Chapter 17: Bound By Duty: Chapter 16

Dante was right. The next few weeks I made sure to be out of the casino by ten at the latest. I enjoyed the time I spent talking to the girls, the bartenders or the croupiers, but listening to most of the customers was strenuous. At least, Raffaele had made sure to stay away from me, which was a huge plus.

When Enzo took me home at night, I always checked the street for a sign of Frank, but the only person I saw regularly on the sidewalk was an elderly woman walking her Yorkshire Terrier. By now, I’d almost convinced myself that I’d imagined seeing him. Maybe my mind was unconsciously missing Antonio, and conjuring up Frank had been a way to cope with it. Dante wasn’t the presence I wanted him to be in my life. He took me every night, mostly in the dark, and always with my back to him, sometimes kneeling, sometimes lying flat on my stomach. Not that I was complaining. He always made sure I came at least once while he was in me, but I was starting to long for something else. This felt too much like mere fucking, almost like I was nothing more to him than a way to relief tension, but whenever Dante’s hand slipped between my legs at night, I promised myself to talk to him next time, too desperate for his touch.

As usual my eyes wandered over the sidewalk when Enzo steered the car through the gates to the house. But tonight I saw him again. Frank was strolling along the sidewalk across the street, trying to look as if he was only trying to catch some fresh air. He wasn’t succeeding. He looked suspicious to me, so I didn’t dare to think how he would appear to Dante’s guards. I would have to find a way to send him away. It was too risky. I headed straight up to the guest bedroom that allowed me to view the street, but like last time, Frank seemed to have disappeared.

My phone rang and for a moment I was sure it was Frank but he knew better than to call me. There was no saying who was tracking my calls after all, and I’d changed my number a few months ago. The screen flashed with Bibiana’s name. I picked up. “Hey Bibi.”

“Val,” Bibi said in a whisper. Her voice was shaking. She sounded terrified. “Can you come over?”

I tensed, turning my back to the window. “What’s wrong?”

“Tommaso, he…” She sniffed. “He was in a foul mood today.”

“What did he do? Is he still there?”

“No, he left because of a meeting with Raffaele, but he’ll be back soon. Can you come over? I’m scared of what he’ll do when he comes back.” My eyes darted to the clock that said it was almost nine.

“I’ll be there in ten minutes, Bibi.”

I rushed out of the guest bedroom and down the stairs. I wasn’t sure where Enzo was. It probably would have been easy to find him, but I wasn’t in the mood to explain myself. Instead I grabbed the keys from the hook in the garage and took the SUV. Before the doors had glided up all the way, I pressed the gas and shot out of the garage, the car roof missing the bottom of the door by inches. I slowed only as I waited for gate to part for me. Dante would be furious.

As I turned around the corner at the end of the street, I spotted a familiar back and hit the breaks. Frank jumped, and threw a panicked look over his shoulder. He had his phone pressed against his ear but ended the call when he saw me. I checked our surroundings before I rolled down the window and gestured for him to come closer. “What are you doing here?”

He crept closer, eyes darting around nervously. I understood his anxiety only too well. He was risking too much by being here. “I need to talk to you in private.”

I frowned. “About what?”

“About Antonio, about the Outfit, about everything.”

I checked the rearview mirror again. “I can’t talk right now. Meet me tomorrow around 5:30.” I explained the way to the street where the storehouse was that hid the casino, but didn’t tell him about it.

“That’s where one of the underground casinos is, right?”

I stared. Antonio had told him? Damn it. Why couldn’t Frank have stayed away? “We’ll talk tomorrow.” I let the window slide back up and pulled away. Nobody seemed to have followed me, or at least I didn’t see anyone. I hoped I could sneak out of the casino tomorrow undetected. I needed to clear things up with Frank. But what if he really wanted to blackmail me somehow? I knew he’d leave me no choice but to tell Dante about it if he did.

Why did today have to turn into such a mess?

