“No.” The word dropped from her lips in an agonized whisper and she watched in horror as Rev lifted the poker.
“You and Kat are nothing to me,” her father said. “Nothing but property that I will use to gain an alliance that will increase the power and wealth of this family and end this ridiculous vendetta that has gone on too long. Once you are in Tony’s hands, he will get rid of Nico for me, and you will not be distracted from your duties as his wife.”
Horror turned to rage, and she bit one of the guards holding her. He released her with a yell, and she managed to use the distraction to twist away from the second guard. But he was fast. Before she could move toward Kat, he grabbed her hair. Heedless of the pain, Mia scratched and clawed and kicked in a bid to get free. Statues toppled. Vases shattered. If she needed to break her arm to save Kat she would. If she lost a handful of hair, so be it. And if they killed her, at least she wouldn’t suffer the pain of watching Dante destroy the only good, beautiful thing left in their twisted, ugly family.
“Basta!” Her father yelled, spittle collecting at the corner of his mouth. “Che cazzo fai—what the fuck are you doing? Why won’t you stop fighting me, and accept you will never win?”
“Because this will destroy Dante as much as it will destroy Kat and me.” She felt another pair of arms around her, ropes twisting around her ankles and wrists. “I’m fighting to save us all.”
Dante’s lips twisted in a snarl. “You’re too late to save me. I was destroyed the night I was made.”
Rev blew on the poker and it glowed bright red.
“Mama!” Kat screamed, struggled on the desk. “Mia! Help!”
“Shut up, Kat. She won’t come.” Dante yanked up her pink T-shirt. “You should know that by now.”
“I’ll do it,” Mia yelled. “Whatever you want. I’ll become a Toscani. You’ll have your fucking alliance. You have my word. Just let Kat go.”
“Excellent.” Her father motioned to Rev. “Give Dante the poker.”
“What?” Mia sagged in the arms that held her. “No. I said I would do it.”
“I want to make sure you honor your promise,” her father said. “Because if you don’t show up for the wedding, this will be the least of her suffering.” He looked over at her brother. “Do it.”
“What’s happened to you, Dante?” Mia’s voice was hoarse, thick with defeat as he raised the poker. “What have you become?”
“I’m the monster Papà always wanted me to be.” He pressed the burning poker against Kat’s lower back, and Mia sank to her knees, drowning in her sister’s scream.
SIXTEEN
Mia smoothed down her bright pink Chanel dress as she walked up the stairs to the private dining room of Bella Via, a new ultra-modern Italian restaurant on West Flamingo Road. Her matching pink heels tapped softly on the hard wood. Her mother had given her the ridiculous outfit years ago when she still had hope Mia would accept her role as a Mafia princess, but Mia had never even taken it out of the dress bag until tonight. She wobbled slightly on the last stair and chipped one of her freshly painted nails as she grabbed for the railing.
Damn. She knew it wouldn’t last. She was just not cut out for couture. Well, she’d better get used to it. If everything went according to plan, she would do what she had vowed never to do—marry into the mob. But she would do it on her own terms.
“Ms. Cordano.” A waiter in a formal tux bowed when she crossed the landing. “Your party is waiting.”
“Grazie.” Mia forced a smile, prayed it wouldn’t crack the thick coating of foundation Jules had applied for her before she left her apartment. How did her mother wear this stuff every day? With the high-necked shirt, the fitted skirt and the tight jacket, she felt trapped. If any of her father’s goons found her here, there would be no possible way she could run. She’d have to hang herself with the strand of fake pearls around her neck. She almost wanted to hang herself now. Although she was perfectly made up on the outside, inside she was screaming, desperate to be free.
“Okayokayokayokay.” She took a breath, tried to calm her thudding heart. This wasn’t such a big deal. People asked for help all the time. It didn’t mean she was weak, just that she had finally come up against a problem that she couldn’t solve on her own. And it wasn’t like she was asking for help from a stranger. She knew Nico. Liked him. Sure, it was a little unconventional to ask someone to marry you after one date, but hadn’t he said he liked that about her? And it wouldn’t be forever. Just until Tony found someone else to marry and she found a way to keep Kat safe. They wouldn’t even have to live together. They could get on with their separate lives and just make the occasional family appearance so their union looked legitimate. Although how Nico would stand in a room with her father and not want to pull the trigger, she didn’t know.
“Are you okay, miss?” The waiter looked back over his shoulder, and Mia nodded.