Page 41 of Forced Vows

That's safer for her, I suppose. Especially with her security so lax. However, it's not sustainable. Her uncle must realize that.

"Allessio and Zoey aren't going to link you to your family's criminal enterprises. They're too discreet for that." Where is this need to reassure her coming from?

"Discreet? Are you kidding me?" Disbelief overrides the sadness in her tone. "A lot of students at my college come from wealthy families, but none of them have bodyguards trailing them to class."

I shrug. "Maybe they should. The world is a dangerous place."

"Says one of the men responsible for making it that way."

"Organized crime is a hell of a lot safer than chaos." We are ruthless with each other, but not the general public.

Making that same oblivious public safer than they would otherwise be. Not always. No system is perfect. And while the average citizen doesn't have to fear me, any that think to get in the way of my mafia do.

So-called law enforcement do as much to foment violence as we do. The CIA banked the start of the major drug trade in North America and instigated more cartel wars than any mafia family ever has.

"My dad always said that." She looks away from me. "But he understood that I didn't want to be part of the mob."

"I hate to break it to you, but you were born into one of the oldest mob families in New York."

"That's not the point."

"No, the point is your safety."

She shakes her head, reddish-brown curls bobbing softly around her pretty face. "Even if they don't know it's because I'm from a mob family, having Allessio and Zoey trailing after me like oversized lemmings is going to change how my friends and the other students see me. How they treat me."

"They'll be more cautious around you." That's a good thing. Especially when it comes to the male students.

"More cautious? They'll start avoiding me. How long do you think it will be before my professors begin asking the administration if it's safe to allow me to attend classes?"

"You're exaggerating." No wonder she's studying acting. Róise has a flare for the dramatic.

"You think?"

"I think your actions in Portland were reckless, ill-conceived and dangerous."

Chapter 15: RÓISE

Miceli's words flay me like a whip, every single one scoring me with dead-on accuracy.

Skin prickling with embarrassment, I defend myself. "I was never in any danger."

"If I had been a different man—"

"I wouldn't have gone with you." Which I don't like admitting, but it's better than letting him accuse me of being too ignorant to protect myself.

"Fucking hell, Róise. You left that club with the most dangerous man in the building."

"Oh, please."

His jaw looks like it's made of rock. "If I had been one of your uncle's enemies and recognized you—"

"You were and you didn't," I say, cutting him off again.

"The Shaughnessy mob and the Genovese Family are not enemies."

It's not what I expect him to say and I should take the pass he's giving me, but I can't seem to stop myself pushing further.

"Tell that to my dad. Oh, wait, you can't ask him either, because just like my mom, he's dead!"

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