Scorned Obsession (Scorned Fate)

When I checked my phone this morning, it was to a slew of messages from Ivy and Sera, checking if I was awake already. I responded to Ivy’s last one.

Ugh, my brothers.

I dressed in a dusky-rose hoodie and matching sweatpants, pairing it with platform slip-ons. My hair wasn’t totally dry, but I had no patience wrangling it this morning, so I held it up with a claw clip. I didn’t feel like slapping on concealer either, and used wide-frame sunglasses to disguise yesterday’s excesses of alcohol, sweets, sex, plus a late night. Sans the incident on the dance floor, it was a perfect evening. An evening spent with family, friends, and ending with sizzling sex with Sandro and a few epiphanies.

A smile touched the corners of my mouth. It seemed I was counting my blessings this morning. Was it only last night when I was wondering why I wasn’t deliriously happy?

I was only twenty-three, a mafia wife, but in the De Lucci world I grew up in, women weren’t second-class citizens. From the start, we were empowered, cherished, protected, and loved. Falling into Sandro’s world and its misogynistic culture, I despaired at the challenges that faced me, and fear of failure was making me despondent.

But being around Sera and Ivy re-energized my resolve, and seeing how I was still the center of Sandro’s universe was the refueling I needed.

Would I fall into that dark hole again? Most likely. I was thrown into a marriage before I was ready. I would not beat myself up if I was having doubts, and I would remember to reach out to the fierce women in my family. Why didn’t I think to open up to Mom about my fears? After my captivity, we talked almost every day, but I maintained a façade, not wanting her to worry.

I still wanted to do this on my own. I wasn’t going to run back to my parents at the first sign of trouble. I was a De Lucci and a McGrath. I needed to act like it.

I left the bedroom to find Sandro already waiting by the French doors, texting someone. His hair was still wet from the shower. He was in a gray T-shirt and black track pants.

“I’m not used to seeing you like this,” I told him.

He turned and gave me a warm, assessing gaze. “Dressed for a relaxing day?”

“Yes.” Although we spent a weekend together previously, that day started with him rolling in at five a.m. still wearing his standard dark suit. He didn’t even sleep, insisting we have breakfast together before heading out to meet the realtors we lined up. Today, his eyes weren’t bloodshot at all. Sandro thrived on very little sleep, so even a few hours could recharge him.

He said he could sleep anywhere courtesy of his training as an assassin-for-hire.

He led me out the door. “I’ve been planning to spend the weekend with you.”

“What happened in Atlantic City?”

“There was no casino meeting,” he said. We moseyed down the corridors toward the elevators. Another change of pace. Sandro was usually brusque in his strides when we had to be at a function. “You mentioned a girls’ night out before I could mention my plans.”

“Aw…” I was…touched. There was almost a sheepish, boyish expression on Sandro’s face, and usually, boyish was the last word I’d use to describe him. It was the vibe of the morning. Being carefree. He was about to punch the elevator call button when I touched his arm.

“Wait, you don’t usually go out…” I lowered my voice. “Unarmed.”

He quirked a brow and lifted the right pant leg to reveal his piece.

“Okay, you have your backup.”

“We’ll have Sticks and Rossi soldiers trailing us.” He pressed the button to call the elevator. “But I told them to be as discreet as possible.”

“You’ve been relying more on the Rossis for security lately,” I told him.

“When the club opens, Sticks and Miller are going to be busy. I’ll be hiring people to kick our Rossi soldiers up to snuff.”

The elevator came and we got in.

“Oh, you mean guys like Trevor.”

“And your cousin Ronan and his men.”

Ex-military. Ex-special forces.

He cleared his throat. “I know we haven’t discussed your family’s underground organization.”

I grinned. “The Archer Syndicate. You can say it. Between us, it’s not much a secret and more like going on record.”

“I’ll also be hiring you private security.”

“Wouldn’t that cause friction in the family?”

“Not if they benefit from the training,” he said. “Also, I don’t want anyone who can be bribed.”

We discontinued our conversation when we reached the lobby. Sticks already had an Escalade brought around.

When Sandro and I got into the second-row passenger seat, he asked, “When will Jabbin’ Java reopen?”

“Another two weeks,” I replied. “Renz also wanted to be in better shape, especially since they’re doing a social media blast.”

“Go big or go home,” Sandro muttered.

“You got it. Hey, I have an idea. Instead of sitting at a café, how about we picnic in Central Park?”

An incredulous expression crossed his face. “You want us to go strolling in Central Park holding a picnic basket?”

My brows furrowed. “Is that area not safe?” I was pretty sure the whole expanse of the park was covered under the protection of the De Luccis and another crime family that was our ally.

“It is,” Sandro said, confirming what I already knew.

“Then…?”

Sandro cleared his throat and was staring forward. “It’s more comfortable to sit in a café.”

