SILENT VOWS

6

Present

He took Sante with him when he left town. A part of me had hoped he wouldn’t, and I’d have a chance to talk to Sante alone and finally start the process of escaping with my brother. Dad would never have made things so easy for me. It had been idiotic to even entertain the scenario.

Instead, I used my father’s two-day absence to enjoy a rare reprieve from his watchful eye. Umberto was still a stone’s throw away, but that wasn’t the same as having the man himself breathing down my neck. I watched movies, listened to music, and daydreamed about getting on a boat with Sante and watching the New York skyline disappear in the distance.

Escaping would have been ideal, but two days alone was a close second.

The end of my respite came in the form of a text from my father informing me not to be late for dinner. I wasn’t sure why he felt the need to remind me. Ever since Mom’s death, he’d insisted we eat together each evening at seven sharp. I hadn’t been late once.

Just another flex to remind me of the power he holds over me.

I heaved a heavy sigh and tossed my phone onto the bed.

You’ve got this, Em. The more obedient you are, the more he’ll trust you, and the easier it will be to get far away from here.

Two hours later, I emerged from my room and plodded downstairs. I smiled at Sante when I saw him seated at the table along with our father, who launched to his feet at the sight of me.

“What the hell are you wearing?” He sneered. “You look like a f*****g urchin. Go put on something respectable.”

The second he stood, fear cleaved my feet to the ground, holding me motionless. I glanced down at the stretchy pencil skirt and oversized cotton blouse I’d put on for dinner. The look was casual but far from hobo. Dad had never cared in the slightest what I’d worn to dinner, so I had no idea what had gotten into him.

When I lifted my gaze, Sante peered at me apologetically but kept his lips sealed.

“Sante, go check in with Umberto and make sure he keeps a cool head tonight.” His voice dropped to a menacing growl as he crept around the table toward me.

I fought back waves of betrayal as I watched Sante disappear down the hall.

Then it was just my dad and me. Alone.

I wasn’t sure what was going on, but alarm bells were screaming inside my head. A cold, sticky dread clogged my veins and sent my pulse racing.

“There’s been an offer for your hand. An important alliance.”

For my hand? As in … marriage? What the hell is he talking about?

He continued to push closer until he had my back pressed against the wall. “You will not f**k this up for me.” His hand cupped my throat, his thumb coarsely drifting back and forth over my windpipe. “You will agree to this union, but I want you to understand that your departure from this house does not keep you from my reach. If you spread a single word about whatever it is you think you know, there won’t be a rock you can hide under where I won’t find you.” His hand tightened—not hard enough to bruise, just enough to crystalize my blood into ice at the threat of my thinning airway.

I kept as still as possible, pleading with my body to cooperate.

“I’ll know it was you. You don’t have to speak to be a rat,” he growled.

My nostrils flared as spots dotted the edge of my vision. I finally caved and grasped his wrist, unable to overcome the clawing desperation.

His beady black eyes bore deep into my soul a second longer before he finally released me, though he remained rooted to the spot, a malignant invasion of my space. “His name is Conner Reid. He’s Irish, and he’ll be here any minute. Now go up and put on something presentable before you embarrass me.”

I nodded, slipping along the wall and away from my father before rushing back to the safety of my bedroom.

Holy s**t, what just happened?

My legs shook more with each step I took.

Closing my bedroom door, I leaned against it and tried to slow my racing heart before it exploded from my chest. I had to think clearly. Dad had agreed to marry me off to someone as part of an alliance. I was going to be married.

Holy s**t!

The guy’s name was Conner Reid. The name was vaguely familiar. I’d never concerned myself with my father’s dealings, but it was impossible to ignore bits and pieces.

Think, Em. Think!

This Reid guy had asked to marry me as a part of an alliance. He’s Irish, so the Italians want to form an alliance with the Irish. But why me? Of all the other Italian women available, how the hell had my name even come up?

The desperation in my father’s eyes flashed in my mind.

Of course, this was his fault. Having his daughter at the heart of a critical alliance would be huge for him, and he wouldn’t think twice about selling me off like cattle. So what did that mean for me? Instead of escaping the mafia, I would be permanently married to the Irish mob. Not the fate I’d wanted, but it would get me away from my father. It was a possible solution, at least, in the short term. Though, once I was out of the house, I wasn’t sure how much access I’d get to Sante. And if this guy was just as bad as my father, maybe I’d end up worse than I’d started.

Panic coated my palms in sweat and sent my heart rate clamoring.

I couldn’t tell if this was the chance I’d been hoping for or a total disaster. My thoughts were all over the place, my emotions a mess. Salty despair pooled on my lashes, and each breath I took grew more shallow and stilted.

I had to calm down.

Dad would be furious if I went to dinner blotchy and red-eyed. I forced my lungs to take in a long, deep breath, then slowly released it.