Reign (The Syndicate_ Crime and Passion Book 2)(2)

I’d finally convinced him Santo was not a concern, but he’d ruled his territory for so long, and recently, so brutally that people had been afraid. But Santo’s reign was no more, probably hadn’t been since the Syndicate had come here.

And today marked the official transfer of power.

It was also my wedding day.

As if sensing my thoughts, the tie, which was already tight, seemed to get even tighter. I had no fucking clue why Maxim, my boss and head of the Syndicate, had insisted I marry Santo’s daughter. He’d given some vague explanation, rare for him, but I remained unconvinced.

It would have been easy enough to just take Santo’s territory and eliminate anyone stupid enough to have a problem with that. That was what would have happened any other time.

But Maxim was doing something different here, and I wouldn’t rock the boat too hard, even if it meant getting married. Because this was my chance.

For years, I had worked for this moment, and once I did this, I felt certain Maxim would finally give me the shot I had always wanted—the one I’d earned. Santo’s territory would be mine to run how I saw fit.

Marrying Santo’s daughter was a small price to pay, and who knew? She might even be a good lay.

Hard to imagine anything good coming from Santo, but I’d always been an optimist.

I drove to the church, ready for this to be over so I could get to work, and I’d bet Daniela Carmelli was ready for it to be over too.

Funny, but that was about all I knew about my wife-to-be. Her name was Daniela, she was Santo’s adopted daughter, and she was obviously out of her fucking mind or scared to death because she was going through with this.

I didn’t care either way. Santo’s daughter was to be my wife, but she wasn’t my problem.

I turned, parked, nodded at Adrian, who I didn’t see but knew watched, and went into the church.

All eyes—and there were many—turned on me, but I didn’t spare any of them a second glance. Not even Santo, who I could feel glaring. Let him glare; let the others gawk. They couldn’t do anything else.

The priest stood at the altar, and I walked toward him, anxious to get this over with.

“Where is she?” I said when I stood in front of the priest.

The man looked at me, scorn on his face, and then nodded. At his move, music began, and an instant later, the doors opened.

The sea of white satin was the first thing I noticed. She walked slowly, calmly, and though she wore no veil, I couldn’t really see her eyes. They were hooded, not quite downcast, but I couldn’t read them.

I was impressed anyway.

I’d given no thought to this moment, or how the woman might respond, but Daniela was carrying herself well. No tears, no screaming. She simply walked, graceful, dignified. Though she didn’t seem eager, she wasn’t frightened or sad or angry, at least not that I could tell. She was doing as she’d been told, and gave no hint to the metaphorical gun pointed at her father’s back.

When she stopped in front of the priest, I was impressed again. At a distance, it was easy enough to hide fear, anger, but even this close, I couldn’t see either, not really. I picked up on the slightest hint of angst in her posture, but when she finally looked at me, I saw nothing but that calm, almost reserved, resolve.

If only I’d had the strength to mirror it. When her eyes met mine, I felt transported. The liquid, dark brown depths sucked me in, made everything else fall away, and left only her.

The moment was a revelation, one where I saw something beyond what I so often did. There was no calculation, no bloodthirstiness, none of the things I was used to. Instead, when I looked into her eyes, I saw intelligence, curiosity, and even a hint of fear that made the other emotions in her eyes so real.

Real.

That was what it was. In that moment, I looked into her eyes and saw a real person, one who called to me.

Then she blinked, and that flat, compliant look took over her again.

Still, I was stunned, so much so that most of the ceremony passed in a haze.

I’d felt something for that split second that I had stared into her eyes. Something that wasn’t ambition or anger or even amusement, something I didn’t have the words to speak, but I’d felt it all the same.

I glanced at her, saw how steadfastly she refused to meet my eye, probably her effort to keep me from seeing her again. No matter. I would eventually, because she was mine now.





* * *



Daniela



“I need to gather a few things. I won’t be long,” I said.

The driver said nothing, didn’t even look my way, but he put the SUV in Park, so I took that as a sign that I could get out.

Maneuvering in a wedding dress and high heels was not easy, but I managed to get out of the vehicle and make my way to the front door. I had no key, but I always left a spare in the flowerpot next to the shrub, and I went for it now, not bothering to try to hide what I was doing.