Page 37 of His to Break

My gut instinct tells me she wouldn’t do that. With Vinnie, I’m pretty sure that what I see is what I get. She isn’t with me to spy for her father or brother. She was open about her desire to escape an arranged marriage to a man old enough to be her grandfather. I believe she’s trying to make things work between us and I appreciate it can’t be easy for her.

“She won’t do that.”

Antonio throws his hands up in a despairing gesture. “How can you be so sure? I thought I could trust Isabella. She was around our family for years, but look what she did.”

I should have known that my brother’s experience with his wife would color his view of Vinnie. He doesn’t have much faith in women at the moment. He barely trusts Alessandro’s wife, Emilia, and she’s not the daughter of one of our family’s oldest enemies. Unless something changes, I can’t see him ever giving Vinnie the benefit of the doubt.

“Vinnie isn’t Isabella.” I knock back my scotch with less consideration than such a fine blend deserves and set the glass down. “Hell, I’m not even sure Isabella is Isabella, at least not the treacherous version we’re imagining.”

“What do you mean?” Antonio demands. “You were as convinced of her betrayal as anyone.”

“I was, but she’s been living in Amagansett for a year now and she hasn’t stepped out of line once.”

“She can’t step out of line with our guys on her twenty-four/seven.”

I can’t help scoffing at that. The men who work for us are good at their jobs but nobody is infallible and the longer they’re babysitting Isabella without incident, the more complacent they’ll become.

“If she wanted to try something, she’d find a way,” I tell my brother. “But she has made no attempt to persuade one of the guys to help her. There have been no suspicious phone calls or letters. She hasn’t met up with anyone out on the beach or tried to slip someone a note.” Really, Isabella’s been a model prisoner. “Besides, if she was in league with the Gallos, wouldn’t they have tried to rescue her by now?”

Antonio contemplates that for a moment and, of course, comes up with a response. “Maybe Joey and Vito were working alone. If they’re the only ones who knew she was willing to betray me and they’re dead, then she has no allies left.”

I don’t know why I suddenly got on Team Isabella, but I feel the need to defend her. “Perhaps, but she grew up in our world. She knows who Joey and Vito’s family are. She could have reached out to Jack Gallo or one of the Bianchis for help. As your wife, she knows things about us that would be valuable to them.”

Antonio sighs. “You think she’s innocent?”

“Not entirely. I mean, she did open the fucking door that night, but I’m starting to wonder if she really knew what was going to happen.”

Incredulity spreads across Antonio’s face. “You were the one who thought I went too easy on her. You were all for shooting her in the fucking face.”

I can’t deny it. When I heard Antonio was shot, I damned near lost my mind. If it hadn’t been for my brothers telling me to leave Isabella alone until Antonio decided what he wanted to do with her, I’d have killed her the moment I set eyes on her. Fortunately, they didn’t need me to show restraint with Joey and Vito Gallo. Antonio managed to incapacitate them during the attack at his house. I finished them off with every ounce of savagery I could summon. By the time Antonio decided what to do with his wife, I was calm enough to comply with my brother’s wish to show her mercy.

“And now I’m glad I didn’t.”

Antonio tilts his head to one side as he studies me. “Is marriage making you soft?”

I grit my teeth because I have been gentler with Vinnie than I was with any of the women who came before her. I assure myself, however, that my newfound tenderness applies only to my wife. “No, I’ve been thinking about Isabella for a while. I’m worried we misjudged her.”

Antonio swivels his chair around to face the window. It’s a signal he’s done with this conversation. Though I’ve never been afraid to challenge him, despite his position as head of the family, I don’t want to push my luck on a topic that causes him pain.

“Get everyone to my place for dinner tomorrow night.” It’s short notice, but we may as well get this over with. “Vinnie wants to meet everyone properly.”

Antonio turns back to me. “I thought Mamma was throwing a party next week.”

“Yeah, but Vinnie wants to have a thing with just family first.”

“Okay, I’ll let everyone know to be there. Mamma and Livvy will be thrilled to see the place. They think you’re living in some burned-out shell of an apartment and sleeping on a mattress on the floor.”

Knowing they’d want to pick apart every aspect of the décor, I’ve kept the women in my family away from my apartment. Neither of them can hold back their opinions. I love Mamma, but I don’t need her mothering me anymore. Olivia just rubs me the wrong way. She’s my little sister and I’ll always protect her, but our personalities clash. She’s a spoiled brat, and I know she thinks I’m an unfeeling monster. It’s something she’s accused me of frequently.

“What about Gio?” Our youngest brother is elusive.

Antonio scrubs a hand over his face. “Yeah, Gio.”

I recognize his weary tone. “He’s giving you shit again?”

“He wants out.”

I feel like I’ve been hit in the chest. “Out?”

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