It took me less than ten minutes to arrive at Bibi’s house. As always a guard was sitting in a car in front of it. He gave me a curt nod when he saw me getting out of the car. I almost ran toward the door. Bibi opened it before I even got the chance to ring the bell. I had to stifle a gasp when I saw her face. Her lower lip was busted open and dried blood stuck to her lower chin and her shirt. A bruise was already forming on her left cheek and the eye above it was starting to swell shut. She ushered me in, then quickly shut the door. Before I had time to say something, she threw herself into my arms. I embraced her but she winced when I touched her ribs and I loosened my hold on her. I pulled back to look at her face. “Why did he beat you up?”

Bibi shrugged, then winced. I didn’t even want to know what her body looked like under her clothes. Finger marks bloomed bluish-red on her throat and her collarbone. “He’s been in a foul mood all day and when I told him I still wasn’t pregnant he lost it.” Something tickled at the back of my mind but I pushed it aside for now.

“Maybe it’s his fault. Maybe the old fool is infertile,” I muttered. I didn’t like the word ‘hate’ or the sentiment behind it. Hate always only led to more hate, but I definitely hated Tommaso. Dante wasn’t sure I was capable of taking another person’s life, but I did.

“He can’t be. He got a few of the whores in Club Palermo pregnant.”

My eyes widened. Bibi had never told me. “So he’s got children with other women?”

“No, he forced them to get an abortion. Nobody wants to fuck a pregnant whore, that’s what he said.”

“I’m so sorry, Bibi.”

“I feel so bad for calling you away from Dante on Valentine’s Day.”

I’d completely forgotten about that. Not that Dante had given any indication that today was special during our breakfast together.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You know I’m always there for you. What can I do?”

A small sob escaped her and she clapped her hand over her mouth, her eyes huge and full of fear. She lowered her hand. “I don’t know. I just don’t know, but I was so scared and didn’t know who else to call. You are the only one who seems to care.”

“I do care, Bibi. You know that.”

“I’m scared of when he returns. He told me it wasn’t over. And he’s always more brutal after he spent time with Raffaele. They are both disgusting sadists. Oh, Val, the things Tommaso sometimes does to me, the things he forces me to do, I can’t even tell you.”

I grabbed her hand. “Come. Spend the night at my place.”

“I can’t run away from him. You know they’d never let me. They’ll always force me to return to him no matter what he does.”

I knew. How could I have felt self-pity for my loveless marriage when Bibi had it so much worse? “I know, and I didn’t mean that you should move out. But you could spend the night with us so Tommaso has some time to cool off, and tomorrow after breakfast I’ll take you back home.”

Bibi nodded slowly. “Are you sure Dante won’t mind? I don’t want to impose on your time together.”

I almost laughed. “He won’t mind, don’t worry,” I said. “Do you want to leave now?”

She shivered, her thin arms coming up to wrap around her middle. There were bruises on her wrists too. If my fury alone could have killed Tommaso, he’d be dead now.

I helped Bibi pack a few things before I led her out of the house. The guard looked up, then started, obviously unsure of what to do. Tommaso had probably told him Bibi wasn’t allowed to leave the house, but I was the wife of the Capo, who was his main boss. Bibi tensed in my arm but didn’t stop walking. Not even when he picked up his phone and called someone, undoubtedly Tommaso. I felt the childish urge to give him the finger rise in me, but I’d passed the age where I would have considered acting on it. Bibi plopped down into the passenger seat and I slipped behind the steering wheel. “You are without a guard?”

I shrugged. “I didn’t want to waste time looking for Enzo or Taft.”

“I don’t want you to get in trouble because of me,” she said miserably.

I started the car and pulled away from the curb. Bibi’s guard didn’t try to follow us. He knew where we were going anyway. “I won’t.”

“Does Dante ever beat you or force himself on you?”

“No. He’s not violent. Well, at least not in our marriage. Of course I know that he’s perfectly capable of atrocious acts. He told me he doesn’t believe fear or hatred belong in a marriage. That’s probably why.”

“He’s a good man.”

“I wouldn’t say that. If you want a good man, you have to go looking outside of the Outfit.”

“Remember when we were young and dreamed about finding our Prince Charming and marrying him? I was obsessed with Disney princes. They were all so gallant and good.”

I smiled at the memory. “We were young and stupid. I’d give everything to be that clueless again, if only for a few hours.”

“Yeah.”

It was almost ten when we finally stepped into my home. “Do you want to grab something to eat or would you like to try to get some sleep?”

