Marry the Don

Chapter 35

“That’s a bit …” Luca shrugged wisely, “Bold.”

“Do you doubt the need for the change or my ability to get it done?”

“Never. For either of those.” He answered instantly and I watched him closely for a hint of deception. “But I am curious as to why you waited for your young wife to leave the room, or better yet, instructed her to leave before you brought it up. Do you not trust her loyalty to you after all?”

I scoffed and took a sip of liquor from my glass that Manny refilled before the conversation started. “We’ve been married for less than a week.” I poured back a heavy amount, “While I would like to believe that my charm and good looks are enough to hide my poor manners and brute insensitivity with women somedays,” the room chuckled and I glared good-heartedly, “I’m not naïve to the fact that

it is new, and she owes me no loyalty. To be frank with you all, Emilio beat and tortured Arianna for most of her life to mold her into the perfect little doll that fit his needs. He starved her, drugged her, and isolated her to keep her compliant and ready to perform for him at will. So believe me when I say her distaste for him runs deep. But,” I leaned my elbow onto the mantle and looked down into the flames, “My wife’s adoration for her siblings, Carmine especially, runs far deeper than any fondness she’s developed for me thus far. She won’t trust me to not harm the Rosetti heir in my move for Emilio. And I don’t blame her, because she is right to worry.”

“ So, how does West Shores play into it?” Harris, a man from my father’s day of rule questioned as his young son watched on, soaking up all the knowledge he could from his first meal with the Don.

“West Shores geographically is closest to the Rosetti home estate, and where most of Emilio’s resources are housed. His money, his men, his women, and most recently-,” I let my voice die off and looked at Luca.

“His weapons,” He hissed. “Fucking prick, I knew those fucking crates weren’t being traded out of the district. Fucking drug smuggling cartels.” He spit with malice.

Weeks ago I’d been informed of movement within my districts. Movement of weapons and money too large to belong to anyone besides myself or someone like Rosetti. It took far longer than it should have, but I was able to trace them back to my new father-in-law and sat on the information until the opportunity presented itself to formulate a plan, given that my wedding was nearing.

I got the opportunity that I needed, when I met with Carmine.

“Emilio is planning something. Something big.” I addressed the crowd, “I’d be a total worthless fuck not to notice the way he schemed and relied on his daughter’s marriage to me to come to fruition for me to believe it doesn’t affect me somehow.”

“ So, what’s the plan?” Harris leaned forward staring directly at me.

Out of everyone in the room, he was the most bloodthirsty, always ready for the marching order to make someone hurt and I could see the same excitement burning in his son’s eyes as he looked from his father to me.

“I plan to use Carmine to get those weapons and any more smuggled in as well as the money being paid to the cartel to bring them into my territory without my approval. Then I’m going to destroy him, exposing him to our allies as the traitorous rat he’s turned out to be. Lastly, I’ll dethrone him. In his place, Carmine will take the lead of the Rosetti family businesses, who has already proven to be far more like-minded to me than his father.”

“And your wife?” Harris’s son questioned boldly, stepping far enough out of place that my father would have had him beaten for it, but I didn’t need to use my fists to align my soldiers.

I used my cunningness, “My wife is essentially only here to serve one purpose. Give me sons. Above that, her happiness or loyalty does not interest me. If she has a problem with me killing her father, too bad. But I don’t anticipate her being a problem.”

“How are you planning on ensuring that?” Leo questioned, “Women like your wife are the ones to watch the closest in my personal opinion. She’s the type of woman who would gladly run a knife along your throat in your sleep for the pure joy of saying she bested someone that got the up on her first. And if I know you at all, you’ve gotten the better of her at least a few times already. Do you not fear having her so close without having her loyalty first?”

“My need for sons, children of any gender,” I corrected, “far outweighs most of my other problems currently. And I’ve already seen to starting that process, and once she is pregnant and attached to the baby, she won’t jeopardize their safety or happiness. Not even for her brother.”

“You plan to use your own child against their mother to keep her in line?” Harris asked surprised, with a hint of approval in his eyes.

“You act like that hasn’t been the way of every Don in the history of the Cosa Nostra. I’ll do whatever is necessary to get what I want, and what I want most is to eradicate Emilio Rosetti and as much of his tainted bloodline from this earth as possible. Using my wife or our unborn child that she will soon carry in her womb against him is just one of the ways I will do that.”

I stared the old-time button man down, showing him that I didn’t care if he made his name for himself through hits and bloodshed ordered by my father or not.

I was the fucking Don.