I snatched my glass of wine off the table and took a huge gulp, feigning amusement. Underneath my tailored suit and lazy grin, my blood boiled, and my skin crawled. I wanted to defend Evie. At the same time, I instinctively knew that was exactly what he expected from me. He wanted me to fly off the handle and show my hand. He wanted to know if I’d fight for her, and how much I’d be willing to give up to keep her.
“As enlightening as your little speech was, let’s cut to the chase. What do you want?”
“I want access to all of the Trassato controlled territories to expand my business.”
While not unexpected, Alix’s demand reverberated through the room with the force of a grenade.
“No,” Dominick said firmly. “That’s not happening.”
“Then he’s not marrying my daughter.” Alix pointed his finger at Evie. “You. Get up. We’re going.”
Konstantin stomped across the room and seized Evie’s arm, trying to pull her to her feet. “We need to leave.”
She slapped his hand. “Are you crazy? I’m not going anywhere with you or that maniac.”
“Get over yourself. You’re engaged to a fucking capo, not an altar boy. Do you know what that means?”
I lunged at her brother, snagging him by the collar of his shirt. “You touch her again, and I’ll fucking kill you.”
His nose flared. “Is that a threat?”
“No.” I shoved him backward. “It’s a fucking promise.”
Dominick’s hand landed on my shoulder. “Let her go, Gian. Your engagement is over. I won’t negotiate with them, and even if we did, you could never trust her. She’s toxic.”
“Don’t touch me.” I sidestepped his hold. “This isn’t over.”
“Like hell it isn’t. You’re done with her.” He ripped his gun from a holster around his waist and jammed the barrel against my chest. “I’m not bending over so you can marry this puttana.”
“Shut the fuck up. Don’t talk about my fiancée like that!” I roared, my vision narrowing. I swatted the gun away from my chest and pinned Dominick against the table. He didn’t fight me. He stood there with a fucking smirk on his face. “Do you understand?” I seethed, glaring at him. “Do you?”
“You think you can threaten me?” he scoffed. “You may be my nephew and godson, but that won’t stop me from putting you in your place.”
“Go ahead,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Enough!” Evie jumped out of her chair, her eyes wide with panic and her hand clutching the sleeve of my suit. “Gian, can I talk to you alone for a second?”
I released Dominick and dragged her by the arm to the kitchen. The staff froze mid-task. “Get the fuck out of here!” I yelled.
Knives, plates, and pans clattered to the floor.
“Move!” I repeated, my eye twitching like a fucking lunatic.
Three men in white shirts and black pants scurried out the back door with their eyes glued to the floor.
“We can’t be together anymore,” she said, her lips quivering.
An adrenaline-laced tremble shot down my spine. “We’ll find a way to make this work.”
“Maybe, but at what cost, Gian? What will you have to give up? And at what point will you start resenting me? Resenting us? I can’t let you do this.” Her voice wavered, her gaze dancing around the room.
“Let me take care of this, sweetheart.”
“What happens if you have to walk away from everything—your family, your friends your life—to be with me? Are you okay with that? Is that even possible?”
“It won’t come to that.”
“You don’t know that. They could kill you. Your family could disown you.”
I shrugged. “Some things are worth fighting for.”
She wiped her hands down the sides of her thighs. “I don’t want to fight.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t like what you do. I don’t like what my so-called family does.” She sucked her lower lip into her mouth. “I don’t want to be a part of that life. I want to dance, act, and sing, without worrying if someone will take a shot at me when I’m driving down the street, or worse.”
My heart stuttered. “Yesterday you told me you loved me, and now, all of a sudden, you have a problem with what I do? I don’t buy it. Not for a second, Evie. Don’t push me away again because you’re scared.”
She lifted her head, looking straight at me. “Gian, take a step back and think about this. Our relationship has been a colossal disaster from the start. I never wanted this. You never wanted this. We were forced into this situation. It was supposed to be temporary until we could bow out unscathed. Now I have the chance. We both do, and we need to take it.”