MILLIE
The creaking of wooden boards startled me, and I tensed. Turning around, I saw Harper joining me on the beach, removing her shoes and wrapping an arm around me.
“Tomorrow, you’ll head to New York, and I’ll go back to Chicago,” she whispered softly.
Swallowing hard, I admitted, “I’m scared.”
“Of tonight?” she asked gently.
“Yes,” I confessed, “tonight, and every night after. I’m afraid of being alone with Gio in a city I don’t know, surrounded by people I barely know, some of whom might still be our enemies. I’m afraid of getting to know Gio and discovering he’s the monster I fear. And I’m terrified of being without you, Sienna, and Karsen.”
“We will come to visit as often as Father allows it. And about tonight.” Harper’s voice turned hard. “He can’t force you.”
I let out a choked laugh. Sometimes I forgot that Harper was younger than me. These were the moments that reminded me. “He can. He will.”
“Then you’ll fight him with all you’ve got.”
“Harper,” I said in a whisper. “Gio is going to be Capo dei Capi. He’s a born fighter. He’ll laugh at me if I try to resist. Or my refusal will make him angry, and then he’ll really want to hurt me.” I paused. “Leila told me I should give him what he wants, that I should try to make him be good to me, try to make him love me.”
“Stupid Leila, what does she know?” Harper glared at me. “Look at her, the way she cowers in front of that fat fool. How she lets him touch her with his sausage fingers. I’d rather die than lie under a man like that.”
“Do you think I can make Gio love me?”
Harper shook her head. “Maybe you can make him respect you. I don’t think men like him have a heart to be capable of love.”
“Even the most cold-hearted bastards have a heart.”
“Well, then it’s as black as tar. Don’t waste your time on love, Millie. You won’t find it in our world.”
She was right, of course, but I couldn’t help hoping.
“Promise me you’ll be strong. Promise me you won’t let him treat you like a whore. You are his wife.”
“Is there a difference?”
“Yeah, whores at least get to sleep with other men and don’t have to live in a golden cage. They are better off.”
I snorted. “You are impossible.”
Harper let out a chuckle. “It made you smile,” she said playfully. Then, her expression turned serious. “Gio sent his lapdog. Maybe he was worried you’d run.”
I followed her gaze and spotted Dario standing at the crest of the small hill, overlooking the bay and the dock.
“We should have taken that yacht and run away,” Harper mused.
I sighed, feeling trapped. “Where could I run? He’d follow me to the end of the world.” Glancing at my elegant golden watch, I added, “We should go back. The wedding cake will be presented soon.”
Reluctantly, we put our shoes back on and headed back toward the noise of the festivities. I ignored Dario, but Harper couldn’t help but scowl at him. “Does Gio need you for everything? Or can he at least take a piss on his own?”
“Gio is the groom and needs to attend to the guests,” Dario replied, subtly reminding me of my place.
As I returned to the celebration, Gio’s eyes locked onto mine. Many guests were already intoxicated, some even swimming fully clothed in the pool. Gio reached out his hand, and I walked over to him. “Where were you?” he asked with a hint of concern.
“I just needed a moment to myself,” I replied.
Before we could delve into further conversation, the cook rolled out our wedding cake-a magnificent six-tiered creation adorned with peach flowers. Gio and I cut it amid applause and cheers of “Bacio, Bacio.” We fed each other a piece, symbolizing our commitment to care for and provide for one another as husband and wife.
As midnight approached, the atmosphere grew rowdier, and it was suggested that Gio and I retire to the bedroom. “You wed her, now bed her!” a drunken guest shouted, followed by a chorus of agreement. Gio appeared unaffected by alcohol, dashing any hope that he might be too drunk to consummate our marriage. His predatory grin only added to my nervousness.
Ignoring the crude chants, Gio and I stood up, preparing to leave for the bedroom. Though I wanted to cling to my chair in desperation, I had no choice but to follow him. Some women looked at me with compassion, but it did little to ease my fear.
Harper attempted to rise from her chair, but my mother held her back. Agatone Merante shouted something, but the world seemed to blur around me. Gio’s grip on my hand guided me forward as we made our way through the crowd, their chants growing louder as we approached the master bedroom on the second floor.
Anxiety coursed through me, and I tasted the metallic tang of blood where I had bitten my cheek. Once inside the bedroom, Gio slammed the door shut, and we were finally alone for our wedding night.
~*~
The commotion in front of the door ceased, leaving only Sebastian, who continued shouting lewd suggestions about what Gio and I could do to each other.
“Shut up, Sebastian, and go find a whore to screw,” Gio barked.
The silence outside was palpable. My gaze drifted toward the king-sized bed at the room’s center, and fear gripped me. Gio had his own plans for tonight and beyond. The price for my body had been paid, not in money, but in the currency of power. I hugged myself, trying to quell my panic.
Gio turned to me with a predatory look, causing my legs to weaken. Maybe if I fainted, I’d be spared, and even if he disregarded my consciousness and took me anyway, at least I wouldn’t remember anything. He casually tossed his jacket on the armchair by the window, his muscular forearms flexing. He was strength and dominance, and I felt as fragile as glass. One wrong move, and I’d break.
Gio took his time admiring me, as if branding me with the word ‘mine’ at every glance.
“When my father told me I was going to marry you, he said you were the most beautiful woman the Chicago Outfit had to offer, even more stunning than the woman in New York.”
“To offer? As if I’m a piece of meat,” I bit my tongue to stop myself from saying more.
“I didn’t believe him,” he said, stepping closer and grasping my waist. I swallowed a gasp, focusing on his chest. Why did he have to be so tall? He leaned down until his mouth hovered near my throat. “But he told the truth. You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and tonight, you are mine.” His warm lips touched my skin. Did he sense the terror running through my veins? His grip on my waist tightened.
I fought back tears, remembering Alyssa’s warning. ‘He’ll use you until you’re broken.’
Be strong. I was a Pearce. Harper’s words echoed in my mind. ‘Don’t let him treat you like a whore.’
“No!” I couldn’t help but shout defiantly. Stepping back, I wondered if I had just made a grave mistake.
Gio looked stunned for a moment before his expression hardened. “No?”
“What?” I retorted. “Aren’t you familiar with the word ‘no’?” I chastised myself, urging silence within.
“Oh, I hear it often. The guy whose throat I crushed, he kept saying it until he couldn’t anymore.”
Taking another step back, I bristled. “So you’re going to crush my throat too?” I felt like a cornered animal, ready to bite, but he was a formidable wolf.
A cold smile twisted his lips. “No, that would defeat the purpose of our marriage, don’t you think?”
Shuddering, I realized he couldn’t kill me without risking a war between Chicago and New York. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t harm or force himself upon me. “I don’t think my father would appreciate you hurting me.”
The look in his eyes made me back away further. “Is that a threat?”
Avoiding his gaze, I knew my father wouldn’t go to war over a few bruises or rape. Gio was my husband, and in his eyes, my body belonged to him whenever he desired. “No,” I replied softly, hating how submissive I felt, like a wolf bowing to its alpha.
“But you deny me what’s mine?”
I glared, frustrated with my own submission, my father for selling me like property, and Gio for accepting the offer. “I can’t deny you something that you don’t have the right to take. My body doesn’t belong to you. It’s mine.”
‘He will kill me,’ the thought raced through my mind as Gio loomed over me. Six foot five was an intimidating height. I saw his hand move, flinching in anticipation of a blow, closing my eyes. But nothing came. All I could hear was Gio’s heavy breathing and my own racing heartbeat. I dared to peek at him, finding his eyes like a stormy sky. “I could take what I want,” he said, the viciousness gone from his voice.