He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. “Welcome to the family.”
I looked down at the ring, a mixture of unease and excitement running through me.
The queen of La Fedeltà.
The queen of Hell.
“What happens now?” I asked.
"We'll have the meeting and then celebrate," he said, holding his arm out to me.
I looped my arm through his and allowed him to lead me out of the office. A ball of dread settled in the pit of my stomach, but I couldn't pinpoint why. There was a nagging feeling telling me that Bennett was hiding something detrimental, but I pushed the negative thoughts to the back of my mind.
When Bennett and I arrived in the living room, majority of the conversation ceased. He and I stood in front of the fireplace at the front of the room. The living room was filled with all of his top-ranking men; the first men of the new family.
“I’ve gathered you all here tonight to announce the start of a new era,” Bennett started. My heart sped up in my chest as I listened to him speak, the anxiety of not knowing getting the best of me.
“I refuse to be a part of an organization that doesn’t believe in loyalty,” he continued as Bruce came to a stop next to him, holding a box. “I can’t be a part of an organization that can betray their own.” He rolled his shoulders, his expression hardening. “So as of tonight, we are no longer the Moreno Family.”
Everyone murmured in confusion around us until Bennett raised his hand to silence them. “As you all know, loyalty means everything to me. It once meant something to my father. My father poisoned what a generation of Moreno men created, and I’m severing the tie from him.” He reached into the box and pulled out a gold button and held it up. “From this night on, we are now La Fedeltà.”
“Hell yeah,” someone said from the couch.
“The name means loyalty in Italian. It’s something I want you all to remember. It’s something you’ll all pledge to live for. To die for. To fight for. I’m going to create something Wilson Moreno couldn’t, and I will destroy him with it,” Bennett stated, his voice hard. The men in the room all cheered in agreement, clapping and hooting around the living room.
“By accepting this new insignia, you’re pledging your life to La Fedeltà. You will live and die by our new motto: la lealtà è onore, which means ‘loyalty is honor.’”
The living room erupted in cheers again, and I couldn't help the smile that pulled at my lips. I had to admit that it was hard to not feel proud of being a part of something so much bigger than myself. My mind drifted back to my father, wondering if he’d felt similar things when he first joined the mafia. It was a sense of pride on a level I hadn’t felt in a while, not since having to give up my cosmetics company. Despite the pride I felt, there was still something nagging me about this whole arrangement.
“I don’t think Bennett was 100% honest about his intentions,” the voice in my head said. I frowned. What else could he possibly do to me? I was now a part of the mafia; it didn’t take rocket science to know that being a made woman wouldn’t be easy. But it felt as if it were more than that, as if I’d opened a can of worms that I wasn’t prepared for or warned about.
Bennett pinned the new insignia on all twenty-five men gathered around the living room and held his hand up to silence them again.
“With the start of a new family, I want to also take a moment to introduce a new member to our ranks,” he said and took my hand, meeting my gaze. “Aurora here has pledged her life to La Fedeltà tonight as well.”
I gave Bennett a small smile as the room erupted with applause. Carrie stood on the staircase, her hands covering her mouth as she looked at me with tearful eyes. Before I could even begin to process what that could possibly be about, Bennett continued speaking.
“With that being said, Aurora will rule our new empire alongside me as the queen of La Fedeltà.” He smiled at me, sending a spark of fear gliding up and down my spine. “And as my wife.”
It was as if time slowed as I processed his words. His…wife? My face fell as cheers and hoots filled the living room. “W-What?” I exclaimed. This wasn’t a part of the fucking deal. He’d said I had to join the mafia, not fucking marry him! I looked to Carrie again, who only looked at me with sad, apologetic eyes. Was this what she was trying to warn me about?
“How else would you be queen?” he taunted. “Besides, the requirement was to give yourself to me wholly. Mind, body, and soul. And since I have all of that, it’s only right to make it official and have you as my wife.”
