Page 113 of Vows of Blood

I find Sienna near the edge of the dance floor, watching the proceedings with interest.

"What was that about?" she asks quietly.

"Politics." I pull her close, swaying gently to the music. She’s about to ask me more but then seems to decide against it, lowering her head to my shoulder instead as the music changes, the DJ asking the lingering crowd to gather around.

Corso approaches on one side, but before he can take Sienna’s hand, my father, his smile wide and false, blocks his path.

"Luca. I believe it's traditional for the father of the bride to dance with his daughter at least once." He extends his hand toward Sienna. "In the absence of your own father, may I?"

Every instinct screams at me to refuse, to keep her close and shield her from whatever poison he's planning to drip in her ear. But Sienna shakes her head, assuring me she’s okay. We're surrounded by guests, by family heads and their wives, and by people whose good opinions still matter, and she’s determined to play the part of the capo’s wife to perfection.

Sienna glances up at me and I see a hint of fear there, but also, resolve.

"Of course." She places her delicate hand in my father's. "I'd be honored."

I watch as he leads her onto the dance floor, his hand settling on her waist with a possessiveness that makes my skin crawl. As they begin to move, my father leans in and whispers close to her ear.

She stiffens almost imperceptibly then mouths, I love you.

Nico appears at my side. "Want me to intervene?"

"Not yet." I keep my eyes on them, watching every micro expression, every ounce of tension in her shoulders. "Hopefully, he gets his kick from pissing me off and leaves, tail between his legs."

Even as I speak the words, Sienna’s pale face and thin smile send a cold dread settling in my stomach.

I thought the worst of the day was over, the shooter identified and Orlando’s wings clipped, but watching her rigid posture and my father’s sneering face, I have a feeling it’s only just begun.

36

SIENNA

Alfonso's clammy hand closes around mine, and he leads me onto the floor as a new song begins.

His grip on my waist is possessive, his rotund body and protruding belly too close. We begin to move, and I force myself to stay calm, to remember that Luca is watching, and that I'm surrounded by people who would never let anything happen to me.

But none of them know the extent of what this man has done to me, the years of my life he’s stolen and the white-hot hatred that flows through me when I think of what he did to his own son.

"You know," Alfonso says softly, his mouth so near my ear that I have to suppress a shudder of disgust. "I have to admire your persistence. And your discretion."

I keep my bright smile fixed in place for the watching crowd. "I'm not sure what you mean."

Trying not to fidget, I stare forward, my mind circling through all the reasons why I shouldn’t make a scene, why I should just grin and bear it for the next two to three minutes.

"After our little disagreement, all those years ago." He spins me, pulling me back against him with a jolt that makes my stomach lurch. "It was very clever of you, never mentioning it to Luca, keeping an ace up your sleeve. And look. You’ve done it. You’ve snared my son, and convinced him to follow his dick, not his head.”

He spits out the words with venom, and I recoil, physically reacting to being so close to someone who clearly hates me so violently.

“But, as long as you continue to keep your mouth shut like a good girl, I think we can let bygones be bygones."

I scoff.

He knows if I tell Luca the full story, his son will rebel against him completely.

"What do you want?" I ask quietly, my patience running out. My body still carries a lingering fear of the man who’s haunted my nightmares for a long time, which is keeping me glued to this spot.

"What I've always wanted. What's best for this family." The sentiment is noble but that’s not what he wants. He wants power and control. "You'll breed Luca's heirs and keep your secrets buried. And maybe, if you behave, I’ll give you some money to divorce my son, and I'll let you live long enough to see your children grow up."

The threat catapults me back into my darkest day, and suddenly, I'm not in the ballroom anymore. I'm back at the lake house…