Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 48585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 243(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 243(@200wpm)___ 194(@250wpm)___ 162(@300wpm)
When she’s finished dancing and goes to take a quick water break, I think about how she, too, went through a similar experience as I am in some ways.
“Are you ready to talk now?” she asks as she comes to sit down beside me.
I nod and put my camera away.
“You know, you were very brave back in Italy on your wedding day,” she says, meaning it as a compliment, but one that I cringe in response to because I don’t like to think of that day as my wedding day. “It took a lot of guts to run from Leonardo Conti, and that arranged marriage with a church full of mafia powerhouses waiting for you to walk down that aisle. Especially since you didn’t know that Luciano would be there outside to help you escape.”
“I didn’t feel brave as much as I just felt desperate,” I admit. “I mean, sure, there was a rush of adrenaline, but mostly I was just running in fear of what would happen to my life if I stayed and went through with it.”
“Sometimes, running in fear is the bravest thing someone can do,” she smiles wisely at me.
We sit beside each other in silence for a moment or two, as Isla patiently waits for me to open up to her, and after a few more minutes, I do.
“It’s just so upsetting that he would want to send me away,” I say, fighting back tears as the floodgates open and I blurt out the feelings that I’ve been angrily keeping inside. “I thought that Luc and I were a team. I thought we were equals and partners now. But he won’t even tell me where I’m being sent.. Maybe I’ve been wrong about all of this. Perhaps all the men involved in the mafia families are all the same—selfish, controlling, and cruel.”
“I know you don’t mean that about Luc,” she says as she takes my hand and gives it a small squeeze.
She’s right—I don’t. But I’m upset and I’m having trouble holding in my feelings, especially with the addition of raging pregnancy hormones on top of everything else.
“You know Luc is sending you and the baby somewhere safe so that he can protect you. He wouldn’t do that if he didn’t love and care about you deeply,” she says softly. “It has to be a secret so that no one can know or find out where you are. Just like you were saying about how unsettling it was that Leonardo could find out that you are pregnant. The walls in these buildings have ears, and there are spies around every corner. Luc isn’t sending you away because he wants you gone from his life, or because he wants to control you, or close you up in some trap like Leonardo Conti did. He’s doing it because that is what strong, powerful, good men do—they do what is necessary to keep the women they love safe, even if it means keeping them safe from being around themselves.”
She speaks as if she knows exactly what I’m going through. Sometimes I forget that her relationship with Vincent didn’t start out all “champagne and roses” either.
“You know, when I was first married to Vincent, I didn’t want to be—at least I didn’t think that I wanted to be,” she says. “But then, it evolved until the thought of being without him pained me the most. There were times I most definitely felt just like you do now, times when I didn’t understand why he wouldn’t listen to me or let me stay by his side when I felt like I could help. Back then, my hurt and frustration made me question whether he truly loved and respected me enough to value my autonomy and decision-making ability. But looking back, I know now that he has always had my best interests at heart. He only ever wanted to keep me safe and to ensure that we could have the future together that we now share.”
“I hope that is how Luc feels, too,” I sigh. My anger is giving way to a sort of calm acceptance now after talking with Isla.
“He does. Just think of how he essentially started a war for you.”
I hadn’t really thought of it that way, but now that she mentions it, I can see that she’s right. Luc not only rescued me from Leonardo’s men back in Italy, erupting what he knew would be a catalyst for a rival mafia Don to pursue vengeance against having his bride taken from him. But he also temporarily “stole” Vincent’s plane and brought me back to Vegas to hide inside of his Don’s hotel suite without so much as thinking about the consequences that he might face for all that he’s done. Now, the Conti family and the Barones are essentially launching a full-scale war on the Moretti’s business operations and crew, and it’s literally all because Luc saved me and brought me here to be with him. He’s gone through so much trouble for me, and deep down, I know that he only has my best interests in mind.