said as his mouth went back down to me, the connection startling and hot.
Alessandro nibbled and licked and bit until I was hanging off an edge, so close yet so far—His thumb scraped my clit, pressing down hard until there was nothing but his flesh pressing into mine, his fingers pressing against me, until my hips jerked—
I cried out to the Heavens as I found my release, my head pressed in between the crook of the Virgin Mary’s legs, and my hands digging into The Godless’s hair.
Afterward, Alessandro held me to his chest, both of us leaning against the statue, our breathing the only sound in the church.
“The di Traglias are going to be trouble,” I whispered.
“I know, my love,” he murmured as he ran a hand down my hair. “We will deal with it when Adelasia is found.”
His tone implied he expected a body, and not a future sister-in-law.
The longer we went without finding her, I felt my own expectations begin to dwindle.
“I think we’re going to have to tie the di Traglias to us somehow.”
Alessandro pressed his lips against my temple. “We are.”
“We have only one thing precious enough to bargain with.” My mouth quivered but I didn’t tear up.
“He will do what is expected of him. As all other Rocchettis do.” He didn’t sound particularly pleased with his statement. “As all Made Men do.”
I closed my eyes. “Duty is inescapable.”
Alessandro was quiet for a moment before quietly saying, “And yet...I have found so much happiness in my own.”
“O h, Bill,” I said as I took in the dark room. The distinct smell of take-out food and misery was strong enough to make my eyes water.
Beneath the blankets, half-encased in shadows, was lately deposed Mayor Bill Salisbury. If it wasn’t for the soft rise and fall of the blanket, I would’ve thought he was dead.
But the poor man was very much alive—and still steeping in his very public loss to Mayor Alphonse Ericson.
“Go away,” he muttered from beneath the covers. “I’m asleep.”
“Bill, it’s me. Sophia Rocchetti.”
Very slowly, Bill shifted the blankets, a mop of greasy gray hair poking up from beneath them. “Sophia Rocchetti?”
I stepped closer to the bed. “The one and only.”
His face grew glum as he took me in. “Are you here to tell me you support Ericson? If so, you needn’t have come so far. The polls told me enough.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. These politicians were all so dramatic. Try being a mob wife for a day.
“Your wife called me, Bill. She is growing tired of...whatever this is.”
Bill sighed.
“You can’t keep going on like this,” I reminded him. “There will come a time you will have to face Ericson. And your city.”
“No there won’t.”
“Yes, there will. Because you’re invited to the Rocchetti Alzheimer’s Support charity gala as my honored guest. How silly will I look if you don’t show up when I said you would?”
Salisbury, like all politicians, was an arrogant man. It came with the territory. But like all other arrogant men, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be an honored guest. Could anybody?
The blanket drew back and his face was visible. His beard was out of control, hiding most of his face. He looked like he had been lost on a deserted island for a few years.
I hid my reaction to his appearance, instead smiling graciously. “The members of the Historical Society will be there. They have missed you terribly these past few weeks.”
“Yeah?”
“Mmhm,” I soothed. “Do you know how excited everyone will be to see you again? Especially at an event as important as this one.”
“Will Ericson be there?”
I smiled. “Of course not.”
That sealed the deal. After weeks of being a virtual shut in, Salisbury was finally coming back out into the public eye.
Which was for the best.
I couldn’t have the politician I planned on replacing Ericson with spending all his time hiding under the covers like some scared little boy.
Guests dressed in their best tuxes and gowns loitered around the tables, laughing over champagne and hors d’oeuvres. Scientists and politicians and socialites all shoved into the same space, trying to squeeze money or information out of each other.
The ballroom had been decorated to perfection. From the emotional photos lining the walls to the glittering golden lights hanging from the ceiling. Flowers added a softer feel, wrapped around the doorways and chairs.
I stood by the doorway with Alessandro, both of us dressed in our finest and greeting guests.
My gown fell down to the ground, formed of golden