Page 55 of Savage Enemy

“I mean to change things here. I want organized crime in Chicago to be more civilized. I want the bottom line to be the most important one. And I want to end the worst practices surrounding our traditions. Because they’re disgusting, yes.

“And because it makes us more vulnerable to law enforcement. We’ve locked ourselves in the same gutter for too many generations. It needs to be improved before we can no longer survive.”

I studied him a moment longer, then wrinkled my nose.

“That still doesn’t tell me why?—”

“I’m getting to that.”

He leaned forward to brush the crumbs off his hands onto the floor, then he stared at me, holding my gaze as he continued.

“I couldn’t take over before your wedding. I wanted to, but I didn’t have the skills or the support to do it then. Ten years ago, there’s no way I would’ve won that battle. But now? I’m close. Idid what I could back then to save you before you were lost to us forever.”

He’d done that for me? He had helped his little sister fake her death, so she wouldn’t have to marry a deranged Russian? To save me?

The backs of my lids burned like crazy as tears filled my eyes.

“Marco, I?—”

He lifted his hand.

“Not important. What’s important is just how far Vignali will go to have you. Will he risk everything to get you back?”

CHAPTER 11

STEFANO

Benedetta rolled her shoulders as if shewere the one standing in the position of power. I supposed she was… for the moment.

Her next words affected Val’s future, but I didn’t know how much power I could afford to let her wield without losing mine.

I sat at my desk, stunned, waiting for her demands.

“Well? What is it you think I’m going to do for you?”

“I’d like to make a deal.”

I glared at her but said nothing.

Benedetta’s confidence waned, her trembling bottom lip giving her away. Then she cleared her throat and came across the room, meeting my gaze without looking away, something women like her were trained never to do.

Women like her were raised to believe they could never stand on equal footing with men like me. Or in any case, they knew enough to never act like it, common sense and human decency be damned.

She thrust out her chin.

“I want you to take control of my father’s men.”

The fuck? I tapped my desk with a finger and stared at her.

This wasn’t about me simply takingher father’s empire from him. It would have been mine if I’d married her, but that was theonly bartering chip she owned anymore, and it was only good for finding a husband.

Was that what this was? Had Benedetta just asked me to marry her, so I could find the woman I really wanted to marry?

“You know my father’s sick,” she added.

She sank into the chair opposite mine and leaned forward over the desk, a move that offered a nice view of her cleavage if I wanted it. I did not.

Still, she’d been dragged into my home like a traitor, and now she attempted to barter with me like a man while trying to use her feminine appeal to soften my disposition.

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