s gaze hardens. “Do you think I enjoy having to make decisions like this? But this is the obvious solution.”
“Solution?” I repeat, my voice rising. “Do you even hear yourself? It’s all good for you two – you’re married so you dodge this bullet. Now I’m the one who has to make that sacrifice? Why me?”
Scar steps closer, his tone measured. “Lucky, we’re not saying you don’t have a choice. But think about what’s at stake here. If it’s not you, we’ll have to find someone else. How can we trust anyone else to have her back the way you will? How can we trust handing over that sort of control to anyone else?”
That hits a nerve, even though I know they’re trying to guilt me into accepting this situation as it is. I shove off the desk, pace the length of the room, my thoughts a whirlwind. They aren’t wrong—not entirely. Jacklyn is in danger. The families won’t lift a finger to protect her unless it serves their interests. But marriage? The idea of tying myself to someone out of convenience makes my stomach churn. I may have slept with her and I may want to do it again, but marriage is a whole other ballgame. Marriage is a forever game. I can’t think past tomorrow, let alone forever.
“I’m not doing it,” I say finally, turning to face them. “If I marry someone, it’ll be because I want to, not because you two decide it’s politically convenient.”
Dante’s expression remains unreadable, but there is something behind his eyes—a quiet disappointment, maybe, or frustration. Scar sighs, rubbing the back of his neck.
“I figured you’d say that,” Dante says after a long pause. “But think about this, Lucky. Think about what happens if you don’t step up. Jacklyn’s strong, but she can’t do this alone. And if something happens to her…”
His words hang in the air, heavy with unspoken possibilities.
“You’re asking me to sacrifice my life,” I say quietly.
“No,” Dante replies. “I’m asking you to consider what kind of life you’ll have if you let her fall. The chaos that will fall, the instability. But a union between the Gattis and the Viccis is one that no-one can challenge.”
Scar’s eyes meet mine, and I can see the internal struggle in them. It is the perfect power move—a way to lock down our place in the city and stabilize things. Marrying Jacklyn would mean the Gattis become untouchable. And so does she. But the thought of it… it doesn’t sit right with me. The idea of binding myself to her, to anyone, for the wrong reasons, feels wrong. People shouldn’t have to marry out of some perceived need for protection.
I shake my head, my gut screaming at me. “I’m not marrying anyone,” I say firmly. “Not her. Not anyone.”
Without another word, I turn and leave, slamming the door behind me.
As I walk away, their words echo in my mind. I hate that they make sense. I hate that they are right. But most of all, I hate the idea of Jacklyn being used as a pawn in this deadly game—just like they’re trying to use me.
Our motherreally did a number on us. Long before she turned her sights on us, she destroyed our father. It’s almost poetic—the first woman in my life, the one who carried me in her womb for nine months, the one whose face I opened my eyes to, became the very one who tried to close them forever.
She tried to kill us—her own sons.
After fourteen years in exile, she returned to reclaim her place as the head of a family that had long since stopped wanting her. When that didn’t play out the way she had planned, she conspired with the cartels to finish us off. To wipe out the Gatti bloodline she had birthed into this world.