Break All Ties

As I'd expected, the hotel was grandiose. There was valet and red carpets, fancy ropes and golden plated doors. Assante took my hand when we got out of the jeep. I just assumed that someone else grabbed our luggage, what with the amount of people working around us.

They were speaking in French, others were speaking in Italian. To say I had no idea what was going on was the understatement of the century.

"You'll be attending the meeting with me tonight."

I hummed, pretending not to be bothered. "The meeting I'm not allowed to know anything about?"

He gave my hand a squeeze. "It's dressy casual. You'll be there as my wife and the female boss of this mafia. You're just as important to this as me."

"So important that I'm not allowed to know anything about it."

I knew I was pissing him off now. He slowed our walk as we made towards the front desk.

"We'll be meeting with Luca and Ida Columbo," He said, relenting. "You remember them, don't you?"

"No."

"Luca and Ida have a mafia of their own. You met them at your mafia initiation. We're meeting with them tonight."

I'd once been told that marrying a mafia boss instantly sent you soaring to the top of the hierarchy, where you were instantly made an equal of your husband. Now that I was older, I knew that all of that was bullshit. If I were to give a command at the same time as Assante, his men wouldn't hesitate to listen to him and leave me in the dust. We women were nothing but figureheads. We were pretty faces used as arm candy to show how desirable and put together our husbands are.

He walked us up to the front desk where a woman was working. When she looked up, her eyes widened considerably.

"Uh, I uh... can I uh—can I help you?"

He propped a casual arm up on the counter. "We have a room booked."

"Can I take—can I take your names?"

That look on her face said she already knew.

"It's Stokes," He said. My head shot over to him.

"Yes. It's right here." Obviously she knew that was a lie. "I have a room booked for a Charlie and Lorenzo Stokes."

My eyebrows shot up into my hairline.

Shaking, she slid a key over the counter to him.

When we were out of her eyesight, I cleared my throat.

"Stokes?"

He dropped a possessive arm over my shoulder, glaring at anybody that looked at me for too long. "Got a problem with that Bellezza?"

"Nope. No problem at all, Lorenzo Stokes."

He led me through to our hotel room. I couldn't even bring myself to look around our suite. I knew it would all be very rich. I grabbed a complimentary magazine and made myself comfortable on the centre of the bed. I pretended that I understood the French and stared at the pictures.

We sat this way for the better part of ten minutes, neither of us speaking a word. Assante had a file or something of the sort from his duffel bag. I doubted he'd let me have a look at anything.

I needed to figure out a way to bring our conversation from earlier back up. I wanted- needed- to know what he'd really do if I was adamant on going home. To prove that I wasn't in France with him as willingly as he wanted me to think.

A knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts. Turtle stuck his head around the door.

"Capo? I have your shopping ready."