“The money is great. I can buy nice clothes and rent an amazing apartment. That’s something I could never do without this job.”
Many girls nodded, and I tried to take comfort in it. They all had started working as prostitutes on their own free will, and they earned more money than most people with a college degree. I talked to them a bit more and asked them to tell me when a customer was too brutal. They promised to do it, but I wasn’t sure if they were only saying it to get me off their backs. I’d have to talk to Leo and Raffaele about the situation.
When I stepped out of the dressing room, Enzo was waiting for me. “Where’s Raffaele?”
Enzo nodded in the direction of the bar. “He’s gone off to sulk. That boy would have been removed from the Outfit a long time ago if it weren’t for his father. Useless fucker.” He shut his mouth. “I apologize for the crude language.”
“No need. I’ve heard worse.”
Surprise crossed his face. Happy that I was making progress with Dante’s men, I headed toward Raffaele. He was perched on one of the barstools, drinking what looked like a martini. “Isn’t it a bit early to start with the alcohol?”
Raffaele emptied his glass. “We’re the mob, not a convent.”
“I’d still appreciate it if everyone stayed lucid during work.”
“Maybe one glass is enough to get you drunk, but I know how to hold my liquor. I’m not a pampered woman.”
“Raffaele,” Dante’s voice sliced through the room like a knife. I whirled around as Dante walked toward us, his body brimming with angry energy. His cold eyes were focused on Raffaele, who quickly slipped off the barstool and stood, a flicker of nervousness replacing that self-satisfied arrogance. Enzo was grinning menacingly. I had a feeling he had kept Dante updated about the way things had been going so far.
Dante stopped right in front of Raffaele, fixing him with an expression of stark brutality. “If I hear one more word of disrespect from your mouth, I’m going to chop you into tiny pieces and feed you to your father’s dogs. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Boss,” Raffaele said hastily. He turned to me. “I’m sorry if I offended you.” He sounded sincere, but there was something vengeful and bitter in his eyes.
Dante finally leveled his gaze on me. “I’d like to have a word with you.”
I fell into step beside him as we headed toward my office and stepped inside. Dante closed the door. Before he could say anything, I muttered, “Did Enzo call you?”
“Enzo didn’t have to call me. I’d intended on checking on you all along. I want to make sure your first day went well.”
I gave him a doubtful look.
“Why are you so surprised?”
“Because so far you didn’t strike me as the caring type of husband.”
Dante didn’t say anything, only watched me with that unnervingly cool gaze.
“I didn’t need you to defend me. I can handle myself,” I said when it became clear that he wouldn’t say anything.
Dante narrowed his eyes. “This is my territory. These are my men, and it’s my job to keep them in line. If they show disrespect toward you, it’s only a small step until they dare to disrespect me as well. I won’t allow it.”
“You made me look incapable of doing my job. Raffaele will think I’m weak because I need you to protect me.”
Dante came very close, engulfing me with his aftershave. “Valentina, the only reason why these men respect you is that you’re my wife. I know you don’t like it. I know you are strong, but you can’t exact dominance over these men like I do because you don’t have the same weapons as I do.”
“What weapons?”
“Cruelness, brutality, and the utter determination to kill anyone who disputes my claim to power.”
I held my breath. “What makes you think I wouldn’t kill someone if I had to? Maybe I’m capable of the same brutality as you.”
Dante smiled a joyless smile. “Maybe, but I doubt it.” He traced a finger down my throat. “Maybe you would have had the potential to survive in the Outfit, if you’d been brought up the same way boys are raised in our world. My father had me kill my first man on his orders when I was fourteen. A traitor that my father had tortured in front of me before I put a bullet in his head. After that, my father had one of his soldiers torture me to see how long I could stand the pain until I broke down and pleaded for him to stop. I lasted less than thirty minutes. The second time, I lasted almost two hours. The tenth time, my father had to stop the soldier or I would have died. I didn’t beg, not even to save my life. Be glad that you never got the chance to develop your cruelness, Valentina.”
I had to swallow twice before I could speak. “That’s barbaric. How can you not hate your father for what he did to you?”
Dante’s finger lingered on the swell of my breast. The fabric of my blouse might as well not have been there; it felt as if he was touching bare skin. “I hate him. But I respect him too. Fear, hatred and respect are the three most important feelings a Capo must instill in other people.”
“In your wife as well?”
Dante pulled away his hand. “Hatred and fear have no place in a marriage.” He stepped away from me and casually walked over to my desk, which was piled with the folders I intended to read. “I see you’re trying to familiarize yourself with our high rollers.”
I had trouble handling the sudden topic change. My mind was still reeling from the horrible things Dante had told me about his youth. No wonder he was so good at shutting himself off after the cruelty his father had subjected him to. I wondered how many of the scars marring his body were from those torture sessions, and how many the result of an enemy’s attack. “Yes. I want to memorize their faces, names and quirks.”
“I thought I should stay until the high rollers arrive and introduce you to them. That way it’ll appear more official. I had Leo send them invites for an early reception. You’ll have the chance to talk to them without the usual chaos of the casino, and they get the chance to gamble in private for a while.”
I was grateful to Dante for making sure things went smoothly for me. Of course, I realized at least part of it was because he liked things to be under his control. “Thank you.”
He inclined his head, then looked at me for a moment longer before he checked his watch. “Why don’t you prepare yourself some more? The first high rollers should arrive in one hour. I’ll talk to Leo and make sure everything is set up for the reception.”
When he tried to walk past me, I put my hand on his arm to stop him. Then I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek before I strode toward my desk and picked up a folder. After a moment, I heard the door open and close.
Fifteen minutes before the reception was supposed to start, I headed toward the main floor where a few tables with glasses and ice buckets filled with champagne bottles had been set up. There was also a small buffet of canapés. Dante made his way toward me the moment he saw me and his presence set me at ease.
Soon the first high rollers arrived. Most of them were at least in their fifties. Old, rich men with expensive designer suits, tans from too many hours spent on the golf course, and smiles that spoke of overconfidence. These men thought the world was theirs for the taking. And yet I didn’t miss the look of respect that crossed their eyes when they faced Dante. The way they shook his hand, you could tell they were trying to pay him deference. Dante always quickly turned their attention to me, introducing me as the new manager and his wife. The last part led to a wave of respectful compliments of my beauty. While I certainly didn’t mind being praised for my appearance, it wasn’t something that would help me keep the casino staff in check. I steered the conversation away from my looks and involved the men in small talk. Luckily they let me, only too eager to share their stories about tricking the IRS, their achievements on the golf course, or the selection in their wine cellars—and it was obvious they were used to women hanging on their every word.