Page 4 of Vow of Hate

It takes me a second to understand what he’s saying and when it hits me, a loud, crazy laugh escapes my mouth. “You want me to marry some random woman? Why?”

“For peace,” he says through gritted teeth. “You’re becoming a pain in my ass, Dante. I would prefer us to be friends then enemies. A marriage deal is a sign of trust. I offer up one of my men’s daughters to you. And you marry her and then we can have peace. We don’t have to fight. We can share in wealth. You can become even more wealthy than you are now.”

“But see, the thing is, I’m already loaded. So I don’t need your money.”

Gabriel approaches me until we’re toe-to-toe. I can smell the peppermint on his breath. “You will end up dead if you continue down this path. I have more resources then you do. I could easily kill you right now. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“So what’s stopping you?”

“Because I don’t know how loyal your men are. I don’t want a war on my hands. A peace deal benefits all of us.”

“Who’s the poor woman you plan on giving to me?”

“Sienna Lanza. Her father, Carlo, was a high ranking mafia man.”

I lift one eyebrow. “Was?”

“Carlo is dead now. A heart attack. But Sienna has a good standing within the mafia. She’s a prized pony. A lot of men want her but she hasn’t agreed to any marriage yet. You can marry her.”

“Is she pretty?”

Gabriel hesitates before nodding. “Very. It’s partly why a lot of men want her. What do you say?”

“What do I say?” I scoff. “You think I’m just going to marry some random woman you’ve chosen for me. This is so you can keep me on a leash. But I’m not going to remain on a leash, Gabriel.”

“If you don’t agree to this, Dante, I will kill you right now.”

I can tell Gabriel isn’t bluffing. The only way out of this is to agree but that doesn’t mean I have to actually mean it.

“Fine,” I grit out. “I’ll agree to a deal with you. A marriage deal.”

“Great.” Except, Gabriel’s face does not look happy. “I’ll get everything arranged. I look forward to working with you.” He extends his hand out to me.

After a beat, I take it.

But it’s all a lie. I am not going to be forced into a marriage deal just so Gabriel can keep me on a leash. I am too chaotic and free for that.

Once Gabriel and his men leave, I have more time to think about his words. Sienna Lanza, he said. Gabriel, even if it wasn’t his intention, has spiked my curiosity.

I think it’s time I learn who this Sienna Lanza is.

Chapter Two

Sienna

My mother throws two passports down onto the kitchen table. “Our new passports. New IDs.”

I open mine up. It has my picture but an entirely new named attached to it. Elizabeth Conde. A new date of birth. A new place of birth. Everything new.

“Is this who I am now?” I ask.

“Yes. The moment we leave this city, you cannot call me by my real name. I’m Sarah Conde now.”

“Sarah? That’s… such an American name.”

“Exactly. I don’t want people to know were Italian. We’ll have to work on our accents. But we can hide it. We’ll acclimate.”

“We’re moving to America?”