My mouth opened and closed for a few moments, still in shock. This couldn’t be fucking real. There was no way I was legally married to this asshole. I flipped through my mind and tried to remember the documents Bennett had me sign. He only winked at me as his men surrounded him and congratulated us. Despite all the noise going on around me, I couldn’t hear much of anything over my own heartbeat. I was married? And to Bennett no less?
“All hail the new queen,” Bennett said and smiled at me. “My queen.”
“Hail the queen of La Fedeltà!” everyone exclaimed and cheered. Dread filled me and I suddenly felt sick to my stomach.
What the hell have I done?
I was a wife.
I was Bennett’s wife.
What in the goddamn fuck did I do?!
Women clad in skimpy black dresses walked into the living room with trays of champagne, handing everyone a glass. I pursed my lips, fuming as Bennett made a toast to a new beginning, to La Fedeltà, to us.
“I told you something didn’t feel right,” the small voice in my head reminded me.
Fuck off, I snapped back. There was no way we could be married. I would’ve had to sign some kind of marriage license, right? Bennett stepped into my line of vision with a smirk, tipping his flute of champagne to his lips.
“We should be celebrating, so why do you look so upset?” he teased.
I frowned at him. “You know why,” I ground out.
“I don’t, actually,” he said and shrugged. “No one forced you into anything. You made your own choice.”
“You didn’t say shit about marriage!” I hissed, trying to keep my voice down as people milled about.
“I asked you if you wanted to read what you were about to sign. What did you say to me when I asked you that?” he asked.
I thought back to that day, my body tensing involuntarily at the memory.
I stood in Bennett’s office along with Bruce, Saint, and Nyxin. Bennett sat behind his desk, rubbing his growing facial hair as he looked over the documents before him with a sigh.
“I’ve made up my mind,” he finally said. “We’re cutting our ties from him. I can’t do this anymore.”
“What does that even mean? Are we out of a job now?” Saint asked.
Bennett shook his head. “No. We’re not out of the mafia; just no longer apart of the Moreno Family.”
“About damn time,” Bruce mumbled.
“Are we branching out?” Nyxin asked.
I stood there in silence, unsure of what the hell was going on or why I was here. If they were talking about official mafia business, I had no reason to be a part of it. It wasn’t as if I was in the mafia. Unless…
“Yeah. I think that’s the best move right now, especially since I plan to kill him—”
I cleared my throat to interrupt him. Everyone’s eyes turned to me, Bennett frowning. “We agreed that it would be a group effort,” I reminded him.
He stared at me for a while longer and then grinned. “Yeah, we did. But I’ll come back to that in a second.” He turned back to his men. “We have to branch off before Wilson is killed, otherwise, it’ll only look like I killed him just to take his spot. That won’t go over too well with the other families.”
The men nodded in agreement. “That’s actually really smart. Knowing Wilson, who’s to say that he already hasn’t been planting that particular bug in other family’s ear since he knows you’re coming for him?” N
yxin added.
“Exactly. Even though I wanted him dead forever ago, I still have to go about it the right way. My family has strong alliances with a couple of powerful families and the last thing I want is to put a target on all of our backs by being sloppy and irresponsible.” He released a deep sigh and leaned back in his seat. “So, first, we separate and send out a formal announcement. Then, we start working on the first order of business for La Fedeltà: killing Wilson Moreno.”
“La Fedeltà…I’m cool with that,” Saint said with a nod.
“Isn’t that loyalty in Italian?” Bruce asked, to which Bennett nodded. “My grandfather used to stress that a lot when growing up.”
“My father used to stress how important it was also, but his definition of loyalty is a lot different than what it actually is,” Bennett ground out. “I don’t have time for conditional loyalty. You either are or you aren’t, and he’s proven to be untrustworthy.”
“Well, I’m with you 100%,” Bruce said with a nod.
“Yeah, same. 100%,” Saint added.
