Made For You

Ch. 3: Rising Tensions

Gabriel

The rows of cars exiting the gates of Antonio's home heighten the anxiety in my already agitated nerves. The sight of them as they whoosh by us, to take positions behind my limousine all in one line, has me gritting my teeth.

I remove the sunglasses from my eyes, frozen by the infinite number of vehicles, and towards the very end, I notice the tiny figure of my future wife strutting with a book in her hand. Behind her, two servants pull a pair of brown horses in the same direction. She has guards flanking her sides and the hem of her little pink dress jumps against her thighs with every step. Her hair bounces in the wind, the light breeze after the rain causing it to flow behind her like a cape.

Head held high, she walks in our direction with the Ray-Bans covering her eyes, making it impossible to gauge her true reaction to all this.

She is acting brave, but I know deep down, this arrangement is freaking her out.

Good. I need her to fear what's in store for her. She ruined my plans.

"You have to be kidding me," I grunt, turning to face the car as I speak to my brother, Fabio, who is standing beside me. "She's bringing the whole mansion with her."

"You want me to threaten her?" Fabio asks, staring at my fiancée. "She looks like a Barbie walking down the street after some child experimented on her."

"Show some respect, Fabio. She's my wife."

"Not your wife yet. You seem to be obsessed with calling her that."

He shrugs and I mentally curse myself for all the slips. "Repeating it to myself might make me actually believe I'm taking this..." I pause, watching her reflection in the car's windows. "—thing with me."

"Thing?" Fabio snickers. "Show some respect, Gabriel. She's your wife."

"Shut up."

He is having way too much fun with my suffering. If he weren't my brother and my right-hand man, I would have kept him far away from Sofia. He is dangerous for her.

I can make out from the wicked gleam in his amber eyes as he watches her that he is already planning ways to torment her.

This is why I wanted Estella. He respected her and she knew how to handle him. Sofia doesn't seem capable of that.

"You could choose someone else from the other Capos' offspring," he suggests. "Keep this plot of bringing Antonio closer to your trust circle for later. Revenge can wait."

The onslaught of memories that grips my senses is quick, making me fist a hand over the car's roof.

Blood. Death. Ma...

Madre

This is not just any revenge. Sofia would be my means to an end. I wish to see Antonio crushed. He has no idea what's coming for him now that I will be a part of his family.

There will be blood, and Antonio won't realize what errors he made to be bathed in it.

The punishment must fit the crime, after all.

"It can't," I declare firmly.

"Whatever," Fabio chuckles.

"Have you heard from Rocco?" I ask him to distract myself from the pretty woman who is taking her time strolling lazily.

"No," Fabio says, sounding tense.

"It's strange. He has never not accepted my calls." Or emails or texts.

Rocco Marino is one of my good friends. He is the son of one of my Capos, the only one of the same age as me. His parents are the definition of good people being caught up in the wrong business. Unlike our criminal world, Rocco has dreams of being a lawyer someday and fighting for the good of the common man. He is his parents' only child.