Page 37 of Merciless Queen (Moretti Mafia #1)

Caterina

Harlow was opening up more. I could see her demeanor change in certain aspects of her day.

She was trying hard to move on with her life and not let her past write her future.

Men were still a touchy subject for her, but she was interacting with my staff more and going outside with my Dobermans.

She was laughing and enjoying life. The Harlow I was witnessing was a different version of the fragile girl I took from Vincenzo.

I knew she had a long way to go, but she was trying now.

Serena told me therapy was better for her.

Harlow was opening up and talking about everything that happened to her.

It was hard. There was one day I heard her sobbing in Serena’s office, but I knew she was safe, so I didn’t break the door down.

She had her days when she didn’t leave the bedroom or bed, but she would talk to me.

Healing was a different battle for everyone, and the path wasn’t always the same.

Gianna needed my assistance today with the influx of women and girls we rescued.

Vincenzo was not only destroying my shipments, but he was ruining more lives.

Or trying to. I had a mole at the docks who alerted me of a new shipment Vincenzo brought in.

I sabotaged four since the last one. He was getting angrier, and I knew he would fumble.

Vincenzo didn’t realize he was creating an opening for me.

If I could make him crack, it would be easy to get rid of him.

What I wanted to know was why Harlow was so important to him.

He had access to whoever he took, and he chose a child.

Did he think he could groom her into his perfect wife?

There were too many questions that needed to be answered, but I knew I couldn’t sit Harlow down and ask her just yet.

I needed her to tell me when she was ready.

I waited years to destroy Vincenzo; I could wait a few more months.

I walked into the hotel, and Gianna was yelling in Italian into her iPhone.

She was pissed, and everyone knew pissing off Gianna was a mistake because she got stabby when she was upset.

Tommaso came to Lena several times for stab wounds to his thigh caused by her after he pissed her off.

After that, I gave her a raise, and Tommaso learned to be quiet.

“Cat,” she growled as she tossed her phone to the side, “I need more people or a bigger hotel. I can’t keep everyone here safely. I already had two girls try to leave. Someone tried to kidnap one, and three more almost started a fire.”

“More than half will be gone by Friday, returning to their families, and then there will be more space. I will get some of the men to help you.”

She cocked her head to the side. “Babe, your men know how to shoot guns and that’s about it. You know it, too. They wouldn’t know how to keep the women contained.”

“I’ll make sure you have help. What else do you need?”

“Supplies. Send Tommaso.”

“Of course. I will get him here with everything you need. Send him a list. Do you need anything from me now?”

“No. I’m good. How are you and your soon-to-be wife?”

“We are good. Harlow got sick, so we pushed up the wedding.” There were only a handful of people who knew what happened, and Malachi was the only one of my men that knew. What happened was no one's business. “Our wedding will be in two weeks.”

“I can’t wait to see you in your wedding dress.” Her eyes narrowed. “You are wearing a dress, right?”

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, I will be in a wedding dress.” I didn’t want to, but I was wearing a dress made from my mother’s wedding dress.

I only needed a few things done to make it fit me better and be more my style, while still having her as part of the ceremony.

It would be the closest thing to a wedding I’d have, so I figured it was the only time I’d have this opportunity.

“I’ll make sure I am there. I am not missing this.”

“Goodbye, Gianna.”

The newspapers and magazines were publishing anything they could about my wedding and my fiancée.

Of course, most of it was made up. I couldn’t be angry because I didn’t give them anything to work with.

The latest magazine cover was previous photos the press got with several flings and a headline that said, Who is the Missus?

The press liked to flip the narrative to fit their perspective without the whole story, and I let them.

I despised the press, but I refused to argue with them.

Everyone wanted the true story of our wedding and all the details of our love life.

I was thankful I didn’t have to worry about the press daily like celebrities did, but it was still annoying.

If I pulled out my gun and threatened to shoot them, I’d be the bad guy…

again. I did it once, and my father was very displeased with me.

Press was something my father didn’t want a lot of, and after that day, I did my best to stay out of the public eye.

I didn’t understand why my marriage was the talk of the century.

After our wedding and with Harlow’s permission, I would have a spread in our magazine, and the press could go off of that.

Having one of the best magazines in the states had its benefits when I didn’t want to deal with the other ones.

I needed to make sure Harlow was okay with it before anything was done. This was more so her choice than mine.

My father called me on my way back home to check in.

He would be in Italy for a few days, dealing with our family businesses there.

Personally, I thought it was his excuse to leave and not deal with anything.

He needed to stay in Italy. I was tired of dealing with him and his bullshit when I had to deal with everything else on top of it.

I loved my father, but he was pissing me off.

He needed to get his life together before someone got the best of him.

If I was being honest, I was surprised someone didn’t kill him yet.

He was distracted and always had a bottle of whiskey with him.

He also trusted random women. There could be a sleeper cell planted that could stab him in the chest after a night together, but he never wanted to listen to me.

When I got home, it was later than I expected.

Harlow was asleep in my bed, but she had a book open.

I grabbed her book, hoping I bookmarked the correct page, and placed it on the nightstand.

I took a quick shower before changing and crawling into bed next to her.

When she felt me next to her, she instinctively curled around my body.

I brushed her dark hair from her face, my hand lingering on her cheek longer than it should’ve.

Harlow stirred in her sleep slightly, her eyes fluttering open as she peered up at me.

She crawled on top of me, nuzzling herself into my chest more.

I froze, making sure she was okay with this, before I wrapped my arms around her.

She mumbled something, but I couldn’t make it out as she snored softly.