Blood Always

13

Between her heady appearance and her unmistakable self-assurance, she had undoubtedly walked through life receiving all she desired. I felt the pull. The need to offer her the keys to the kingdom of heaven if I could. But she wasn’t the only one with inner strength. I wasn’t in the habit of bowing to anyone. “Not late, just rude. Returning my texts would have been helpful.” Her arctic eyes slid back to meet mine. “You shouldn’t pout, De Luca. It isn’t becoming.” “Neither is the silent treatment. I know you’re young, but you can at least attempt to act like an adult.” This time, my reprimand struck home, her jaw clenching with displeasure. Not wanting our private word to devolve into a public scene, I took her hand and raised it to my lips for a chaste kiss, my chest expanding at the sight of my ring on her finger. “Before you get defensive and this escalates any further, we have an announcement to make.” “Let’s get this over with,” she groused, then plastered a mesmerizing smile on her face. It was so beguiling, I wondered at the skill in her deception. The woman could put on a show, but was it a natural ability or a skillset she had acquired? Either way, it reinforced my growing respect for her and my need to know more. Keeping her hand in mine, I led us outside to where the majority of my guests had congregated. I caught Enzo’s eye and made for the microphone I’d set up just for this purpose. Nearly one hundred and fifty guests clustered in groups around the pool and at the dining tables provided. Families stuck together; occasional glances thrown over shoulders at neighboring groups. Until they knew one another better, they had no reason to cross family boundaries. Hopefully, the announcement I was about to make would help lead the way. I tapped the mic, ensuring the sound was on, then asked for everyone’s attention. Enzo stepped to my side, and the group quickly silenced, all eyes seeking me out, except for the children who continued playing in the background. “I want to welcome you to my home,” I offered warmly. “It’s been many years since we’ve had a gathering of this size, and it’s our hope that it will become a tradition again. We are all stronger united in friendship than when we are at each other’s throats. All of us should do our part to help align ourselves in this new movement toward harmony. It is in that vein that I would like to announce my engagement to the stunning Maria Genovese.” I held my hand out in her direction, pleased when she clasped mine in return and came to stand beside me. The crowd erupted in cheers. If Maria was uncomfortable with the attention, she didn’t show it. Her face lit with a beaming smile, her body listing just enough to lean into my side. “Thank you, thank you. We hope to ring in a new era of prosperity and peace among us all. Please, enjoy the party and thank you again for coming.” I raised the mic as if in toast to our guests, and they all cheered again as they turned back to their neighbors, no doubt to discuss what they’d just learned. Too busy in their efforts to gossip, they didn’t see Maria yank her hand from mine the second attention was diverted elsewhere. I kept the smile on my face and turned to my fiancée. She no longer resembled the vivacious woman who had joined me on our makeshift stage seconds before. The blood had almost entirely drained from her face, her skin ashen and lips parted, as she took in shallow panting breaths. Her stare was unwavering, but when I tried to decipher what she might have been looking at, all I could see were children playing in the lawn just past the tables. Stepping in front of her, I seized her gaze. “What’s wrong?” “I … I need to go. I need to get out of here.” Her voice was frantic, waves of panic wafting from her. I wasn’t sure what the hell had happened, but I wasn’t going to push for answers in the middle of the party. Taking her hand again, I led her back inside and down a hallway to my office, closing the door behind us. Maria walked to the leather sofa and withdrew into it like a crab tucking inside its shell. I allowed her some space, going to the crystal decanter set and pouring us each a couple fingers of scotch. She readily accepted my offering, downing the amber liquid as if it was apple juice. “Care to tell me what that was all about?” I kept any judgment or accusation from my question, hoping to get answers rather than anger. The color was returning to her face, but her eyes refused to meet mine. “There was … it was …” She paused and collected her thoughts, shaking her head as if debating with herself. “It just hit me that all this is real, that’s all.” Her voice was lifeless and gravelly from the burn of the liquor. “If it’s so upsetting to you, why did you agree to it in the first place?” The question wasn’t antagonistic. I truly was curious why she had agreed to the marriage. At last, her spite-filled eyes found mine. “Because I’m loyal. Because I would do anything for my family.” Finding herself again, her voice regained some of its iron toughness. “Do you believe our marriage challenges your loyalties?” “No. I am a Genovese and a Lucciano.” “Until we marry. Then you’ll be a De Luca and a Gallo.” She made no reply, but her steadfast gaze answered for her. She would sooner die than be either of those things. I shouldn’t have cared how she felt. It was irrelevant to my plans and the future of my family, but that didn’t seem to matter. The stirrings of a serpentine anger slithered deep in my gut. I tightened my fists, refraining from grabbing her and shaking sense into her stubborn brain. What exactly was it I wanted her to understand? That she wanted me? That there were worse things in life than calling herself mine? It hit me like a freight train that I wanted, no … needed, to get under her skin and crumble her brick wall of resolve. I needed to see her come undone and offer herself to me like a sacrificial lamb. I needed to make her so thoroughly mine that she saw me when she looked in the mirror. I closed the distance between us, caging her against the back of the couch. Her eyes widened with alarm, but she didn’t fight against me, despite what had to be a feral gleam in my eyes. I eased onto one knee beside her and lowered my face to glide my lips along the shell of her ear. Her breathing shuddered. “You think I’m the worst thing that could happen to you? I promise you could have done a lot worse.” When I pulled back and met her eyes, her customary fire had returned. She slammed her hands against my chest, shoving me away, then stood toe-to-toe with me. “I’m well aware of just how vile you men can be.” “You men? So, it’s not just me, it’s the entire gender?”