Page 43 of The Bonventi Rise
23
ALINA
Irub my wrists with a smile. It's been three days since Marco bound me with his tie, and while there's a little discomfort, I kind of want more of it.
That's got to be crazy. Actually wanting the pain.
After our rendezvous, he insisted on taking me home. He even walked me all the way up to my door, which wasn't necessary since it's basically an elevator ride to my floor, but he insisted.
We kissed again, and I almost—almost—asked him to come inside. I was so caught up in everything, I didn't care about any consequences of my actions. However, he had a flight to catch, one I didn't know about.
It seemed Enzo had surprised him and Gio with a brothers' trip for Marco's birthday. Three days in Mexico on some beach.
Okay, it's not just some beach. It's Cabo, and I may have looked it up.
I haven't heard from him since he left, except for one picture he sent me. It's him between his two brothers, shirtless, with a coconut drink in their hands. I pull it up again and smile.
Damn, Marco's so hot.
That's not to say Enzo and Gio aren't. I mean, this could easily be a freaking model shoot since each of them is tall, muscular, and the right mix of tattoos—well, Enzo and Gio. Marco's skin is clean, like his political record.
I think that's one of his good qualities. He gives off this bad-boy image despite his chiseled face, perfect smile, and political rhetoric.
My eyes shift back to my computer screen, and all sense of happiness fades. I'm reminded why I'm up at almost 3 a.m. doing reconnaissance on this person who's trying to destroy everything I'm working toward.
Sandra Reeves.
This, uh, political adversary as they'd say, is causing huge problems. I learned about it the night Marco and I went viral, but when I had the chance to speak with Marco about it, he decided it was the perfect time to bend me over my desk, and I wasn't going to argue with that.
But now, now she's causing me sleepless nights.
I click on some updated polls. My stomach churns as I see the numbers. Sandra's approval rating has jumped another five points this week. She's closing the gap, and fast.
"Shit," I hiss, pushing my messy hair away from my face.
Three weeks ago, no one had heard of her. Now? She's everywhere. Local news, social media, even getting national attention. Her rallies are drawing crowds, and her message is simple but effective: "Clean up Chicago politics."
And her favorite target to go after? Marco. And it's more than just because he's her running mate, heck, two others are also running—it seems almost personal.
I click on another tab. "Anti-corruption candidate," I mutter, scrolling through her latest X thread. "As if she's some kind of political savior."
The bigger issue here is that everything she does seems like a carefully crafted jab aimed directly at my candidate. She's relentless in painting him as a puppet of the Chicago mob, a wolf in sheep's clothing. The worst part? Her accusations are gaining traction.
And from a logical standpoint, I get it. She speaks very confidently about Marco's supposed connections to organized crime.
Her thread ends with a link. I click it, and a new tab opens to an article. It starts with a quote from her: "Marco Bonventi claims to fight for the people of Chicago and this great state, but how can we trust a man whose family has blood on their hands?" The article ends with: "The Bonventi family has operated in shadows for decades. Now they want to buy their way into the state Senate? Illinois deserves better."
I lean back and rub my tired eyes.
What if she's right? I don't want this to be another Harrison situation where I'm in the fucking dark again.
I think back to my conversations with Marco, the way he's always deflected questions about his family's business interests. The knowing looks exchanged between him and his brothers. The whispered conversations that stop when I enter a room.
"You're being paranoid," I tell myself, but the doubt lingers.
I've mentioned that to myself before, too.
But do I really even want to know? I mean, she hasn't really been specific about exactly what Marco or his family has even done. Just bold claims that can't be legally backed.
