Page 15 of Tormented Diamonds
Not out of anger, but fear.
He motions for his underboss, who appears next to us like a phantom. “I need you to take Becca home,” he says, stepping back. “I have to take care of something.”
“Of course.” Anton nods dutifully. “Everything okay?”
“It will be,” he says, a look passing between them that sets me on edge. Before I can ask what the hell just happened, he dusts his lips across my cheek, his voice lowering to barely a whisper. “You have the burner phone I gave you. Anton is contact one and Owen is contact two. Call either for anything at any hour.”
And then he’s gone.
I bite my lip, my gaze drifting to my right.
Anton shakes his head. “Don’t ask.”
“I wasn’t. Just tell me if he’s in danger.”
“Gianni can handle himself,” he insists stoically. “He always could. Kid has nerves of steel and a set of iron…” I’m about to comment on his heavy-handed use of metallic metaphors when his eyes shift, and a low “oh shit” falls from his lips.
I turn to see what he’s staring at, only to lock eyes with one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen. With her long dark hair, brown eyes, and voluptuous figure,she’s every inch the mafia princess. But it’s the way she’s staring at me, like roadkill left on the side of the highway, that leaves me unsettled.
I know who she is, immediately.
Cathalina Damiano.
My pulse quickens as she makes her way over to us. While instinct tells me to walk away, morbid curiosity keeps me rooted in place. That, and the searing need to ensure she understands that while Marcello’s ruse was nothing more than a smokescreen, the ring on my finger is anythingbut. I’m Gianni’s wife legally, emotionally, and most definitely physically.
She stops in front of us, her hip cocked, slowly swirling her wine around in her glass. “Considering the way Anton is hovering over you like a hawk, I take it you’re Gianni’s wife.”
I extend my hand and force a plastic smile. “Dr. Rebecca … Marchesi.”
“Doctor?” She takes my hand and arches a perfectly plucked eyebrow. “Gianni didn’t mention you were an MD.”
“Psychiatrist,” I clarify, meeting her petty, backhanded dig with a more direct one. “And that’s probably because Gianni has more important things on his mind.”
More important than you, you snarky bitch.
“Look, Becca, I know me showing up at Gianni’s house the other night may have gotten us off on the wrong foot…”
“It’smyhouse, and that’s an understatement. You interrupted my wedding night.”
She smooths a hand down her shiny dark hair with a grimace. “I’ll admit, it wasn’t my classiest move, but I was blindsided. One moment, Gianni was in Witness Protection and the next, Marcello was blackmailing him back into the family, then the estate went up in flames. I was shocked. Although, to be fair, it’s not the first time our lives have become deeply entangled.” She flicks her wrist and slides me a narrowed side eye. “Not that I’d expect you to understand our convoluted history.”
“Actually, I understand it very well.”
She draws back, shock etched across her face. “He told youeverything?”
“You sound surprised.”
“I’ve known Gianni for a long time. He’s never been the sharing type.”
“Maybe it took the right woman to bring it out of him.”
Cathalina’s brittle smile cracks. I should feel guilty for purposely digging the knife in, but I don’t. This newfound jealous streak inside me burns hotter than decorum.
She’s so quiet that, for a moment, I think this awkward conversation may be over. But then, she lowers her gaze. “You’re right. Gianni married you because he wanted to, not out of obligation.” She lets out a heavy sigh. “I hope someday you and I can be friends, Becca.La Cosa Nostrais a man’s world, so women have to look out for each other. God knows no one else is going to do it.” She nods across the room where a circle of mob bosses talk in a hushed circle.
“Even your father?”
“Especially my father.” She dips her chin in the opposite direction where a pair of familiar eyes watch us closely. “And a little tip, friend to friend … watch out for that one.”
