Page 4 of Kingpin

“What do I do now?” I asked.

“That’s your problem,” my uncle said.

I whipped around at the sound of his voice before my eyes started searching for Israel. Gladly, my uncle waved my worries away with his hand.

“In the bedroom. Come. Israel thinks I’m getting documents from the safe in my closet,” he said.

My aunt and I were ushered into a bedroom before my uncle closed the door behind him. I watched him check his suit coat pocket before he patted his chest. Then, his eyes came back to me.

I placed the vial back in my palm and gently clenched it, praying I didn’t bust it as I stood there as I tried to keep my nerves under control. “You don’t have any suggestions as to how—”

My uncle held up a finger. “The only instruction you have is to solve this issue before consummating your marriage.”

I blinked. “But Aunt Luna told me—”

He shushed me with a glare. “Before you consummate. If this requires you to get married, then you’ll do it. Understood?”

My aunt gasped. “Pava. You can’t be serious.”

He nodded. “As a heart attack. The Rossi family has tortured this family and bled us dry for decades. And this ‘union of peace’ is the perfect cover for us.”

I looked back down at the vial. “What’s in this?”

I felt someone grip my upper arms before I looked up and saw my uncle gazing down at me.

“The less you know, the better it will be for you, Bonnie. This is all on you now. We’ve done our part. Just remember, before you consummate. Okay?”

I swallowed hard. “Why before that, if you don’t mind me asking?”

My aunt rubbed my back. “Because everyone knows that women who leave Israel’s bed always leave broken.”

A shiver worked its way down my spine. I felt fear taking over. And yet, I knew I’d do what was necessary. My uncle and aunt had given me everything. After the “accident” that had robbed me of my family, my father’s brother and his family had stepped up to provide me with a life better than any orphanage could have. If poisoning the head of the family that kept us under its thumb was what I had to do, then I’d do it.

That didn’t mean I wasn’t scared in the process.

I steeled myself against the nerves creeping up my spine. I forced myself to fall numb as all concerns faded from my mind. It was a trick Uncle Pava had taught me. A trick he told me would come in handy one day.

I wondered how long the plan had been percolating in the back of his mind.

While I didn’t want to kill someone, I also didn’t want to fail the family that had taken care of me my entire life. I owed them everything. So, if I had to give everything of myself to show them my gratitude, then so be it. I took the vial and tucked it away in my bra before patting it softly. Then, I watched as a sly grin spread across my uncle’s face.

“Time to go satiate the bear. I’ll be back. You two stay here unless otherwise called for,” he said.

I nodded. “Yes, sir.”

My aunt hugged him. “Good luck, honey.”

My uncle chuckled. “I’ve never needed luck. These are the moments I shine.”

He cupped my cheek and studied my face before taking his leave. He closed the bedroom door behind him and walked down the hallway, leaving me to formulate a plan in my own mind. There would be plenty of opportunities to slip a few drops of whatever the substance was into something Israel drank or ate. But the most accessible opportunity would be on our wedding night.

After the traditional “offering of the bride” ceremony in our honeymoon suite.

The ceremony was simple enough. After the wedding, we’d go back to whatever room Israel had booked for us. He’d peel me out of my wedding dress before handing me the lingerie of his choosing for our night together. I would put it on. Then, it was up to me to pop open a bottle of champagne, pour us each a glass, and offer it to him. I had practiced several times with my aunt to get it just right. A tantalizing mixture of solidarity, sensuality, and submission.

And if I played my cards right, I’d be able to slip a few drops of the stuff into his champagne.

Before watching him slip away.

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