Page 47 of Mafia and Gold Digger

Saint merely scowls back at his Capo.

Christian catches sight of the dead bodies in the pool. “For fuck’s sake, Saint, in case you’ve forgotten, this is supposed to be a fucking funeral!”

CHAPTERTWELVE

EMERALD

Christian has summoned me to his office. He knows why I shot Calcedonio in the hand, and I know he doesn’t blame me after that awful man tried to rape me, so I’m not sure what he wants to talk about today. I know Saint ended up killing Calcedonio, but Christian can’t blame me for that, right?

“Emerald, I have serious concerns for your safety, especially after Calcedonio tried to attack you at the funeral.”

I don’t know where Christian’s going with this, but I get the feeling that I’m not going to like it.

“Unfortunately, your family’s reputation makes you a target in the eyes of assholes like that. And what worries me even more is Calcedonio’s brother, Carmine.” Carmine is another underboss. “Carmine is furious about what happened to his brother and is hellbent on revenge. I’ve warned him to stay away from you, but he’s a crazy bastard who’s volatile and unpredictable. You’re not safe with Carmine out there.”

Holy crap. “I can take care of myself.” I try to sound brave, but I can’t help the slight break in my voice.

“No, you can’t.” Christian clenches his jaw. “And you need to take this seriously because the danger to you is pretty significant.”

“Are the children in danger?” I whisper.

He shakes his head. “He doesn’t go after kids. At least we know that they’ll stay safe. I’m one hundred percent certain about that.”

I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding.

Christian spears me with his gaze. “So, here’s what’s going to happen.You’re going to marry one of my men.”

I shake my head. “Uh, that’s very kind of you to offer, but no, thank you. I’ll be okay. I’m fine as I am.”

“This is the only way I can protect you. And Iwillprotect you. I’m responsible for what happened to you at an Imperiosi funeral and at the hands of one of my underbosses, and I won’t run the risk of anything else happening to you.”

No, no, no. No way.I mean, who’s really going to want to marry someone with my family background? They’ll only be doing it because Christian tells them to. Made men are not exactly known for their fidelity, and I’m definitely not taking the risk of ending up with someone who treats me badly.

“Piero has agreed to marry you.”

My face falls. “Jeez, Christian, he's ancient. He must be at least eighty-five.”

Christian pierces me with a hard look. “He's forty-four.”

Uh, okay, so the age argument isn’t going to get me out of this. And I know what Christian really means is that if I’m with Piero, people won’t dare call me a whore. Without me even realizing it, my fingers automatically reach for my bracelet, clicking it open and shut, seeking some comfort in the repetitive motion and soothing sound. In his own way, Christian’s trying to help me, but I’m definitely not risking marrying someone I don’t really know, especially as I now also have responsibility for the kids. We already went through so much crap with my mom’s boyfriend, and I don’t want to take any more chances.

All I want is someone who’ll love me for who I am—is that really too much to ask?

* * *

Returning to the apartment, I know that I can’t marry Piero. But I’m also not safe while Carmine Cicconi is intent on getting revenge against me.

Which doesn’t leave me with many options.

I know Christian said the kids are safe, but what if Carmine targets me when they’re with me? That would put them in danger too. I can’t risk the kids getting hurt because of Carmine being after me. The whole point of them living with me was to keep them safe because they weren’t safe with our mom.

It doesn’t take me long to work out what I need to do.

When the kids get home from school, I tell them that an old friend in San Diego had a fall and needs me to go and take care of her for a little while until she gets back onto her feet. I cross my fingers behind my back while I tell them this, hoping they believe me because I’m hopeless at telling convincing lies.

“Can we come too?” Giulietta asks. “It’ll be like a family vacation!”

“I wish you could come, sweetie,” I say, really meaning it. “But you’ve got school. And she’ll have lots of medical appointments, so it won’t really be like a vacation.” Her shoulders slump with disappointment, and I feel fury race through me at the whole situation. “Jacquetta and her family will take care of you until I’m back. It’s only for a little while.” And her face brightens as soon as she hears that she’ll be staying with Jacquetta.

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