“I don’t even have to say it, but you know I’m with you no matter what you choose; 100%,” Nyxin said with a grin.
Bennett looked to me and smiled. “And now that leaves you,” he said. I raised an eyebrow as I looked around at all of them.
“Me? What about me?” I asked cautiously.
“Unless you weren’t just paying attention, you’d know that I just said that killing Wilson is now official business of La Fedeltà,” he said. I continued staring at him. What the hell did that have to do with anything? It didn’t change the fact that he’d said that we could do it together.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “So, what, you’re taking back what you said?” I asked, my tone dry.
He shook his head. “No, but there are conditions,” he said and leaned forward on the desk.
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Of course there were conditions; it always was with this asshole. “And what would that be, Mr. Moreno?” I asked.
“You’re going to have to pledge to La Fedeltà,” he said. I blinked, processing what he’d just said.
“You…you want me to join the…mafia?” I repeated. I didn’t know a damn thing about this life. All I wanted was to have a part of killing Wilson and then figuring out a way to get the hell out of here. To join the mafia meant there was no way out when all of this was over. Was that what I really wanted?
“That’s what I just said, isn’t it?” he drawled with a frown. “Join, and you can be involved. Don’t, and you won’t be.”
An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of my gut. My father had tried to shield me my entire life from this, and now the opportunity had presented itself to me. The day he’d sent me away, he kept telling me how he’d made a terrible mistake and now had to pay for it. Was joining the mafia the terrible mistake? Or was the mistake him trying to leave? I knew if I joined, I couldn’t back out. But that wasn’t the scary part of this whole thing. The scary part was how I didn’t seem to truly care about that. I would sacrifice any and everything to be present when Wilson took his last breath. My hands twitched with want at the thought of my actions causing him pain and suffering. He’d taken so much from me and I wanted to be the cause of his death.
I knew Bennett wouldn’t just let me tag along for the hell of it. It was too dangerous, and it was no place for anyone who wasn’t apart of mafia business. As he looked at me expectantly, I knew I had to hurry up and make up my mind.
“Focus on Wilson first and worry about the rest later. Bennett won’t let you kill him unless you join,” the voice in my head reminded me.
If I continued on with my plan to seduce Bennett and break his heart, I could possibly convince him to let me go. I wasn’t sure if I could enlist the help of my sister through my dreams again, but it definitely wouldn’t hurt to try.
“I don’t have all day,” Bennett said, cutting into my thoughts. I swallowed the ball of fear in my throat.
“Okay,” I said, my voice trembling a bit. “If that’s the only option I have, then I guess I’ll join.”
“You have the option not to,” he reminded me. “But if you truly want to kill my father, then that’s what you’ll have to do.”
“I know,” I said. “Whatever it takes.”
“Whatever it takes,” he repeated. “You sure about that?”
The mischievous look in his eyes gave me pause. The devil was a good liar and deceiver; how did I even know whether or not I could trust this maniac? But on second thought, I thought of all the people I’d lost because of his father. My parents. My fiancé. My old life. My old self. This whole time I thought I needed to avenge them by getting out of here, but I needed to kill the puppet master himself. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be able to live my life peacefully or normally if Bennett decided to let me go. I’d be nothing but a loose end that Wilson would want to get rid of. If he did the same to my sister, what the hell would stop him from eventually coming after me?
I stood a little taller. “Yes. Whatever it takes,” I stated again, a bit more firmly this time.
He smiled and slid over a small stack of papers. They were all lined up to where the signature line showed on the bottom of each page. “If you’re serious, then sign.” He held my gaze. “Or you can walk back out the door and remain as you are.”
“Then give me a fucking pen,” I said.
Something flickered in his gaze but disappeared just a quick. Without taking his eyes off of me, he reached into a cup on his desk, picked up a pen, and clicked it, holding it out to me.
“Do you always sign things without reading them?” he asked. “I’d be a bad businessman if I didn’t tell you to at least look at what you’re signing.”
