Page 14 of Golden Burn

Odin grabs a coffee from the table in front of me and says, “What Dom is trying to put nicely, is that my father was a greedy, cocksucking son of a bitch who loved money more than he did his own sustenance.” His string of foul words makes me flinch. “He allowed drug cartels to use his buildings to produce and launder, and asked for almost eighty percent of the profit, if not more. But they worked with him because he could hide them better than anybody.”

Dom clears his throat. “Yes, but it was not always a stable relationship. He often pitted cartels against one another, which almost always ended badly, but never for Alistair. The Lombardos, at the time, were the strongest, most organized group, but they soon began to question their allegiance to the Bolt’s. They thought they would make more if they went out on their own.” He lifts his glasses on his nose and points to one of the legal documents resting on the coffee table between us. “Alistair offered a solution to sway their hand. His only son was to marry into the Lombardo family to secure their alliance and broker a better, more stable future. And the next girl to turn sixteen within the Lombardo’s wider circle would be chosen as his bride.” Dom pauses and my throat constricts. “And that girl… was you.”

My jaw falls open. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding.”

“Unfortunately, no, I’m not. The marriage contract is legally sound.” He points to the bottom of the file in my hands. There’s only one signature this time.

I shake my head. “My mother’s signature is missing.”

“It is, but in this case, your father’s holds worth,” he says sympathetically.

“But he didn’t even know who I was! He didn’t even recognize me at the clinic.”

“He hasn’t been in his right mind for many years. He used to be a leader, but a series of events have seen him pushed further and further to the bottom.”

My gaze shifts to Odin. He shrugs. “I may have spread a few rumors. Pulled a few strings.”

“And you weren’t his only child, Etta,” Dom continues.

“One of a hundred,” Ford mutters.

“He moved on quickly,” Dom says while giving Ford a look. “But despite his long list of partners, he did keep records of his offspring, from what we can tell. He knew you were the next in line to turn sixteen.” He pauses, swallowing. “But in the end, it did not matter because Odin ignored the contract and ruined all ties with the Lombardos.” There’s more to that nugget of information that he is not willing to divulge. I glance at Odin and notice his jaw has hardened, his knuckles white around the mug in his grip.

He seems to cool himself quickly as he takes another sip of his drink. “They were pissed, as you can imagine,” he says as a way of diverging the topic.

Ford listens, his hands clasped together between his knees as he leans forward. His face is stone cold. Furious. How are these men connected to all of this? What did Odin do?

My head is spinning like I’m stuck on a Ferris wheel. “I still don’t get it.”

Dom takes the contract from my hands and passes me another. My vision is blurry behind the tears that line my lashes. I don’t want to touch it. I’m scared it will singe my fingers.

“Without Alistair’s business, the Lombardos had to start from scratch. It’s taken some time, but they now have a significant foothold in the drug market and they want to expand.”

Ford grunts, drawing my attention. His warm brown eyes hint at a level of intelligence I didn’t see before. “We’re talking about new partners, new shop fronts, more drugs, more deaths.”

Dom continues. “It would be a tragedy for the Lombardos to gain anymore power alongside another brutal crime syndicate. Odin has decided—wehave decided—it’s time to step in. To start dismantling the anthill. But in order for that to work, in order for the Lombardos to trust him, we need you.” He pauses. “You see, the original marriage contract was never broken, just ignored. It still stands. You and Odin are still engaged to be married.”

My gaze snaps between all three men.

They can’t be serious. There’s no fucking way.

I shake my head. “Nope.” Then a small crackle slips free from my lips. I feel nauseous and my head pounds, but the laughter just evolves until I have to wipe the moisture from my eyes.

I’m still chuckling slightly as I tell them, “I’m not marrying him. I’m not marryinganyone.” I stand up, Ford mirrors me. Déjà vu washes over me. I flutter my hand over all the documents. “This has been very interesting to learn about. No, really. But I’m not doing that.”

“You will if you want your reputation intact.” My attempt at a joke dissolves as my eyes lock with Odin.

The saliva in my throat is like honey, but I keep my cool as my chin lifts in defiance. “And how will you ruin it, exactly? Tell them I witnessed amurder, was kidnapped and forced into marriage. I’m failing to see how anyone would think I’m at fault here,” I say, a snarky tone coating my words.

Odin’s lips flick upward into a cruel smile. “So the tramadol you’ve been selling for cash to Gregory Lombardo is a known fact to all your staff?”

My stomach sinks beneath the floor. My shoulders rise like one of my hands is pressed to an electric fence.

This prick.

I try to compose myself, try to act meek and innocent. It’s like slapping wet cement onto my face. It doesn’t hold. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Let me remind you then, shall I?” Odin nods at Dom, who pulls out the same iPad I’d been using on the plane over here. He presses something and then shows me the screen.

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