Page 40 of Mob Princess

Ouch. That hurt. “So, you want his money. Is that it?”

“I’ve got enough money of my own.”

But did he? Really? “Then, you must be after his seat of power.”

He smiled. “You’ve got a set of balls on you, don’t you?”

“Answering a question with a question is always the answer I need. And I can tell you getting rid of me gets you no closer to any seat Israel might hold. If anything, I’m the only thing that makes him weak. So, kudos to you for trying. But you’re actually working against yourself.”

He closed the gap between us. “Is that really what you think?”

I slid away from him before he pinned me to the wall. “You aren’t trying to help your brother, Giovanni. You're only in this to ruin his life. To chisel away at his self-confidence and his happiness and his empire one small sliver at a time.”

“Correction. Our family’s empire. It’s not his, officially. Not yet, anyway.”

He wasn’t wrong. “Not what the streets are saying.”

“Have you been down on the streets long enough to know what they’re saying?”

I slowly circled around the kitchen. “I grew up there, Gee.” I tasted his nickname on my tongue and hated it. “The second your father handed over his seat to Israel, he became the head of your family. He became the big man in town. And you want that all to yourself, don’t you?”

His smile grew tight. “I wouldn't speak about things you know nothing about.”

“Or maybe, you don’t like the fact that I know anything at all.”

“You’d do best to shut that mouth of yours.”

I stood at the doorway into the kitchen. “Israel will never believe the lies you tell, the venom you spew. He’ll catch you in a heartbeat and hold you accountable to the highest letter like he does everyone else who works for him.”

His eyes widened with anger. “I certainly do not work for him, and I am nowhere near beneath him. I wouldn't be so sure about how much Israel may or may not look your way. Because right now? You’re the rat. You're the backstabber. You’re the one he’s looking at while he’s off to the side. You’re the meat on his hook right now, not me. And it will stay that way so long as you keep pulling the bullshit I know you will because you can’t stand the idea of being an actual wife. Can you?”

I quickly reached for a knife on the countertop. “You come any closer to me ever again and I will slit your throat. Got it?”

He chuckled. “Man, I get the appeal, you know? You’re like a vicious little bunny before it’s eaten by the big, bad wolf.”

I turned and took off down the hallway as Giovanni’s laughter echoed against my ears. I raced up the steps, making my way into Israel’s room before I quickly closed the door. I held the knife out in front of me, ready to bludgeon that man if he followed me up here.

As the knife shook in my hands, I heard the elevator ding downstairs.

“Tell Israel I stopped by to say ‘hello’!” he called out.

And a few seconds later, I heard the elevator whirring. Carrying off that pathetic excuse for a man and leaving me alone again in the penthouse once more.

“Holy shit,” I whispered.

The knife dropped from my hands as my legs grew weak. I stumbled back onto the bed and raked my hands down my face. I felt like I was losing it. I felt like the craziness was finally getting to me. I forced myself to draw in sobering breaths, though. I forced myself to concentrate. I forced myself to stay rooted in the present.

“It’s all closing in,” I murmured.

Which is why you have to stay strong.

My hands fell into my lap, and I held my head back up. I opened my eyes and stared at the closed door before I looked down at the knife. I stood and snatched up the weapon. I made my way back downstairs and crept around every corner, making sure I really was alone in this place.

Then, I dashed into the room I’d occupied the night before and slipped the knife underneath my pillow. “Guess I’m sleeping down here now.”

I knew all of this was simply a display of power and access. I knew Giovanni did nothing other than come over here and check up on me to see what I was up to while Israel was out. But I wouldn't be subdued by it. I wouldn't be overcome by it. More than ever, I was determined to rise above all of this asinine bullshit and power-hunger and become the wife Israel deserved.

Because that’s what I wanted to be.

I wanted to be the wife of the man I loved. “You owe me big time, Israel.”

Down below in the real world, I heard car horns honking and people yelling at one another. I knew there was an entire world out there waiting to be explored and consumed and enjoyed. But first, I had to establish a foundation. I had to establish trust with Israel before I could even think about living that kind of life with him.

So, I rose to my feet and faced the mirror on the back of the door. “I promise that no matter what it takes, Israel will see the woman I know I’m capable of being.”

Then, I resolved to a full day of moving my stuff downstairs into my new bedroom.

Because sometimes?

Looking for that step forward meant taking a few steps back.

---