Page 10 of Vows of Power
“I had a lot of time to watch and learn.”
“Good. We have to figure out how to present ourselves to him. What we offer, what we ask for, how we play it when we’re in the room... Everything matters.”
“When are we doing this?”
“Soon.” She picks up a pen and rolls it between her fingers. “First we get the story straight. Every detail. He’ll poke at it, for sure, so there can’t be any holes.”
As I incline my head, I wonder what the fuck I’m doing here. Wanting to be useful to a woman who told me straight out that I’m just a pretty face is dangerous. But I’m starting to think I don’t mind the danger. Besides, it sounds fun. Even if I want to get rid of my beautiful wife, I need time, and what will help me get to know her better if not this?
“Then let’s get it straight,” I say. “Tell me everything you know about him, and we’ll come up with something believable.”
She looks at me for a long moment, and then a smile stretches across her lips.
Chapter 7
AMALIA
I SPREAD THE NOTESout on the desk between Matteo and me. Going after Dominic instead of waiting for him to circle closer is something I’ve wanted for a long time, and now that the moment has finally come, I can’t help but feel excited. But wanting a thing and pulling it off are two different things, and the second one could get me killed if I’m sloppy about it.
Matteo leans over the papers, his arms on the desk, and I stare at him for a moment. From my prisoner to the man I’m planning the most dangerous thing of my life with. That should bother me more than it does, because if I make a wrong move, he could easily turn against me. Hell, maybe he’s already planning something like that, and I have to be careful.
“Before we get into the details,” I say, “I need you to understand something.”
He glances up.
“We’re in this together now. Whatever happens in that room with Dominic, you and I are one as far as he’s concerned.” I hold his gaze. “There’s no version of this where one of us wins and the other loses.”
His blue eyes hold mine, his face serious. “I get it.”
I look back at the notes and tap the first page. “Let’s start with how we look, because Dominic will decide half of what he thinks about us before either of us says a word.”
“Appearances.” Matteo nods. “My father cared about that very much too.”
“Then your father and Dominic would’ve gotten along.” I pull the page closer. “He notices everything. If you try too hard, not good. Don’t try at all, and he’ll think you don’t respect him.”
“Enough to show we have plenty of money, but nothing too flashy or too much.”
“Exactly.” I like that he’s actually willing to participate in all this without complaining about it or wanting something in return, although maybe that will come. “So we’ll get you a nice suit.”
Matteo’s lips pull up into a smile. “And what about you?”
“I’ll be the wife who clearly runs her own life, but lets her husband do the talking when it matters.” I shrug. “Dominic’s old-fashioned. He’ll be more comfortable if you’re the one shaking his hand, so let him have that. I’ll watch his men while his attention is on you.”
“You want me to look like the one in charge while you’re the one actually reading the room.”
“Yep, pretty much.”
I can tell the idea pleases him. He likes being useful. When I asked for his opinion instead of just handing him orders, I realized that whoever he was around probably never did that, so that’s what he craves.
“Alright,” he says. “What about the introductions? He’s going to want to hear us talk.”
“Dominic doesn’t ask questions to get answers. He asks them so he can observe you while you answer. So we need to practice. We have to stick to our story no matter what.”
“Then let’s try.” Matteo straightens. “Pretend I’m him. How did you and I meet?”
I almost smile at how quickly he gets into it. “Through my father’s network. You were a name people respected, a Gaviani, and I needed someone who understood this world from the inside. We talked and it turned out we both wanted the kind ofpower that’s hard to get on your own. And then we realized we wanted it together.”
Matteo tilts his head, and his eyes narrow as if he’s actually playing the part. “That’s a clean story. Almost too clean. A man like Dominic might wonder why a Petrelli heir would hand half her power to an outsider she barely knows.”
