Page 14 of Vows of Power
She studies me a moment. “I heard, but do you know how to get into one of these? Apparently, you need a special invitation.”
“I know who to ask.” I shrug.
“Then we can go.” She claps her hands in front of her. “But not blind. We need to know exactly what we’re getting into before we walk in. And maybe we can come up with a different story. We don’t have to go there as ourselves. We can use wigs and makeup to change our appearance. It’s better that we appear as ourselves when we’re fully ready and have more info. For now, we can improvise. And if we mess something up, we won’t do it as ourselves, so no harm.”
I nod, and we run through our parts like we did the Dominic story, except this time it’s less about what to say and more about how we appear. Amalia pretends to be a woman who’s bored and rich and used to getting her way, and she’s frighteningly good at it. I play the husband who likes that everyone watches when he comes through the door. We go back and forth, figuring out our story until it makes sense.
“Where did our money come from?” she asks.
“Shipping. Boring and clean enough that no one asks twice, and dirty enough underneath that the right people understand.” I lift my chin. “And yours?”
“I don’t talk about mine. I let them wonder. A woman with secrets is more interesting than one with answers.”
“You’d know.” I chuckle.
She gives me a look, but her lips twitch. “Stay in your role.”
“I am. I’m an arrogant man with too much money and a beautiful wife. It’s not a stretch.”
A laugh slips out of her throat. As she reaches toward one of the papers, I try to pass it to her, and our hands end up touching. Her gaze meets mine, and a zap of something rushes through my fingers, so I pull my hand back. What the fuck was that?
As we go back to our work, eventually she runs a hand over her face. “This is dangerous, even if it doesn’t feel that way. If one person in that room recognizes me or you, we’re not getting a second chance.” She scratches her chin. “And getting this close and blowing it because I got cocky or careless...”
“You’ve waited too long to be careless now. And you won’t be alone in there,” I say and she glances at me, so I hold her gaze so she’d know that I mean it. “Whatever goes wrong, it’ll be for both of us. I’m not going to leave you there on your own. We’re stronger together than apart, and that’s just true.”
She tilts her head, eyeing me carefully. “You say that now, but once you get there and you think you can taste your freedom...”
“I give you my word. Besides, trusting unknown men over you and turning against you would make me really stupid.”
“And very, very dead.” The corners of her lips quirk up. “Okay, so we’re not going to get everything in one night, and we won’t even try. We’ll listen so we can get information, Dominic’s allies, and a real picture of his world. Anything more is a bonus.”
I nod. She knows exactly what she’s walking into and she’s still willing to do it. It’s admirable. I thought I’d be tolerating her and humoring a woman who got handed power she didn’t know how to use, but she proves me wrong every time she opens her mouth and I really like that.
“What?” she says, because I must’ve been staring.
“Nothing, just thinking that you’re probably better at this than your father ever was.”
“Don’t get soft on me now,” she says, shaking her head.
I grin and pull the reports closer. Soft isn’t the word for it. But I’m not going to argue with her about that either.
Chapter 10
AMALIA
I LEAN IN CLOSE TOthe mirror and start putting on my makeup. The first event went well, better than I let myself hope. Matteo behaved, and we left with names and info I didn’t have before. But that was us as strangers, hidden under wigs and makeup, and a story we could throw away if needed. This time, there’s no costume to hide behind. Tonight we go in as ourselves, and Dominic will look right at me and decide if I’m worth his time.
I press the brush into the powder and tap off the excess. My father made men straighten up when he walked into a room, and now the Petrelli name is mine to carry or lose. I don’t get to grow into it slowly. The men who work for me are still deciding whether I’m the real thing or just my father’s daughter playing dress-up, and who knows what Dominic will think?
A small thrill runs through me at the thought of it, even though there’s fear and anger mixed in too. Dominic killed Tomasso, and it’ll take all my willpower not to try to jump at him and strangle him with my own bare hands. He thinks he can move through this world untouched, and tonight I’ll have to smile and let him think he’s the most dangerous person in the room. I grit my teeth.
“You’re staring at that mirror like you want to smash it,” Matteo says from the doorway.
I look at his reflection. His shoulder is against the frame, and he’s already dressed. The suit fits him, which is annoying,because I’m sure he’s aware of it. But there’s something else in his eyes as he looks at me, and I’m not sure what it is.
“It’s called preparation.” I apply some mascara. “You should try it sometime.”
“I’m prepared. I look incredible, and so do you. What else is there to do?”
