“Tatiana, of course. Who else?”
Kirill’s oldest daughter and second child. “You answered that quickly.” Dante raised his brows. “Something you want to tell me?”
Matteo shrugged. “Nothing special. She’s gorgeous.”
“Either way, congratulations.” Marriages and alliances had been formed with less. Dante rose and followed Matteo out of the diner. He had a few things to grab from his room, but then he was on the next plane back to New York. He dragged in a breath. Close. They were so fucking close to the future he so desperately wanted.
Too many things could go wrong.
He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Rosa. Kirill is on board. He won’t harbor Jovan’s people and he’s secured peace with the Verduccis. I’m officially excommunicated.
By the time they reached the house, she’d read it but hadn’t responded. Dante managed to hold his impatience down until he made it back to his room and then he called her. No answer. A chill skittered down his spine.
What the fuck was going on back in New York?
Chapter 24
Rose dressed carefully for her meeting with Romeo. Oh, he didn’t realize they had a meeting. In fact, both he and Lorelei had avoided answering her calls. It was suspicious enough that she would have sought out her sister even if there weren’t other things in motion. She didn’t have time to stand around waiting until they decided to talk to her.
She pulled on a green dress that felt almost Grecian. It fit loosely on her body, fastened around the middle with a tie and slit up just enough on both sides to flash a bit of leg with every step. She smiled a little bitterly at herself in the mirror.
Helen of Troy, indeed.
It was Saturday night, which meant the Capparelli family would be at their favorite restaurant. They had their little rituals the same way the Romanovs did. It was a constant balance between weakness and strength to operate like that, the schedule predictable enough for enemies to capitalize on but being strong enough that it didn’t fucking matter if their enemies knew where they were.
They were untouchable.
Or at least they appeared to be.
Vasily met her at the door to the garage. They were dressed to impress today, too, wearing a suit that fit their wide shoulders and broad chest. Some of the Romanov’s muscle preferred to spend their money on other things and wore ill-fitting suits, but Vasily had always appeared perfectly tailored when the situation called for it.
This one certainly did.
Vasily held the door open for her. “You sure about this?”
“Yes.” She had to be. She’d set herself on this path, had put her faith in her and Dante and a future they spent together. The only option was to follow through. If she didn’t, she’d spend the rest of her life wondering what they could have shared if she hadn’t let cowardice win.
She’d made her choice.
She just hoped it didn’t blow up in the face of her and everyone she cared about.
By the time Vasily pulled up in front of the restaurant, a cold calm had stolen over Rose. This was no different than any other confrontation. Romeo would try to bulldoze her, and she would refuse to bend. They’d have to figure out if they could come to terms between his unstoppable force and her immovable object. They had managed it before. They would do it this time, too.
He didn’t want war. She was sure of it. More, he had wanted Lorelei and now he had her as his wife. A pang went through her at thought. She hadn’t wanted that future for her sister, but they were well past the point of no return. The only thing to do was make the best of it.
The hostess greeted Rose as she walked through the door. “Hello, a reservation for two?”
“No, I’m here to see someone.” She brushed past the hostess stand, Vasily at her heels, and strode through the main dining room. It was filled to the brim tonight, people decked out in their best and dining here with the intent to see and be seen. She recognized several faces, but ignored them all on her path back to the doorway tucked in the corner. It led to the private dining areas, and it was exclusively the Capparellis’ on Saturday evening.
Rose stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath. She’s only got one shot. She couldn’t fuck this up.
With that in mind, she nodded at Vasily and they threw open the door. Rose stepped into the room to find four guns pointed in her direction. She smiled and met the gaze of everyone in the room, one by one. “Is this how the Capparellis greet their sister-in-law?”
Romeo Capparelli was a handsome bastard. Dark hair, eyes that weren’t quite brown, and a distinctly Clark Kent look with his black square glasses. If Clark Kent was a dangerous predator and not a nice guy. He sat back in his chair, perfectly at ease and stretched his arm around the back of the chair of Rose’s sister.
She drank in the sight of Lorelei. Her sister wore a black dress and looked well enough. There was no overt sign of distress or abuse, at least. Not that it meant anything. It hadn’t been long since she married Romeo. Lorelei watched her with a wary look that Rose didn’t like, but at least she didn’t have a gun pointed at her.
Romeo’s right-hand man stood at his shoulder, tense and waiting for Romeo to indicate which way he wanted this to go. Salvatore D’Angelo. He was a massive white man with sandy blond hair, broad chest and shoulders and solid stomach. Dangerous. Not someone Rose would intentionally cross if she had any other option.
The other two were Romeo’s siblings, Fabian and Drucilla. Both took after their elder brother with their coloring, dark hair and those strange amber eyes. Fabian had the look of a rich playboy who’d never gotten his hands dirty once in his life, but it was a mask. Rose had seen photos of his work with a knife, and he wasn’t a threat to be underestimated. Drucilla was a social media influencer, and there had been talk of a reality TV show before Romeo shut it down. She played to expectations, but she was just as dangerous as her brothers.
They didn’t matter.
Romeo was the one who made the decisions for the family. He was the one she had to convince to see things her way.
Rose kept her smile firmly in place. “I thought it was time we spoke.”
Romeo considered her for a long moment before he turned to Lorelei. “Do you want to speak with your sister?”
Shock rocked Rose back on her heels. What the fuck was going on here? He wasn’t exactly being soft with her sister—she wasn’t sure Romeo Capparelli was capable of being soft—but she hadn’t expected him to consult Lorelei at all. Certainly not as someone resembling an equal.
Her sister gave a deceptively sweet smile. “Of course, muzh. She’s family.”
“Very well.” He motioned at his siblings. “Give us a few moments.”
Drucilla and Fabian exchanged a loaded look, but they didn’t argue. They simply rose to their feet and filed out of the room, Salvatore on their heels. Rose glanced over her shoulder at Vasily. “You, too.”
They hesitated, but finally nodded and slipped out of the room, closing the door softly behind them. Only then did she turn back to Romeo and her sister. “You’re dodging my phone calls.”
“Call it the honeymoon phase,” Romeo said, no inflection in his tone. “We’re only just married.”