Nico (Ruin & Revenge #1)(15)
“I told you to make sure she was properly dressed. Look at her. She’s an embarrassment to the family. How the fuck am I supposed to take her out looking like that?”
“Mi dispiace,” Mama stammered. “I thought you meant you wanted her in a dress, and she’s wearing one. I did offer to give her some of last season’s Chanel—”
“Shut the fuck up.” He rose from the chair, pushed up his sleeves. Mia’s skin prickled in warning, and her mother let out the softest whimper. After years of abuse, they all knew the signs, and they knew better than to run because running always made it worse.
Mia shot a look at Dante, noted the lack of tension in his shoulders, the disinterest in his face. He was taller than their father, younger, stronger, the first-born and only son. If she were Dante, she would protect her mother, protect them all. She would beat her father down and tell him never to touch her mother again.
Unbidden, an image of Nico came to mind, his broad, powerful shoulders and muscular arms, the way he had led her through the casino the other night, with his hand on her lower back, half guiding, half protecting her—the way he had protected her all those years ago. Nico would be able to put her father in his place with one well-placed blow. Not only that, he was a powerful Mafia capo; a formidable and ruthless man who took what he wanted, regardless of the consequences.
A man she did not fear, because she had seen the heart of him.
Mia had felt bold, reckless, and even brave when she threatened Nico in his office. Why couldn’t she feel like that with her father? Why couldn’t she be bold now?
“Don’t touch her.” Mia stepped back, placing herself between her father and mother.
Shock and disbelief clouded her father’s face, and then a fury like she’d never seen before twisted his expression. “Stupid girl. Get the fuck out of the way. Your mother knew exactly what I wanted. She chose to defy me. She will be punished so she learns not to do it again.”
“It was my choice to dress like this.” She stepped back, pushing her mother behind her. “If anyone should be punished it should be me.”
“Dio mio, I’ll be glad to get rid of you.” He closed the distance between them in two quick strides, and struck Mia’s face so hard, her head snapped to the side. Still reeling from the blow, she couldn’t stop him from striking her mother and then kicking her when she fell to the floor.
“Dante. Get my jacket and pick up your sister. We don’t have time to get her new clothes.” He stepped over Mia’s mother, and looked back over his shoulder. “Gina, the next time I use the words ‘properly dressed’ I want her dressed like you.”
“Of course, Battista.” Mama wiped the blood from the corner of her lip and pushed herself to sit, her legs folded under her on the plush, red carpet. “Mi dispiace. It won’t happen again.”
“Not for this one, it won’t.” He shot Mia a look of disgust as Dante steadied her with a firm hand on her elbow. After a few parting words to the Wolf, he stalked down the hallway, cutting a dark shadow through the light in his custom-made Italian suit.
“Where are we going?” Cheek throbbing, Mia followed her father down the hallway with Dante, Rev, and Alfio taking up the rear.
“Vincenzo’s Trattoria.”
Surprised that he would respond, Mia kept quiet as they exited the house. Rev climbed into the driver’s seat of the family limo, and Alfio settled in the passenger seat beside him. Mia’s father sat in the rear with Mia and Dante facing him.
“I want you to keep your mouth shut when we get there,” Mia’s father said as Rev pulled away from the curb. “I don’t want to hear any attitude. You disrespect me or embarrass our family in front of our guests; you’ll be one sorry girl when we get home. The clothes are bad enough.”
Mia’s skin prickled, and she looked over at Dante, but he stared out the window in stony silence. “Who are we meeting?”
“Don Toscani and his son.” Papà scrubbed his hand over his face. “It’s time.”
“Time for what?”
His face tightened. “Time to make yourself fucking useful to the family. You were seen the other night in a casino with Nico Toscani, dressed as a whore. You dishonored the family. You disrespected me—”
“I was working.” She dared to interrupt him. “I was doing a penetration test—”
“Shut the fuck up,” he barked. “You got yourself involved with the fucking Toscanis, now you’re gonna be involved with them for life. You gave me an opportunity to contact Don Toscani and negotiate a truce to end the war between our families. I offered a marriage to seal the deal. We’ll combine our drug-trade operations to push out the cartels and the street gangs for once and for all, not just here in the city but across the state to L.A. Not only that, we’ll finally be able to get into the gaming industry through his nephew’s casino. It’s the perfect place to launder our money.”
Shock stole her breath away. “You’re asking me to marry Nico Toscani?”
“I’m not asking. I’m telling.” He slicked down his hair. “And it’s not that bastard son who put a price on my fucking head that you’re going to marry. It’s Tony. A son by marriage. He wants to have a look at you tonight. You aren’t ugly. You’ve made yourself a marketable commodity. You’d better hope he can see past the ridiculous clothes.”