Page 5 of Bred To Be Owned

“Save my sister, and I’d be in your debt.” There was no going back now. I dropped any pretentiousness. I didn’t know why I was putting my trust in a man I didn’t know. He could easily burn me, telling any story he wanted because everyone would believe him. I’d jumped into the deep end, too far to break the surface.

If this man had Junior removed from the picture, it wouldn’t start a war. Old Man Lombardo’s four other sons were decent, and they would move on as if nothing had happened. However, if they caught me plotting, they would force me to marry against my will or worse, force me to take my sister’s place. I’d worked my ass off to learn everything I could about business. I had dedicated countless hours to reading and studying, ensuring that when the time came, no one could question my preparedness.

I had one shot to make this right. “If you save Irini, I’ll be in your debt,” I repeated firmly. “Junior is not the man for my sister. She’s already broken, and he’ll rip the rest to shreds until there’s nothing left. If she’s a widow, she’ll still be within my father’s grasp. The only way to make her truly safe is to eliminate the threats.” I stood from my chair and walked over to the railing that surrounded the patio. I’d just suggested murder like it was an everyday occurrence.

“How do you plan for that to happen?” he asked.

“Once the mourning period is over, you must petition my father for her hand in marriage. I don’t care what you tell him or how you do it. Irini deserves to be loved and cherished. You’ll do that as her husband. Those are my terms.” I was naïve. I was sure it was a good deal for him. However, I’d presented my case first, not realizing I didn’t have the upper hand in this conversation.

He stood from the chair and followed me. Placing his hands against the railing, he trapped me against his body. He was so close that I could smell his aftershave. It might just have been the new expensive suit smell. It was hard to tell, and my brain was fogging over. I’d never been this close to a man that wasn’t family before.

I didn’t know what to do, and I was afraid to look anywhere else but his eyes.

Never breaking eye contact with me, he bent down until our foreheads touched.

“I have much to teach you, malenkaya lisichka,” he chuckled lightly. “My terms. Your sister will have a one-year mourning period, as tradition dictates. After it’s over, I’ll petition your father for her hand. She’ll be my wife in name only.” He took a quick breath that blew a piece of my hair. “I’ll treat her like a sister and make sure she’s well taken care of. There’s no life in her, and I refuse to take advantage when she can’t consent.”

“You would do that?” I had to confirm. I should have realized that this was going a little too smoothly, but my only concern was Irini.

“I wouldn’t do it for anyone else but you. However, I’m going to need something in return. I must have an heir within five years of marriage. Otherwise, the rules dictate your father can take payment from me. Knowing what a bastard he is, it won’t be cheap.” His eyes burned into mine.

I didn’t hesitate. “I’ll give you an heir before the five-year mark.” If this was going to be the price I paid for Irini’s freedom. I would gladly do it, but I felt conflicted. I wasn’t upset about having to take Irini’s place, but strangely enough, that fact only deepened my distress.

A devilish grin slowly spread across his lips. His eyes twinkled with amusement. “You’ll bear my children. If Irini doesn’t survive the five years, you’ll take her place as my wife. Either way, I win you.”

“Deal,” I whispered. Irini would be safe, and all I felt was relief. I never actually considered that I might have to take her place one day.

“Deal.” His lips brushed mine before he pulled away, leaving through the French doors.

I watched as he walked down the hallway, power clear in his rigid gait. My fingers came up to touch my lips, but as I walked back into the hall, that was when the awareness hit me. He’d stolen my first kiss.

Chapter 3

Ilya, the Russian

Don’t worry, malenkaya lisichka.I’ll fix this for you.

It was excruciatingly painful to pull away from her, but if someone caught us, I wouldn’t be able to protect her, and I’d spent the whole wedding planning to make her mine.

It had almost been too easy to get a human tracker on her. All I had had to do was approach Ivan and ask him to remove her guard from their brothel guest list. Ivan had taken one look at me before his eyes had shifted across the room to Angelo. Smiling, he had told me that the Greek was my problem, and he’d wash his hands of him. Angelo couldn’t lay off the ladies and often had to make large balloon payments that he hadn’t been able to afford on a guard’s salary. Men like him were always living on borrowed time, teetering between debt and desperation. It had taken less than five minutes to have him blacklisted.

I had made sure Ivan had notified Angelo during the wedding, carefully watching from my seat in the pew. Angelo had been leaningagainst the church wall, too far from Toula to be useful. I had watched as he’d slightly shifted and pulled his phone from his pocket enough to read the message. His face had reddened and his nose had crinkled, and that was when I knew I had won. Facing the altar, I had watched Toula’s profile. She had maintained an aloof face, but her eyes had been bouncing, and I had felt like I had had a front-row seat to her private thoughts.

The photographer had been finishing up when I had approached Angelo. He was still leaning against the wall, and I had adjusted my stance to match his, like we were friends. “I heard you’re no longer invited to ???????,” I had said to him. ??????? was Russian for “a woman.” Ivan had only cared about money, and he had gone with simple names, claiming they attracted more clientele. They didn’t. He had just been lazy.

Angelo had said nothing as he had shifted against the wall. If he had walked away, I would have considered it disrespectful and could have had him disciplined. However, I was a Russian boss and had no ties to the Greeks. I would have been leery too, if the situations had been reversed.

“It’s alright, you don’t have to confirm it for me. However, I have a deal for you I think you’ll be interested in.” I had waited for him to speak, knowing that once he did, I would have him in the palm of my hand.

“What are you offering?” He had had the audacity to look me in the eye.

“Each section has their own women. I’ll arrange for you to be my guest at ??? ???????, House of Orchids. The madame will make sure they treat you like a king.” I had watched him take the bait, certain he wouldn’t disappoint me.

“What’s the catch?” He had narrowed his beady eyes and had crossed his arms over his puffed-out chest. I didn’t like him, but he was useful. This was going to be a long game, and I would need his help, but he would never actually work for me. He would have never survived. My men didn’t ask questions. They also did their fucking jobs. Angelo would have never lain down his life for Toula. When she became mine, I’d make sure her guards were Russian. We’d worked for everything in life, and our loyalty wouldn’t allow us to be bought.

“You’re going to work for me. I’ll keep you in the female companionship you’ve become accustomed to, but in exchange, I want information about Toula. She goes out, I want to know. They bring in a marriage prospect, I want to know. You understand?”

Now, walking down the hallway towards the ballroom, I passed Angelo. Without breaking my stride, I slipped him five hundred dollars for telling me she was on the patio and staying the fuck out of the way.

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