“Does it truly matter though?” I asked, rolling my eyes. “You’ve made it clear; the only way I can kill Wilson is if I’m a part of your little gang.”
Saint snorted, covering his mouth when Bennett looked to him. Bennett turned his attention back to me and shrugged. “Those are the conditions, yes. You should use your head, not your emotions.”
“Oh, fuck off,” I mumbled, crossing the space between us and snatching the pen from him. “I want your father dead. I’m not budging on that.”
I scribbled my name on the documents. Whatever happened beyond this moment no longer mattered. As long as I got what I wanted, I didn’t care. Bennett chuckled, taking the papers back and looking over them.
“Then I guess that’s a done deal,” he said.
“So, what happens now? Is there like an initiation or something?” I asked, anxious nerves traveling throughout my body.
Bennett stood from his desk. “I’ll order your insignia and you’ll officially pledge to La Fedeltà. We’ll go from there when the time comes.” He nodded toward the door. “You’re excused.”
I looked back to Bennett’s smirking face as he finished the rest of his champagne.
“So, you tricked me into signing a marriage license. How pathetic,” I mumbled, downing my drink and immediately needing another.
He scoffed and then chuckled. “Tricked you? I told you to at least look at what you were signing, which reminds me that you never answered my questions. What did you say when I told you that?”
I ground my teeth, wanting to slap the smirk right off his face. “I asked you if it truly matter whether I did or not since the only way to kill Wilson was to join.”
“So, you can’t say I ‘tricked’ you. You can only say that you were an irresponsible businesswoman.” He chucked me under the chin. “You never sign paperwork without at least scanning it, especially when you’re making deals with a man you claim to be the devil.”
“But—”
“No more bitching right now. This is supposed to be a celebration—at least for everyone else—and you’re killing the mood. Complain about it later, but deal with it for now,” he said, cutting me off. “Now be a good wife and smile.”
I grabbed another champagne flute and guzzled down the crisp
drink, wanting to get as drunk as possible to make this night go by faster. How could I have been so stupid? Bennett warned me to think with my head and not my emotions; now my emotions had me legally tied to this fucking asshole and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. Being able to leave the mafia was now the least of my worries; now I had to figure out how to get my marriage annulled or divorce him.
People came over and shook Bennett’s hand to congratulate him. It was a bit shocking to see those same men kneel before me and kiss my ring. These were the same assholes who snickered and laughed when Bennett paraded me through the house naked to punish me and now they had to bow to me. Bennett only winked at me, as if taking pleasure in my discomfort. If he didn’t watch himself, I’d put him on my hit list right along with his dickhead father.
When I finally got a moment alone, I rushed over to where Carrie stood. She looked at me and gave me a small smile. “Hail the queen of La Fedeltà, huh?” she said.
“Did you know about the whole marriage thing?” I asked. “Is that why you kept telling me to reconsider?”
“Um, no. I told you to reconsider because it’s the fucking mafia. It’s nothing like in movies or T.V. shows. I didn’t know you were married until he announced it. Why the hell would you marry him? Joining the mafia was bad enough.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose and released a long breath in an attempt to calm myself. “I didn’t realize I was marrying him. Trust me, I wouldn’t have signed shit had I known that’s what he meant when he said I had to give myself to him ‘wholly,’” I drawled, putting air quotations around “wholly.”
“How didn’t you know? I mean you read over everything before you signed it, didn’t you? Maybe he forged your signature or…” Her sentence trailed off, the look on my face probably answering her questions. “Shit, Aurora. What were you thinking?”
“That’s the thing; I wasn’t! I was just so hellbent on wanting to get to Wilson that I was willing to sacrifice everything. I didn’t know Bennett would make me marry him in the process. What the hell would he get out of a marriage anyway? It’s not like he’d gain anything by being married to me. My parents are dead. He has everything that belonged to me. What more did he fucking want?”
Rules of Bennett: The Complete Collection Page 41
