Page 43 of Savage Proposal

“And you weren’t?” His voice had gone flat, and I knew that I had to walk a thin line here. If I insulted Gia, then it would have been a waste of time for her to come here at all.

“Gia is a beautiful girl, Don Gallo. She’s going to make someone a fantastic wife someday.”

“So, what’s the problem?”

“She’s young,” I said. “She’s too green.”

Don Gallo was quiet for a moment, and then he sighed. “If I had an older daughter, I would send her to you.”

“And I would appreciate that,” I lied. “I assume that we can call things even between us now?”

Reluctantly, the man said, “Yes. We’re square. We’ll send someone to pick her up in an hour or so.”

“Of course.”

“Now, tell me what you’ve found about our shipments.”

Thank the fuck. We pivoted into business, and I filled him in on the plan for Damian to follow a shipment from the moment it came into the harbor. Don Gallo approved of the plan, and we were able to wrap up our conversation without it turning into World War Three.

Isabella

“Can you help me with Gia’s bags?” Amalia asked. “Her father is sending someone for her soon, and I don’t want to make three trips.”

I jumped up from the piano bench. I had been practicing my scales recently, and I was surprised by how much it came back to me. I hadn’t taken lessons in more than a decade. “Of course.”

I followed her upstairs. When we got to the guest room that Gia had been using, we could hear her sobbing. Amalia glanced at me before knocking on the door. “Gia, can we come in?”

The sobbing got louder, and Amalia took that as ayes, please. Amalia pushed the door open. Gia was stretched out across the bed, head in her arms. When she looked up and saw me, she snarled. “Youhadto bring her?”

“I’m here to help,” I said.

Gia didn’t take this well either. “You just want me gone.”

She wasn’t wrong, but I wasn’t going to say that to her face. I might not exactly like the girl, but I didn’t want her to be heartbroken either. “I’m sorry that things didn’t work out the way you hoped.”

“Vaffanculo,” Gia spat.

“Noted,” I said with a nod and looked at Amalia. “What do you need help with?”

She handed two of Gia’s bags to me, and then she grabbed for the handle on her suitcase. Together, we got all of her luggage to the foyer just as an SUV pulled up out front. Amalia pulled the sniffling girl into a hug and patted her back. She murmured something to her, and then, with one last sneer at me, Gia Gallo swept out of the house.

“I don’t think I’ve met anyone more delusional in my entire life,” I said, staring at the closed door. I turned to smile at Amalia, but her mouth was twisted into a frown. “What’s wrong?”

She shook her head. “You don’t understand.” Her hand came up and rubbed, hard, at her face, and it was shocking to see tears welling up in her eyes.

I reached out, feeling more than a little lost, and put a hand on her shoulder. “You’re right,” I said. “I don’t understand. Could you explain it to me?”

Amalia took a deep breath, and for a moment, I thought that she was going to say no. But then she said, “I need a glass of wine for this.” She turned and marched toward the kitchen, me on her heels.

She took down a wineglass from the cabinet and held it up in offer, but I shook my head. It was still a little early in the day for me. She shrugged, as if to saysuit yourself, and took a bottle of red out of the wine rack on the counter. I knew there was a bigger collection of wine in the cellar, but Amalia brought up a couple of bottles every few days to go along with dinner. She poured herself a healthy glass and gestured for me to join her at the kitchen table.

“I told you that women in the Cosa Nostra have particular roles, remember?”

I nodded.

“Well, Gia is in the same position that I was before I married Elio. She has to find a good match that is advantageous for the Gallo family.”

That much, I did understand. “She had mentioned that her father had arranged things for her and Lorenzo.”

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