The men around me stop. Antonio tightens his hand around his glass. Damien inches to my side, unsure if this conversation will be good or bad.
Benny stiffens, mid-sip of his drink. “Excuse me?” His tone is sharp.
We’re not friends, merely acquaintances. We also work for two different families who were once at war.
I quickly get to the point. “Out of every man in this room, our marriage agreement is the most similar.”
Benny’s shoulders slightly ease, and he takes another drink.
“Neomi didn’t want to marry you,” I go on. “Her father made that decision for her. The same with Liliya, only it was her brother.”
Benny nods, now understanding my question. “Neomi hated me at first.” He points at me with his half-filled glass. “What helped was making it clear I was just as inconvenienced and resentful of our fathers’ decision. I was also robbed of deciding my own future and couldn’t stand her ass either. We were both shoved in a shitty predicament we had no power over.”
“Liliya knows I had no interest in marrying her.” I knock back my bourbon. “We’re past that step, and she’s still giving me a hard time. What’s next?”
“Time and life are what’s next.”
I wait for him to elaborate. A fortune cookie could’ve given me better advice than that.
“We went through the ups and downs of marriage,” he adds. “As time passed, we realized that our hatred toward each other was anger that we’d been forced together.” A slow, rare smile spreads across his stern face. “It didn’t hurt that I killed someone for her. They won’t admit it, but women love it when you kill for them.”
“Not always,” Antonio says. “Gigi wanted to kick my ass when I murdered her fiancé.”
“It didn’t help that you told her fiancé to choose between his life and hers,” Benny argues.
Antonio shrugs. “I like playing games before I kill. Makes it less boring.”
I rub at my temples. “I’ve already killed someone for her.”
Benny draws back. “That didn’t relieve any of the tension between you?”
“She doesn’t know I did,” I reply.
He nods in understanding before simply saying, “Get her to fall in love with you.”
I shake my head. “I want her tobehave. Not fall in love.”
“Getting her to fall in love with you is how you get her to behave.” He sets his glass on the bar, leaning in closer.
“Nah.” I reach behind the bar and pour myself another bourbon, knowing this is one of those times I need it. “That’s too much trouble.”
Benny shakes his head. “Man, you’re in for a rude awakening.”
Antonio, Damien, and Julian nod in agreement.
“You will fall in love with each other. Then she’ll have your babies. You may think that sounds miserable now, but your wife will bring you the best damn days of your life.” Benny’s face softens an inch as his gaze slips to Neomi across the room. It turns smug when he looks back at me. “Now, that’s all the free advice I have for you. The less I can help you goddamn Lombardis, the better.”
“Thanks for the Marchetti words of wisdom,” Antonio calls to Benny’s back as he walks away, headed straight for his wife.
I was there the day Benny wanted to kill Antonio for kidnapping Gigi.
It was intense. Not only did I think I was about to lose my boss and friend, but also my own life. Had Cristian not stopped Benny, he’d have pulled the trigger, whether Gigi was pleading in the background or not.
Benny isn’t our friend. All the Marchettis carry hatred toward us. They just look past it for Gigi and their wives, who’ve all become friends.
The door opens, and the servers shuffle into the room, carrying plates.
I follow the rest of the men to the table. Liliya tenses as I take the chair beside her. She doesn’t look in my direction as she grabs her napkin. Before she can undo it, I grab it from her.