“I’m not really hungry,” Bibi said hesitantly. “But I don’t think I can fall asleep right now.”

“We could sit in the library and talk a bit. Or I could run you a bath so you can relax.”

“I think I’d rather talk. I don’t want to be alone.”

“Okay, I…” I trailed off when I saw Dante heading our way. Bibi stiffened beside me, her terrified gaze darting to me. I wasn’t sure why but I positioned myself between Dante and Bibi. He noticed of course and gave me a searching look. “Good evening, Bibiana,” he said politely.

“Evening,” she said quietly. Dante’s cool blue eyes scanned her bruised face and arms briefly before they fixed on me. “Tommaso called me to ask if his wife was here. He said you’d picked her up at their house without his permission.”

“His permission?” I hissed. “She’s not a dog. I don’t need to ask him permission for anything.”

“That’s what I told him,” Dante said calmly, startling me.

“You did?”

Bibi watched us with wide eyes.

“Of course, you are my wife. If you want to have a word with one of the wives of my soldiers, you have every right to do so.”

We both knew that wasn’t the reason why Bibi was here. Dante wasn’t blind. I hoped he could see how grateful I was for his support. “So he’s okay with her staying the night?”

“I didn’t know that’s what you’d planned as you didn’t inform me,” he said simply. I could hear the hint of a reprimand in his tone. He knew I’d left without a guard – again.

“I didn’t have the time,” I said. “But I think Bibi should stay here, so Tommaso can calm down.”

“If he comes here and asks for her, it would be against our traditions to deny him. She is his wife.”

Bibi nodded. “He’s right. I shouldn’t have come.” The defeat in her eyes and voice almost brought me to my knees. I shot Dante a pleading look.

Dante pulled his phone from his pocket and pressed it against his ear. After two rings, I could hear a deep voice on the other end but I couldn’t hear the words.

“Yes, Tommaso. I want you to accompany Raffaele when he checks out the new goods. I trust your judgment, and Club Palermo could use fresh blood. I want your report tomorrow.” Dante listened to something Tommaso said. “My wife and Bibiana have plans. Don’t worry. She’s safe here. I’ll have my driver take her home tomorrow.” Dante lowered the phone and put it back in his pocket.

“Thank you,” Bibi said in a shaky voice. I stayed silent, overwhelmed by Dante’s kindness.

“You realize I sent your husband out to sleep with our new prostitutes, but I suppose you don’t mind.”

“No, I don’t. I’m waiting for the day when he finally finds a mistress he prefers to me.”

Dante inclined his head to show he understood. Then his eyes found mine. I tried to send him all the gratitude I was capable of with that one gaze. I was quite sure he could see it. “I’ll return to my work. I’m sure you and Bibiana have a lot to talk about.”

He turned around and strode back to his office, disappearing from our view. I linked arms with Bibi who was gaping at me. “I can’t believe he did that for you. He must really care about you.”

“He tried to help you. He saw your bruises.”

Bibi laughed. “He did it for you. It was written all over his face.” She paused, then quickly added. “Not that I mind. I’m just glad that he got rid of Tommaso for now.”

“Come on, let’s go into the living room. I’ll put in a movie and we’ll have a glass of wine. You deserve it. Do you need some Tylenol with it?”

Bibi grimaced. “Yes, please. I feel sore. I think Tommaso bruised my ribs.”

That was the last mentioning of what had happened with Tommaso today. We spent the rest of the night remembering our childhood and teenage years, laughing, and getting drunk.

***

The next day I regretted last night’s wine when a splitting headache woke me from sleep. I sat up, groaning. Pressing a palm against my forehead, I took a few deep breath, hoping it would help with the nausea. Something red caught my eye. A small parcel lay on Dante’s side of the bed. I snatched the card propped up against the parcel.

‘I would have given this to you last night but I didn’t want to wake you’ was written in neat script on the card. Delighted, I grabbed the present and unwrapped it. Inside the small velvet box rested a delicate whitegold necklace with an emerald pendant. I stumbled out of bed and hurried toward my vanity, holding it up against my eyes. The emerald had almost exactly the same color. That couldn’t have been a coincidence. I sank down on the chair and fastened the necklace around my neck with shaking hands.