“And we can do that anywhere.” My heart was sinking, but I think I knew why Sandro was acting this way. It was the macho-ness again of the Rossi crime family culture. Sandro was a boss and maybe he thought that walking through Central Park and picnicking with his wife wouldn’t be a good image. Baby steps, right? But I thought back to Dad and Mom. Dad wouldn’t think twice about holding hands with Mom. Matteo took Sera to see the sunrise. And Nico? Nico proposed on The High Line in front of the world.

I should let go of my adolescent dreams and think of more realistic ones to have as Sandro’s wife.

I fought against exhaling a disappointed sigh so as not to make him feel guilty. “All right, we can go to a café.”

Relief swept through his eyes, but an unbidden sting came to mine when I saw that. I quickly averted my gaze to the window before the tears came. It was just a picnic. Why was I being so emotional about it? I resolved to regain my composure. The morning was going well, and I didn’t want to ruin it over something so small.

“Bianca.” His voice was rough. “Look at me, baby.”

Dammit. My tears fell, and I surreptitiously wiped at them.

But I was frozen, and I didn’t want to turn my head.

“Sunlight, please look at me.”

The way he said the endearment did it. And it made me more emotional. Dammit. I dropped my head to give myself time to compose myself before I glanced at him. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me,” I whispered. “It’s just, I thought when I had a crush on you, when I thought I would marry you one day, I pictured us coming to the park and having a romantic picnic.”

“It was your fantasy?” His mouth curved in amusement.

I rolled my eyes. “You make it sound like a dirty fantasy.”

“Then we’ll picnic in the park.”

“But you don’t want to. I know you. Besides, I don’t want you to lose your man card with the Rossis.”

He gave a low laugh that was so sexy, I clenched my thighs.

“Who cares about that when I can put a smile back on your face.” He tipped my chin up and gave me a long, sweet kiss. “I’m sorry I made you cry.”

“I don’t know why I did. It’s just a picnic.”

“It’s not just a picnic,” he told me. “The good things in our past are making the challenges of our present more worth it. It’s something worth fighting for, baby.”

“I don’t know what to say.” My words were still garbled by the emotions pushing up my throat.

“Well, for starters, you can tell Sticks where to drive.”

I laughed lightly and told him.

“Baby,” Sandro said softly in a voice that melted my insides. “You gotta tell me when things are important to you. We’ve known each other for years, but this marriage and our relationship? It’s new.” He gripped both my hands in his. “I’ll fuck up everything else before I fuck up with you. Tell me you get that.”

“I get it.” My lips rolled together. There were so many things I wanted to tell him, but no other words would come except, “Thank you.”

His answer was to give me another sweet kiss. When we broke apart, the look he shot me was a mixture of heat and tenderness. The tears threatened to flow again, but for different reasons. There was so much love in that look, too massive to take in. I cleared my throat and whipped out my phone so I could process another milestone in our relationship. “Let’s put our order in.”

We arrived at the restaurant and picked up our grab-and-go picnic basket. It contained everything we needed to enjoy a Central Park picnic, including a blanket.

Sticks dropped us off at a corner where we would be closer to the lake. Sandro helped me out of the Escalade and went to the back to grab the basket. Then we strolled hand in hand into the park.

This was surreal.

I couldn’t believe one of my teenage fantasies was playing out.

He squeezed my hand, and I looked up at him, shooting him a smile that encompassed all the giddiness I was feeling inside.

Even when I noticed four soldiers trailing us, reminding me that Sandro and I were not a normal couple, it only underlined the significance of this moment.

Sandro cared.

He was making an effort to make me happy, even with the limitations of the world we lived in.

I turned my attention back to the park. Fall colors were at their peak. The sun was low in the sky, casting a filter over the shades of orange, rust, yellow, and green.

We found an empty spot under an oak. Sandro lowered the basket, and took out the blanket and spread it on the grass.

“So, about the extra security.” He picked up our conversation from the elevators. “I’m going to ask Trevor for some references. It’s nothing new. The Russian Bratvas have ex-Spaetnaz soldiers guarding their family. Luca’s people are getting trained by ex-military as well to keep up with the Russian mafia in Chicago. The Rossis might be the small fish and larger organizations won’t cause us trouble for now, but once I make bigger moves, that will change.”

He put the basket at the edge of the blanket.

I kneeled and started taking out the utensils. “Joe Rossi did work with mercenaries to get to Ivy.”

He sat behind me and stretched out his long, muscular legs. “Yes. The way I see it, our family would be less on the streets dealing with gangs like Harlem. Old-school mobsters have no place in the new mafia. We don’t need an army, we need skilled soldiers and deep connections in every industry.

“We’ll have steadier income in a few months. Construction schemes are booming. That’s why we need to get Club Aristos up and running.”

