Chapter One: The Price of Peace

Luca’s POV

Vito Romano had spent most of his life making men wait for him, so I made him wait forty-three minutes just long enough for him to understand that it was deliberate.

I sat behind my desk with a glass of whiskey untouched beside my hand, reading the same page of a shipping report for the third time while one of the most powerful men in our world waited on the other side of my door.

Matteo stood near the window, staring down at the rain washing over the city. “You’re enjoying this too much,” he said.

“I haven’t started enjoying myself yet.”

“You’ve kept him outside for almost an hour.”

“Forty-three minutes.” I corrected and the bastard actually smiled.

“You counted?”

“No. Vitiello did.”

The enormous man standing beside the door didn’t move. “I did not.”

I looked at him, Vitiello stared straight ahead and Matteo laughed. “Let him in.”

Vitiello opened the door and Vito Romano entered alone, that was shocking because men like Vito rarely walked anywhere without enough armed protection to invade a small country. But he’d left his soldiers downstairs because he knew bringing them into my private office would be considered an insult.

Or maybe because he didn’t want witnesses, either way, I appreciated the effort.

“Luca.”

“Vito.”

He stopped in front of my desk; I didn’t stand and then his eyes flicked toward the empty chair then I let another three seconds pass before gesturing toward it.

“Sit.”

His jaw tightened and I could see his pride, such a fragile little thing but still he sat.

At fifty-six, Vito Romano still looked like the sort of man who could order someone’s death before breakfast and enjoy his coffee afterward.

“What can I do for you?” I asked.

He stared at me. “You know why I’m here.”

“I know several reasons you could be here and most involve apologies.”

Matteo coughed behind me, it was a poorly disguised laughter and Vito ignored him.

“The Bellandi’s have pulled two of their shipments from our port.”

I lifted my glass. “And?”

“The Caruso’s are refusing to honor the agreement my father made with theirs.”

“Tragic.”

“Three of my warehouses were attacked in eleven days.”

“Carelessness.”

“Two of my men are dead.”

I took a sip. “Occupational hazard.”

His fingers curled around the arm of his chair, good because I wanted him angry, I knew angry men became stupid and desperate men became generous.

Vito Romano was currently both.

“The smaller families are testing us,” he said. “They think the Romanos are vulnerable.”

“Are you?”

His eyes hardened. “No.”

“Then why are you sitting in my office?”

I didn’t expect him to go straight to the point immediately. “Because if this continues, there will be war.”

I smiled faintly. “There’s always war.”

“Not like this, this won’t stay between the Romanos and the smaller families. They’ll choose sides. The Moretti’s will be dragged into it. The Bellandi’s will have to respond and your territories will eventually be affected.”

There it was, not help me, men like Vito would choke on those words Instead, he had come to explain how saving him would benefit me so I leaned back.

“My territories are secure.”

“For now.”

I smiled. “Careful, Vito.”

“It wasn’t a threat.”

“Then you’re losing your touch. It sounded remarkably similar to one.”

He exhaled slowly. “I came here to discuss an alliance.”

I swirled the whiskey in my glass. “An alliance?.”

“Yes.”

“Between the Romanos and Ricci’s?” I asked

“I assumed you understood the meaning of the word.” He retorted clearly already losing his patience.

“And I assumed you’d understand humiliation before walking into my house asking for protection.”

His face changed. “I am not asking for protection.”

“No?”

“No.”

I glanced toward Matteo. “Did you hear that?”

“Clearly.”

I looked back at Vito. “Then I must have misunderstood. Your shipments are being stolen, your warehouses are burning, your allies are abandoning you, your soldiers are dying, and you’ve come all the way across the city in this miserable weather because you were worried about my welfare.”

His nostrils flared and I smiled. “How thoughtful.”

“You haven’t changed.”

“Neither have you. That’s probably why you’re in trouble.” His fist tightened and for one beautiful second, I thought he might swing at me, I hoped he would.

Vito was still a dangerous man, but this was my house, my men, city and he needed something from me, that meant his anger belonged to me too.

“There are people who will die if this becomes a war.”

“People die when it’s peaceful.”

“Women, children and families who have nothing to do with this.”

“And suddenly Vito Romano has developed a conscience.”

His stare sharpened. “You think everything is a joke?”

“No.” I set my glass down and the smile disappeared from my face. “I think you are.”

He stood while I remained seated and he stared down at me. “You asked for this meeting.”

“No. You requested it, I allowed it.”

“I didn’t come here to be insulted.”

“You came because you need me.”

His mouth closed. “Sit.”

He didn’t and I tilted my head. “Or leave.”

His eyes stayed on mine. “Walk out that door, Vito. Tell your captains the Ricci’s refused you. By sunrise, every family currently circling your territory will know. By tomorrow night, they’ll smell blood.”

His face went still and I continued. “The Caruso’s will push harder. The Bellandi’s will distance themselves. Every ambitious little bastard you’ve humiliated in the last twenty years will suddenly discover his courage.”

I picked up my glass again. “And when the first one takes something from you without consequences, the rest will follow.”

Vito said nothing. “Then,” I continued, “you’ll have your war.”

Slowly, he sat much better and I took another drink. “Now we can talk.”

“You’ve made your point.”

“I haven’t even reached it.”

Vito’s eyes narrowed.

“I need Ricci support,” he finally said.

I waited.

He hated every second of it. “Our shipping routes remain stronger together. Your northern connections combined with my ports would make attacking either organization expensive.”

Still I said nothing so he continued. “We publicly recognize each other’s territories. If one family is attacked, the other responds. We combine security on the eastern routes. Shared intelligence. Shared enforcement where necessary.”

“And what do I receive?”

“Access to two Romano ports.”

“Already have better ones.”

“Preferential rates through our legitimate companies.”

“Don’t need them.”

“A percentage of the eastern route.”

“Boring.”

His patience snapped. “What do you want?”

Finally, I looked at him over the rim of my glass, in truth I had known what I wanted before he entered the building, before he requested the meeting and perhaps before he realized he needed one.

But wanting something and having the opportunity to take it were different pleasures, I preferred the second.

“Your alliance isn’t worth what you think it is,” I said.

“Then make an offer.”

“You might not like it.”

“I didn’t come here expecting to.” I smiled because at least he was inetelligent, II stood and walked toward the window.

Thousands of people living their tiny lives, blissfully unaware that two men in a room could decide whether blood ran through their streets next month, power was ridiculous when you thought about it.

“Your enemies need to believe this alliance can’t be broken the moment circumstances change,” I said.

“They will.”

“No. They’ll see two men signing paper.”

I turned. “Paper burns.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“Something older.”

I saw him suddenly understanding “A marriage?.” He asked

“Yes.”

His shoulders relaxed slightly meaning he’d expected worse, he had no idea.

“There are several possibilities,” Vito said carefully. “My extended family—”

“No.”

His eyes narrowed. “The Moretti’s have cousins. The Bellandi’s—”

“I don’t want a Moretti.”

“Then who?”

I let the silence stretch, Matteo looked at me because he knew Vitiello did too, Vito was the only man in the room who didn’t.

That made the next few seconds almost enjoyable.

I walked back to my desk, placed both palms against the polished wood and looked directly into Vito Romano’s eyes.

“Fiona.” I wanted his Precious little daughter.