Lucian didn't move his gaze off Adelina until she was seated into the back of the black Escalade and on her way home. He asked that Vinny send her home so they could chat privately. Truthfully, Lucian didn't want Adelina to know the men in her life were using her as a bargaining chip. He suspected that a girl with her fire wouldn’t take kindly to be used for la famiglia.

"So," Massimo gestured to the empty seat where Adelina had been sitting. "What do you think? Are you interested in our offer?"

Massimo was a “get right to business” kind of guy, Lucian respected this quality as he had no interest in bullshitting and smoking cigars with men he didn't trust.

"Tell me again," Lucian brought his glass of newly refilled Cognac to his lips. Normally he would savor the flavor, but right now he just needed the drink.

"Marriage, of course. In exchange, we need your help with our pesky little Irish problem."

The "pesky little Irish problem" Massimo referred to wasn't as little as he made it out to be. Lucian wasn't dumb, he did his own digging, and this problem has escalated to a full-on turf war. If he helped Massimo there was a large probability that they were both going to lose men.

Adelina.

Her name rang like a bell in his head. If he didn't take this deal there was a good chance she would die because of it. Italian’s had a code, they didn't involve women and children but unfortunately the Irish didn't live by the same standards.

Lucian didn't want to be the guy who did stupid things for a girl, but the thought of her alone with these two assholes who are quick to sell her out and a gang of Irish gunning for her made him sick. He gorgeous body, pouty lips, and sass didn’t help either.

Still, Lucian was not going to buy her. That's what they wanted, protection in exchange for her marriage. He knew this wasn't the first arranged marriage in the world, or even in the mafia, but it still didn't sit right with him. Massimo and her prick older brother were taking away her freedom to choose.

"How long is the offer good for?" Lucian asked.

Vinny scoffed like he had never been so offended in his life. "You've seen her!" He shouted, grabbing the attention of nearby patrons. "She's hot, what more do you need?"

In took every ounce of strength Lucian had to not jump up and choke the man, but he figured that wouldn't be a good start if he wanted a relationship with Adelina. So instead, he eased out of his chair and controlled his face into a cold mask.

"I want to think about." He extracted a wad of cash from his pocket, and tossed it on the table. "You'll hear from me."

Stopping before he left the restaurant, "and one more thing Vincent, don't introduce anymore men to her. Understood?"

Massimo cut Vinny off before he could gather a response. "Understood." He stood from his seat extending his hand to Lucian to shake.

???

“You wanted to see me, pops?” Lucian asked strolling into his father’s office.

Carlo Luchese sat behind a large mahogany desk in a black leather chair. The office was the only room in the 22-million-dollar home that was allowed dark furniture. Lucian’s mother, Annette, went on a decorating spree about six years ago when they built the house. “No more darkness”. She had told the men.

She said it was because the old house was filled with dark wood and deep reds coloring the home in a sinister light, but Lucian had a feeling it also had to do with the darkness in their lives.

The new home was filled with bright whites and blues. It had a beachy theme to it, which was fitting as it was right off the water.

His mother loved to sit outside and read with the water splashing in the background and his father had his eyes set on a boat once he “retired”. By retiring, he meant having Lucian take over the family business.

“What did I tell you about ‘pops’?” He said the word with disgust. Carlo was a loving father, but an old fashioned one.

“Pa? How ‘bout that?”

“Better.” He grumbled. “Sit.” He gestured to the seat across from him.

Carlo was a great and loving father but he was also the boss of the Luchese family, when he gave an order it was meant to be followed, even if it was a simple as sitting down.

Carlo leaned back in his chair, gazing curiously at Lucian. “How was New England?”

“Uneventful.”

Carlo snorted out a laugh. “You don’t say? That’s probably the first uneventful weekend that girls ever had.”

“Pa,” Lucian wanted to defend her, say it wasn’t her fault, but truthfully, he didn’t know.

“So, tell me Lucian, how did it really go?”

“She’s nice.”

“And pretty.”

“Yeah, and that.”

“So?” He asked again.

“Not sure. I’ll let you know though.”

Carlo rolled his eyes and sighed. “You and Enzo better get your acts together and let an old man retire.”

Lucian smiled wearily at his father. “Yeah, pops, I’m on it. I’ll be taking another trip to Providence this week.”

Lucian only had one goal in life. He was born and raised to lead the family. He spent his teenage years running around behind his uncle and doing his bidding. No one was going to take away his place in the family; he earned it. Still, as much as his father talked about retiring, the man wasn’t ready to hand over the family to Lucian. What was it going take?

“Great.” Carlo nodded his head, effectively ending the conversation. “And who is going to handle the shipment issues?”

Lucian sighed. “I’ll handle it.”

The shipment he was referring to was a big form of income for the family: drugs. Their last supplier ended up not working out, so Lucian took it upon himself to negotiate a new deal. The negotiations were successful, so now it was time for the first shipment. The plan was for the supplier to bring in in via shipping boat to the famiglia run dock. From there the guys would like it to the warehouse, sort it, and off to the dealers.

“You’ll handle the shipment and be in Providence at the same time?” Carlo rose him eyebrows.

Shit.

Carlo sighed knowingly. “Your brother is ready, son. Give him some responsibility.”

To be honest, Enzo, Lucian’s younger brother was the only one he trusted in life. Still, Enzo had a less than stellar past. He was known around the family as a party boy, but his father was right. Enzo was starting to get better. Now, he was running one of Lucian’s clubs, handling his own group of men, and doing pretty well at it. He was ready.

“Okay.” Lucian said. “I’ll ask Enzo to handle the shipment.”

His father smiled. “Glad to hear it.” He sat in his leather chair and looked thoughtfully at Lucian, “Treat her well, son.”

“I will.” Lucian replied.

“And see your ma on the way out, huh?”

“Of course.” And on that note, Lucian was out the door.

Chapter Five

“Adelina.” Her mother scolded. “You know that’s not right.

She was learning etiquette. What fork to use when. How to fold your napkin on your lap. To smile when others talk.

To sit quietly and be a good girl.

Adelina wasn’t a good girl.

At least according to her mother.

“Ah, let her go Eve.” Her father told them entering the kitchen in their Federal Hill home.

Eve huffed. “She’s not even trying Al!”

“She not going to.” He smiled. “She’s not a girly girl, and she doesn’t need to be.” He sat down next to Adelina at the counter.

Eve slated her napkin down on the counter and left the kitchen.

“Thank you, Papa.” Adelina smiled gratefully.

“Anytime mi bambina.”

???

It was September and still 80 degrees in Providence, Adelina supposed she could thank global warming for that. Her mother had scolded her for "wasting away in her bedroom" so she was now laid out on lounger on the back patio. Apparently mourning your life in the confines of your room with a pint of Ben & Jerry's was unacceptable.

It had been ten days and she was still locked up in her family home. Vinny wouldn't even tell her what she did to warrant house arrest. He gave her five minutes on her laptop to email her professors that she'd be out for the foreseeable future due to a family emergency. A family emergency that, as far as she could tell, was not real.

She got no answers to her questions and hadn't heard a peep from Massimo since lunch with Lucian. She was positive that he had something to do with this exile.

One more day in this house and she was positively going to lose her mind. She needed her school work, and her music, and really anything other than Netflix and ice cream to get by.

She was exhausted from being exhausted.