Page 49 of Convenient Mafia Vows

“Victoria was the target.” My jaw clenches.

The woman is even more dangerous than I gave her credit for. But I swear, if Olivia Dragonetti so much as damages a hair on Victoria’s head, I’ll kill her myself.

“Not necessarily.” Terry’s voice is even, steady. The leader of the pack.

We’re in the Rinse’s boardroom, another family meeting, and yet another of which Olivia Dragonetti is the focal point. If she wanted our attention, she has already succeeded. But she has underestimated the Murrays if she thinks this little charade will intimidate us into backing down.

She clearly doesn’t know me at all.

“You and Kyle were there,” Terry continues. “There are no prizes for guessing where the don will be looking to place the blame for the bullet in his shoulder.”

My gaze drifts to the twins. A faint smile is already twitching at the corners of Cash’s lips. Olivia is so hellbent on revenge for my rejection of marriage that she risked her own father’s life to take us down.

“She isn’t that clever,” Cash says. “Precisely how long did it take you to find out that she was behind the shooting? Don Dragonetti will get the same info.”

Terry spreads his hands wide above the table. “The don didn’t get to where he is today by listening to the footmen. They follow his orders. And his orders will be to retaliate.”

“So, we tell him the truth.” Kyle looks at each of us in turn.

Where Terry is the practical family member with his ear to the ground and enough inside knowledge to take down every mafia family in the city, Kyle is the voice of reason. The one who knows how to manipulate the law to keep us just on the right side of legal.

“I think we should hold fire.” I sip my iced water, buying myself some precious moments to assemble my thoughts.

I can still feel Victoria’s mouth wrapped around my dick. I can still taste her, still feel my balls slapping against her ass when I fucked her from behind. I can still smell her on me even though I showered the smell of her sex off me. But I need to focus. I made a promise to protect both her and Abigail, and I aim to keep that promise, no matter what it takes.

“She’s careless.” I’m thinking out loud. “Reckless. She’s learned nothing from her father because she’s too preoccupied with blowing up her ex’s lives. She can’t let anything go, and ultimately, this will be her downfall.”

“What are you thinking?” Terry asks.

“First things first, we ramp up security around Victoria and Abigail. Olivia will be rampaging when she discovers that Victoria is neither wounded nor scared.”

I glance at Terry who nods once. “Goes without saying. We’ll keep them safe.”

“Secondly, we provide Olivia Dragonetti with a distraction. We trace her exes, make it worth their while to make a reappearance, no matter how brief, and when she loses her shit, we make fucking certain that her father is around to see it.”

Everyone is silent for several moments.

Finally, Bash says, “That will never work. How long has it been since you and she were an item? Whatever you did, bro, you did it good because she’s got it firmly fixed inside her pretty little head that you’re the one she wants, and no one else is going to have you.”

“So, we give her a new distraction.” Cash shrugs. “She’ll never buy into you wanting her back. Not with Victoria on the scene.”

My cock twitches inside my pants at the thought of Victoria’s butt in my face. He has a point. I couldn’t even pretend to want Olivia Dragonetti right now, not with my balls already filling up for Victoria.

“Ivan Petrov.” Cash inclines his head. “Just saying.”

“No can do.” Terry sits forward, rests his lower arms on the table, and steeples his fingers. “Olivia approached the Petrovs with her harebrained scheme to shoot her father, and they walked away from it.”

“Sensible.” But I still think this is the only way. “We need to expose her for the loose cannon she is.”

“An alliance with the Petrovs?” Kyle suggests.

I shake my head. “Don Dragonetti is still our best potential alliance. His connections far outweigh his daughter’s irrational behavior.” The glimmer of an idea is taking shape inside my head. “Dragonetti might believe that Cash is behind last night’s incident, but he’ll side with whoever offers him the best deal.”

“So, we offer him a deal that he can’t refuse.” Terry picks up the thread. “Including a way to get his uncontrollable daughter off his hands.”

“Any suggestions?” Kyle arches an eyebrow.

He looks tired. I would trust my older brother with my life—I’d trust him with Victoria and Abigail’s lives too—but his place is behind his desk doing what he does best. Keeping us all in line.

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