Page 61 of One Savage Union

ROCCO

Ifeel her presence the moment Lucia is nearby.

That’s the way it's become between us over the past few weeks.

In Jane Eyre, there’s a moment where Mr. Rochester tells Jane that he feels the presence of an invisible string connecting the two beneath his left rib. He claims with fervor that if that tether ever snapped, he’d bleed inwardly while she would forget he ever existed. Rochester was old, hardened by the world, and prone to outbursts of anger, while Jane was young, innocent, and talented. The world before her, his criminal past behind him; if he didn’t protect the frailty of that string with his life, then he would lose her forever.

When I first read it, I thought it was sentimental dribble. I saw it as a passage of words to get through to reach the end of the book. At this moment, I have a different view of that passage. Charlotte Brontë herself must have felt that snap; she was an emotional savant. I feel the snap of the string that kept Lucia in my universe the moment I hear her soft steps turn the corner.She’s holding my mother’s pistol, and it seems fitting. I’d want her to have it.

My silly, brave, and disobedient girl.

The betrayal in her eyes lets me know that she heard what the bastard just said and she’s more than pissed. She’s hurt. I lied to her, now she’ll be more determined than ever to escape. Too bad, I’ll never let her go. I need her too much. My need has nothing to do with the Roman Ascension but everything to do with the warmth of her sun. I won’t live in the cold without it.

“Father?” Her eyes stay focused on me, and I realize she’s asking me if what she heard is true. Even now, she’s praying I’m not as monstrous as I appear to be. But I am.

I’m dismissed before I can even respond. Her attention turns to Matteo as she closes in on the truth.,

“You’re Matteo Ricci?” Her voice is strong and sure. Her chin held high, she faces the man who created and abandoned her.

Matteo eyes her carefully. He assesses her with a detached interest. I wonder if she feels it. I pray to God her anger at me does not distort her discernment. That’s a skill I’ve admired her for since we met. She read me like a book within moments of meeting me.

“I am. Come closer, child. I want to have a good look at you.”

“Stay right where you are.” I bark. “Don’t move.”

Matteo scowls. “Is this how you’ve been treating my daughter? Like some dog you can call. She’s a Ricci, and she should be treated like a queen, something you promised you would do.”

His feigned care is starting to get under my skin. He’s up to something, and I’m not letting Lucia anywhere near him until I know exactly what it is. Matteo is a dangerous and unpredictable man. It was one thing for him to want her back because she’s his. That’s the mafia way. I expect that from a man like him. It’ssomething else entirely if he attaches value to her. Assets can be traded or sacrificed like pawns on a chessboard.

“I treat her like my wife. I promised you that I wouldn’t kill her and that she would want for nothing. The former is not a promise I can guarantee will apply to you unless you tell me what the fuck you are doing on my boat. We had a deal and you’re breaking it.”

Lucia jumps between us and glares in both our directions before fixing her eyes on me. “What deal are you talking about, Rocco? You told me you hadn’t heard from my father. That he hadn’t reached out. Are you now telling me that he knew I was with you the entire time?”

The hurt in her eyes nearly brings me to my knees. I don’t have an answer for her. I wasn’t prepared for this confrontation. She could never understand why I kept her father from her because she doesn’t understand this life. She still thinks their father-daughter bond means something, but I know it can easily mean her death.

She snaps her head around and levels her stare on Matteo before I can answer. “And you. Did you sell me to him or something? Is this deal about money? I’m not a commodity to be sold. Somebody needs to tell me what the fuck is going on!”

“Language,” I growl.

She laughs. “Fuck you Rocco and your dominating bullshit. You’re a liar, and you know how I feel about those.”

“Enough.” Matteo barks. “You will learn respect once you're in my house. I did not trade you for money. I didn’t even know Fieri had you until my men surveilled him kidnapping you.”

“You were following me?” Lucia asks with equal amounts of disgust and hope. It breaks my heart. She wants to know that her father cared enough about her to have her followed. I pray he can't smell the desperation, because men like him only exploitthat kind of optimism. As expected, he continues with his line of bullshit.

“Of course, daughter. I always kept tabs on you. There were always men watching for your safety.”

He never kept a crew of men surveilling her. He kept surveillance on me, and that’s how he found her. But this isn’t the time to point this out to Lucia, so I keep my mouth shut. She won't believe me anyway. Right now, she's too angry to listen.

She no longer trusts me.

Once her father senses her hanging onto his every word, he continues to weave a lie around her mind. Circling us both, he continues.

“When I saw that Rocco Fieri, the consigliere of Thomasso Romano, kidnapped you from your home, I figured they were trying to get something out of me. You see, dolce figlia, we're old enemies. Our world may still be a mystery to you, but you must understand that our two families are always a misunderstanding away from war. So naturally I thought this was the way his uncle decided to shake things up, after what Rocco? Twenty years of peace?”

I want to knock that sly grin off his face. The only reason I don't is Lucia. If it weren’t for her, not even his two soldiers could stop me. She wouldn't understand. He's baiting me right now, but he won't win.

“When I attempted to rescue you from that god awful safehouse he had you in, little did I know he'd already married you.”

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