***

I probably wouldn’t have gone to work at all that day – Leo could take care of everything without me – if I hadn’t told Frank to meet me there.

After we’d dropped Bibiana off at her home and I’d made her promise to call me the moment Tommaso was home, Enzo drove us to the casino and we went inside as we always did. Luckily for me Raffaele was screaming at one of the girls, which wasn’t a one time thing either, but today it was the distraction I needed. I turned to Enzo. “Could you please have a private word with Raffaele and make it clear that I don’t appreciate him manhandling our girls?” Enzo looked only too eager to comply.

He headed straight for Raffaele and shoved him into one of the private rooms. Leo was making a beeline for me but I shook my head and told him that I was busy. He seemed confused but didn’t try to stop me when I stepped into the elevator. Guilt almost stopped me in my tracks a couple of times. My secret meeting with Frank could be construed as a betrayal of Dante’s trust. After this morning’s considerate gift, the idea of going against him like that made me feel even worse. He seemed willing to try, and I was risking it all because of Frank.

Three minutes later, I hastened away from the storehouse. I glanced around my surroundings nervously; not only because I worried about being followed but also because this was a deserted and creepy area. It was already getting dark, which didn’t help my anxiety at all. At least I was wearing ballet flats so I could have run if someone attacked me. In the distance, leaning against the wall of another empty warehouse, I could make out a tall figure. I hurried toward it, then slowed because it was hard to make out much. “Frank?” I whispered. “Is that you?”

He took a step away from the wall, looking as nervous as I felt. “Hey Valentina.”

I bridged the remaining distance between us. “What’s going on? Why do you keep showing up in front of my home? Do you want the Outfit to find out about you?”

Frank rubbed his hair, his eyes darting around. “Of course not.” His obvious nervousness was making me nervous in turn. “I need to talk to you.”

“Then talk. I don’t have much time. Don’t you realize what kind of risk we’re taking by talking right now?”

“I think it’s dangerous that you agreed to marry Dante Cavallaro.”

I was taken aback. That wasn’t what I’d expected when he’d told me he wanted to talk. “Why do you care? Your connection to the Outfit died with Antonio.” I realized a moment too late how insensitive that sounded, but Frank didn’t seem to notice. He was busy checking our surroundings, especially the darkness spreading out behind us.

“Can you stop that?” I asked impatiently. “You’re making me nervous.”

“Sorry. I’m not used to sneaking around in dark alleys. That’s Antonio’s thing.”

Was he still not over him? His words made me believe it. Maybe that was why he was here. Maybe he couldn’t let go of his former life and I was the only connection he had to it. “It wasn’t my decision to marry Dante. You should know that marriages are often decided by other people for reasons of power or strategy.”

“You don’t love him.”

“I’m not going to discuss my feelings with you, Frank. What do you want?”

“Did you tell Cavallaro about Antonio and me?”

“I told him that Antonio was gay.”

“Why did you do that?” Frank asked angrily, taking a few steps in my direction, startling me with his outburst, but not enough to back away. I was used to other kinds of men. Frank really wasn’t scary enough.

“That’s none of your business.”

“But you promised Antonio to keep his secret!”

“I know, but he’s dead, Frank, and I’m trying to move on. If Antonio were still alive, I’d take his secret into my grave, but the truth can’t hurt him anymore. And Dante won’t tell anyone in the Outfit anyway.”

“He won’t?” Frank asked hopefully. “What about me? You didn’t tell him my name?” The anxiety returned to his face with full force.

“No. I won’t. You are safe, but for it to stay that way, you need to stop hanging around in our street. It’s only stupid luck that none of Dante’s men has noticed you yet. And when they do, you’ll be in huge trouble. So do us both a favor and move on.”

“I can’t,” Frank said quietly. “Don’t you miss him? Don’t you want him back? Wouldn’t you do anything to have him back?”

“You should really leave. This doesn’t get us anywhere. I promise you are safe.”

Frank gripped my arm stopping me from walking away. “Valentina–”

“Hands off,” a cool voice drawled from the shadows and I let out a scream. Frank whirled around and tried to run away but Enzo was there and pulled him into a headlock. Dante appeared beside me and grasped my arm in a steely grip.

