Page 77 of Isle of Beauty

Andrea appears unbothered and focuses back on me. “I’ve heard about your skills, Miss Moretti.”

“I would hope so. I’m very good at what I do.”

It’s true. I’m the life of the party and turns out, people keep telling you shit when they think you have no brain. Only a few people know what I do for Lana but if anyone was capable of gathering information on me, accurate information that is, it would be him. I’ve collected more secrets and favours from European underworld families than we know what to do with. But being indebted to the Moretti isn’t something people love to be reminded of, and no one has the manpower to to mobilise on such short notice for a war happening on another territory.

“I know. I’m impressed.” His voice bleeds sincerity but he doesn’t say more. Silence stretches and he just keeps looking at me.

The meaning of his words hit me like a bolt of lightning.

That motherfucker!

I stand up, ready to accept my fate if it means Lana is safe. “Fine. I’ll be your collateral.”

Andrea rises from his seat to walk to me, his gait slow and gracious, like he doesn’t want to spook me. “I’m in no need of a prisoner, Miss Moretti.”

I have a bad feeling about this, but with him so close, it’s like my body has taken on an opinion of its own and it doesn’t know we don’t like him. My breath hitches, my nipples pebble under my thin cami. He smells like wood and tobacco with a hint of orange. It’s captivating. I forget how to breathe.

“A wife on the other hand…”

His words are the cold shower I need.

“I’ll cut my left tit rather than fuck you.”

“Who said anything about fucking,” he frowns, like he’s surprised where my mind is taking this conversation.

“A girl has needs, asshole.”

The smirk on his handsome face is back and I want to wipe it right off. “I assure you I’d be able to satisfy every single one of them.”

“You’re disgusting.”

He bends towards my ear, his breath fanning across my neck. After a quick look down my body, he whispers “Your body doesn’t seem to think so, guerrieritta.”

My whole body shivers at the endearment.

He goes back to his seat, his demand established and clear.

Pierce is looking at me with anguish. We don’t have time to ponder, come up with another strategy, another route on how to find Lana. Pierce already exhausted all his company’s resources. Lana’s in the hands of Petrov’s men but they have too many locations to know for sure where they hid her.

My eyes trail back to Andrea, patiently waiting for our answer. My answer.

“Fine. I’ll marry you. Under conditions.”

“You’re not exactly in a position to negotiate.”

“I can be extremely difficult to deal with when I don’t get what I want, Mr. Capaldi.”

“So can I,” he answers easily, his smile turned predatory.

The asshole loves this back and forth, but he doesn’t know me. I’ve been raised as a second thought, the second child of a second son. No one ever paid me any mind. I’ve had to fight for what I have. For my father’s love, for my place as Lana’s confidant and best friend when she had three sisters to choose from, for my studies. Everything. And I don’t care if I have to fight dirty as long as I get it.

I stay silent, eyes locked with my current opponent.

“We don’t have time for a pissing contest,” Pierce says next to us before he stomps to Andrea and grabs him by the collar, getting in his face. “I’m going to Luc tonight to get Lana’s location before she’s shipped off God knows where. All I need from you are your men for the retrieval. Giulia just agreed to marry your sorry ass, I’m giving you Pierce Security Company for free, you’re getting everything you want, I’m fucking begging you now to help. That’s what you wanted, no? Now be the man I know you to be and fucking help me, cuginu.”

Andrea must see the pain written all over Pierce’s face, and the determination not to yield on mine, and use the only lick of empathy in his body because he relinquishes. Or maybe it’s just pity. I don’t care, as long as I have my cousin back. I can think of how to kill my new husband later, once she is safe and back on Kalliste.

“My lawyer will draw up the contract with your conditions,” he says reluctantly before turning to his cousin. “Pierce, you have ten men and Nico and I.”

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