Page 58 of Twisted Obsession

My hand drifts to my stomach, the secret now out in the open. The baby. Dominic's baby. Our baby. The thought brings a fresh wave of tears to my eyes. How can something so precious be wrapped up in such a nightmare?

I consider getting up, marching down to the basement to confront my brothers, but my limbs feel leaden. The doctor's words echo in my head–rest, he'd said. Stay calm. As if that's even possible now.

A soft knock at the door makes me flinch. "Roisin?" It's Ciaran's voice, uncharacteristically gentle. "Can I come in?"

I want to say no, to shut him out along with the rest of the world, but I hear myself whisper, “Fine.” It’s not the most gracious response, but it’s all I can muster.

The door creaks open and Ciaran's silhouette appears in the dim light.

He approaches cautiously, as if I'm a wounded animal that might lash out. I suppose that's not far from the truth. He sits on the edge of my bed and I can feel his eyes on me even though I refuse to meet his gaze. Maybe it’s childish, but I’m just done.

"He's still alive," Ciaran says softly.

The relief that floods through me is so intense it's almost painful and I let out a shaky breath I didn't even realize I'd been holding.

"Thank you," I whisper, my voice hoarse.

He’s quiet for a moment. Too quiet, and I tip my head to look at him, finally realizing there’s something more. Something that has him… nervous?

Janey Mack… he said Dominic was alive, but that doesn’t mean he’s not grossly disfigured or missing a few body parts.

I screw my face up at the thought. Do I even want to know? “What?” I ask, before I think better of it.

Ciaran sighs, his whole manner uncharacteristically hesitant. “There’s someone else here to see you,” he finally admits, albeit reluctantly.

Frowning, I rack my brain to think who it might be. There’s no way our parents could have gotten here so fast, and Maricela, Niko and Lyah didn’t leave that long ago, so I’m at a loss.

“Are you up to a visitor?” he asks, but I get the distinct feeling it’s not really a question. And also, that this is not a social call.

“Okay,” I agree hesitantly, the odd vibe in the room making me uncomfortable. “Can you help me into the living room, please?” Whoever is here, I don’t want to meet with them in my bedroom.

Ciaran helps me into a robe, then supports me as I make my way to the couch where he covers me with a soft, fluffy blanket before heading to the door of my suite. The sound of voices makes me realize whoever it is has been waiting outside, but in my wildest imagination, I never expected the person who walks in.

“Mika?” Surprise tinges my voice as the underboss of La Cosa Nostra enters my quarters behind Ciaran, followed by Callum. I keep looking towards the door, hope a painful ache inside my chest, but although I can see Liam guarding my door, there’s no sign of Dominic.

“I’m pleased to see you aren’t too much the worse for wear,” Mika says with a smile, taking a seat across from me, while Ciaran sits by my side and Callum hovers distractingly, his manner even more turbulent than usual. I see Mika throw a couple of inscrutable glances his way as he paces back and forth across the floor.

“So, what’s got everyone so wound up?” I finally ask, when nobody seems inclined to start this conversation, wherever it might be heading.

Ciaran purses his lips, his face scrunched up like he’s sucking a lemon, and I wonder if Mika has taken exception to one of his capos being captured and tortured. “Considering the… delicate circumstances we find ourselves in,” he starts, choosing his words carefully. “Mika has tendered a solution. Since it goes against everything Callum and I believe in, we’ve decided to put the decision in your hands.”

Unease slithers through me at the way they’re both behaving, but Mika gives me a friendly wink which serves to take the edge off of the worst of my apprehension.

“Mika has proposed an arranged marriage between you and his cousin as a show of good faith by both parties. A way to ease the current hostilities and reinforce the ties between our organizations for the benefit of both families.”

There’s an odd inflection when he says cousin, but my head is whirling too much to make sense of anything. Ciaran continues to talk but I’ve zoned out and whatever he’s saying is lost on me.

His cousin? They want me to marry Mika’s cousin?

“I don’t understand,” I say, feeling decidedly faint all over again.

Mika raises an eyebrow, casting a sharp glance at Ciaran. “I think you missed out a crucial piece of information there, my friend.” He turns to me. “What your brother has failed to mention is thatDominicis my cousin.”

I hadn’t realized just how tightly I was wound until I deflate with that single, crucial piece of information.Nowit makes sense. “I didn’t know Dominic was your cousin,” I murmur, in the absence of anything more lucid to say.

“Neither did we,” Callum says darkly, pivoting to face us all, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

Of course. In abducting and torturing Dominic, they delivered a direct slight to the LCN, after I was returned relatively unscathed. Mika’s goodwill in protecting me after the Viper kidnapped me has been thrown back in his face in the worst kind of disrespect.

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