He nodded toward the door to the warehouse. Enzo dragged Frank toward it, despite his struggling.

Dante glared at me. “So this is what you do when I’m not around? Meeting with other men?”

“No!” I protested, horrified that he would think that. “It’s not like you think.”

“He’s been lurking around the house twice now, Boss,” Enzo said, then grunted when Frank’s knee hit him in the groin.

“Explain,” Dante snarled. Enzo was still trying to stop Frank from kicking him. Frank was putting up a surprisingly good fight.

“It’s Frank,” I said quickly, self-preservation overriding my desire to protect Frank.

Dante’s grip on my arm loosened. “Antonio’s lover.”

That caught Enzo’s attention. He knew Antonio. The Outfit wasn’t that big of an organization that Made Men didn’t know each other.

Suddenly shots rang out from somewhere. Enzo cried out and clutched his arm, releasing Frank in the process. More shots rang out. One hit the wall two feet above my head. Dante pushed me to the ground and crouched in front of me, his own weapon drawn and fired into the direction where the shots were coming from. Enzo pulled his own gun but his right hand was useless and it was obvious that he wasn’t used to shooting with his left hand. Frank was running as fast as his legs could carry him away from us toward the shadows. Dante pointed his gun at him. I jerked his hand away when he pulled the trigger and the bullet hit the ground, instead of Frank. “Valentina,” Dante snarled, taking aim again, but Frank had disappeared into the darkness. Dante glanced at Enzo, who was clutching his bleeding arm, muttering under his breath.

“What the fuck was that?” Dante asked, eyes blazing with fury as they held my own.

“I don’t know! I thought he was alone. Frank doesn’t even know anyone who can shoot a gun.”

“You should have let me shoot him. Never interfere like that again.”

“He’s innocent. He doesn’t deserve death.”

“Bullshit. That guy lay a trap and you fucking walked into it,” Enzo muttered.

“What do you mean?” I asked carefully. Dante shook his head. “Haven’t you wondered why he wanted to meet you? Maybe he’s been approached by the Russians and agreed to help them. They’d love to kill you.”

“Frank wouldn’t do that.”

“Are you sure?” No, I wasn’t. “The Bratva can be very convincing. Or maybe they offered him a substantial amount of money. Money makes sinners out of most saints.”

Enzo held up his phone. “Called reinforcement.”

“Come on,” Dante said, straightening up and holding out his hand for me. I took it and let him pull me to my feet.

“Do you really think it was a trap? I got the feeling Frank was lonely and wanted to talk to someone about Antonio.”

“Someone shot at us,” Dante said simply. I couldn’t argue with that. And Frank had definitely run in the direction of the shooters. Slowly I was starting to understand why Dante didn’t trust anyone.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly, but Dante wasn’t looking my way. More of his men were running toward us from the direction of the casino. He barked orders at them and they spread out in the area to search for our attackers.

“Take Enzo to see our Doc,” Dante told another man, despite Enzo’s protests. Then Dante turned to me. “We’re going home now.”

I shivered at the anger in his voice. Dante urged me forward with a hand against my lower back. He didn’t talk as he led me toward the car, nor during the ride home. I kept glancing his way, trying to decide in how much trouble I was. “I’m really sorry.”

He ignored me, but a muscle in his jaw twitched. I turned back toward the passenger window. Dante parked the car in our garage and got out immediately. I followed him into the house. I could practically feel his fury burning my back as he walked behind me. I stepped into the bedroom.

“I’m really sorry,” I tried again, then gasped when Dante threw the door shut and pressed me against it. I was sandwiched between his muscled body and the door. I was startled and confused but not scared. Dante was obviously careful not to hurt me.

“Why do you keep disobeying me, Valentina?” He shoved up my skirt and pulled my butt roughly against his groin, and his rock-hard erection. Wetness pooled between my legs. “I don’t know,” I said, trying to hide my excitement.

“That’s the wrong answer.” Dante pushed my panties – I wasn’t wearing tights, only suspenders – aside and slipped two fingers into me. Before I had time to articulate another answer, Dante replaced his fingers with his cock, slamming into me in one fierce stroke before he started to fuck me against the door. I was pretty sure he realized that was as far from a punishment as it could possibly get.