Page 38 of Lucky
“Where was your protection when my brother was shot?” I stammer. Anger swims through my veins as a fine film of sweat coats my skin. Defiance toward our leader is not in my bestinterest, but I find I can’t prevent the storm that rages within me.
“That’s a whole other topic, and that is being dealt with,” he says. “Whoever was responsible for the attempt on Jack’s life will be held accountable. But you – you should have come to me when he was shot, Jacklyn. You know we don’t condone violence against one of our own. The Viccis are protected under the Accardi family name, but you decided to go rogue and do things your way.”
“How’s that working out for you?” Lucky pipes up, his voice full of resentment. His brother, sitting beside him, nudges him to shut up. I shoot him a withering look before I return my attention to Dante.
“I may have gone about things the wrong way,” I admit.
“After an attempt on your brother’s life, what made you think you’d be received any better?” Caleph asks, leaning towards me curiously. He looks like he’s genuinely interested in my motivations. Dante’s second in command has been silent up until now. I shake my head helplessly; I don’t know what I was thinking. All I wanted to do was keep my family functioning.
“We’ve made a decision.” This from Dante. “There are too many variables to consider with your leadership, which is slipping day by day.” I listen carefully, knowing that they can’t strip me as head of the Vicci family. They can impose sanctions. They can make things very hard for me. But they can’t strip me of my title, not when there is no other Vicci to lead.
Then it hits me; the worst thing they can do is expel me from the family’s protection. That is the worst thing they could possibly do to me, and that is, without doubt, what could very well bring about my demise. Without the protection of Seattle, I’m on my own, and I’m as good as dead.
I wait patiently for the decision, knowing this could turn everything on its head.
“There is no scenario in which you lead the Vicci family without a strong male presence by your side. And not just anyone. We’ve already chosen a candidate. A man who will ensure your position remains strong, and the family continues to thrive.”
Scar speaks up for the first time. “We’ve considered the options carefully. A marriage with someone who has the strength to lead with you.” I turn to face him, and I know the shock on my face must tell him all he needs to know, because he squints, regarding me carefully, possibly wondering if I’m about to pass out. I can’t believe my ears. My stomach churns at the thought.
“You want me to marry someone that you’ve chosen for me?” My voice rises, disbelief threading through my words. “You think I’ll just bow to your will and marry some man you’ve cherry picked for me like I’m some kind of chess piece you can move around on a board?”
Scar’s eyes narrow, his lips curling into a small, cold smile. “You don’t have a choice, Jacklyn. The families are divided. The men you have around you—your death will be by one of their hands. You need a strong male presence who can assert control. Someone with strength, who knows how to command loyalty.”
“If you don’t agree,” Dante tells me, his voice steady as he delivers his parting blow “you will be expelled.”
The words hit me like a slap to the face.Expulsion.It was like I wasn’t even my father’s daughter, like I wasn’t worth the seat I’d inherited. They wanted to strip away everything I’d worked for, everything I’d fought for, because they didn’t believe a woman could carry the weight of a family this big. And I’d basically proven them right.
“No,” I say sharply. “I’ll choose my own partner.” Marco comes to mind. He’s been hankering after me for years. He’s loyal. He’s a good advisor. We could make this work, I’m sure wecould. It’s what he’s always wanted, and at least I know what I’m getting with him.
Dante raises an eyebrow. “And who amongst your men can you trust to fill that role, Jacklyn? When you’re surrounded by traitors and anarchists?”
“You need someone who can actually lead, Jacklyn. Someone who can make the decisions, take charge of the family, and make the hard calls. Someone who can protect you. You can’t do this on your own, Jacklyn, but neither can you do it with someone who wants to control you,” Caleph says, as though he knows instinctively where my mind has wandered off to. As though he is speaking directly about Marco.
I feel a rush of heat in my chest. It’s not because I disagree with them—it’s because they’re right. Maybe on some level, I always knew that. Marco has been there for me, and I know his loyalty runs deep. But leadership? Marco has never shown the cold decisiveness that is required to keep the family running. He is loyal, yes, but loyalty alone won’t protect us from the danger that is eating us from the inside out.
Still, the thought of marrying anyone, of binding myself to someone I don’t love, makes me want to tip the table over out of anger. I’m not going to let them dictate my life. I’m not going to bend to their will.
“I won’t marry someone I don’t love, or someone I don’t respect.” My voice is barely above a whisper, but thick with conviction.
“Everyone out!” Dante bellows, his eyes never leaving mine. They’re so dark, it feels like a sharp point piercing me.
His eyes harden after everyone has left the room and it’s just me and him.
“Jacklyn, I’m giving you a choice. Marry someone who can keep the family intact, or you’ll lose it all. There won’t be a family to lead if you don’t act quickly. The families will make theirmove, and we’ll be left with nothing but ashes as a reminder that the Vicci family once was and is no longer.”
“You don’t know the sacrifice you’re asking of me.” My voice is bitter.
“We all make sacrifices. We allhave. You have to decide whether or not this one sacrifice is worth it to save your family. If you’re as committed to the Vicci name as you would have me believe, you’d do anything to save it. I’m giving you an option – the best option. The one that guarantees your family’s survival.”
The words hang in the air, suffocating and damning. I feel like I’m drowning, like the walls are closing in around me. But I can’t back down now. I can’t let them break me.
I stand up abruptly, my chair scraping loudly against the floor. I feel the bottom dropping out of my world as I look at him. Dante Accardi is as high up the food chain as one can go. Going against his wishes is akin to professional suicide. “I’ll find a way to save my own family,” I whisper, but I know I’m loud enough for him to hear. “And if that means we go to war, then so be it.” My pulse is roaring in my ears now. Adrenaline courses through me, the anger, the fear—it’s all mixing together, swirling like a storm inside me.
Dante leans back, his face impassive. “I don’t think you understand the gravity of this situation, Jacklyn. You can’t fight this alone. And if you don’t make the right choice, you’ll be fighting alone in a war of your own making.”
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JACKLYN