I had ordered eggs, bacon, and hash browns while Sandro ordered the breakfast garbage, which was basically a glob of breakfast food, like mine, with added creamed beef and double biscuits. We also had a baguette and butter, a box of coffee, and two to-go cups.

I poured coffee into one of the cups and handed it to him. “Divina and I are about to submit our proposal for the repairs to the Rossi estate. Whatever happened there left a lot of bullet holes in the walls.”

Sandro shot me a wry smile before digging into his breakfast mess. He offered me a bite. I closed my eyes as I savored the artery-clogging goodness. “Oh my God, I should have ordered this.”

“Wanna switch?”

I gave him a dubious look. “What’s it going to cost me?”

His chest shook with a silent laugh. “I can think of several forms of payment.”

I returned his innuendo with a bat of my lashes. “Well, we’re in public, but after this, we could go back to the condo and pick up from yesterday.”

“Baby, you’re just going to fall asleep on our way back there.”

I giggled. “True. You didn’t let me sleep much last night.”

“I hope you’re not complaining.”

I flipped open the lid of the container. “How about you give me some of yours and I’ll share mine?”

He glanced at what I ordered and made a face. “I don’t think I’m going to win here.”

I lowered my food, went on all fours, and crawled to him. “I promise, you’ll win later.”

I leaned in and pressed a teasing kiss to his mouth. A suppressed groan vibrated in his chest. When I pulled back, I was struck by the intensity of his gaze.

My heart rate spiked and my lips tilted in an uncertain smile. Surely, he wasn’t thinking of a full-on make-out session in the middle of the park because that was how he was looking at me.

Like he wanted to devour me.

“Sandro?”

Sandro

I didn’t know if it was the setting, the surroundings, or simply being lost in Bianca’s brown eyes. Her family always teased she’d gotten the puppy-dog eyes down pat that made them give in to her demands. But now that I was the recipient of them, I was jealous. I wanted to be the only one to fulfill her every wish.

I was so gone for this girl, it wasn’t even funny.

The unsure smile on her face had me cupping her jaw tighter.

“Sandro?”

In case she didn’t know how I felt because I was the dumbass who had never told her, that ended now.

“I love you.” The words scraped against my throat because they were words that had never made it past my mouth in all my thirty-two years. Raw emotions churned inside me. “I’m so fucking in love with you, baby. Sitting out here, I’ve never felt more exposed in my life, but I hardly give a damn because I’m with you.” Her eyes filled with tears and they simply slayed me. It was acceptance, love, and happiness all rolled into one. I didn’t know how I knew that. I just knew. “I should have told you sooner…”

“We’ve always known we loved each other,” she whispered. “I knew you loved me differently from how I loved you when I was twelve. But what I felt for you before pales in comparison to what I’m feeling now. It’s deeper. More profound and fierce. Back then, I loved the idea of you, but now…it’s everything about you. The good and the bad…”

I remembered her tears earlier, and the way they kicked me in the gut returned. “When I saw you cry because I couldn’t simply give in to something as simple as a picnic, I felt ashamed. Like I didn’t deserve you again.”

“Oh, Sandro…don’t, baby.” She cupped my jaw in return.

I gave her a self-deprecating chuckle. “And I’m telling you now, if something means so much to you and I’m behaving like an oblivious dick, call me out on it.”

She sat back on her heels and grinned mischievously, gathering her hands primly on her lap. “Or I can simply say please.”

“Fuck,” I groaned. “You’re making me hard.”

She laughed and I lunged at her. We fell back on the blanket, nearly flattening her breakfast.

“I don’t know if I should give you more ammunition, but when the word please passes your mouth, I want to offer you my goddamned soul.” I searched her eyes deeply and said, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she replied.

I gave her a quick kiss because any lingering ones involving tongue would lead to a very uncomfortable time in the park. Bianca was breathless when I yanked her back into a sitting position.

“Breakfast is getting cold,” I clipped.

“Well, something else is getting hot,” she replied, pretending to fan herself.

“You’re such a temptress,” I muttered. I didn’t stand a chance. She grinned at me as she dug into her bacon and eggs.

“Want some of this creamed beef?” I asked.

Bianca shot her signature looks that drove me crazy. “Always.”

It seemed every interaction with her from here on out devolved into lewd thoughts. We managed to get through breakfast. It took a while for my hard-on to go down. Afterward, we strolled through Central Park.

It wasn’t an experience I would do on my own. The only time I went through this area was when I wanted to run a loop. I didn’t mosey. I didn’t stop to watch the mimes or listen to buskers. But doing this with Bianca by my side was everything.

Because it made her happy. It made the smile on her face reach her eyes, and it was worth every step in this park.

Just as she was supporting me in my role as the Rossi boss, carving moments out in my time to spend with her was precious and a priority.

Because Bianca is my priority.

I became boss because that was the only way I could keep her. And I would annihilate anyone who got in our way.