Page 73 of A Game So Reckless

I did, once. Toyed with the idea of killing her, when this was all just starting out.

But killing her won’t save me now.

Marrying her probably won’t, either.

But it’s the closest thing to salvation that a soulless fuck like me is going to get.

Shock hits Vinny for a second time. He’s fighting to keep up. Trying to see what my angle is.

Trying to see why I’d take her as my bride.

He’s a clever man. But I think he’s the sort of man who is exceptionally good at reading patterns. He knows what moves a man might make because he knows the man.

I’m making a move that no one could have expected me to. Least of all myself.

I’m breaking my own fucking rules.

“You want to marry her.”

“I do.” Fuck me, even that sounds like a vow. “What better way to seal an alliance between two families than with a marriage?”

His jaw works. A vein throbs, fat and juicy, in his forehead.

“You’re not Italian,” he finally grits out.

“No,” I say, trying to clamp down on the hot, animal rage beginning to writhe inside. “But unlike the last Italian piece of shit you tried to marry her off to, I don’t have a mountain of debt to my name and a mouth made for sucking Russian dick.”

Vinny’s man frowns, takes a step towards me. No doubt he wouldn’t let somebody speak to his boss that way under normal circumstances.

But this is anything but normal. For any of us.

Vinny raises his hand to stop his soldier. The man returns to his position. My future father-in-law rubs a hand along his hard jaw.

“So, you want to marry Valentina. And in doing so, forge an alliance between our families. Which includes supporting me with your men and weapons in any potential future conflicts.”

I tip my chin down and then back up. A single nod of acknowledgement.

“I don’t know why the fuck you’re suddenly so hellbent on Valentina, but it’s a good fucking deal, on the face of things.” He drops his hand from his jaw, studying me. “Knowing that you won’t be a thorn in my family’s side, that you would be bound to us going forward… This would be a boon to me, I won’t lie. But I won’t lie about this either, Gowan.” He pauses, then shakes his head. “I don’t trust you.”

“I honoured my deal with Elio,” I remind him tightly. I’m going to lose my fucking cool in a minute. Valentina’s only on the other side of a few walls and doors. And I feel like there’s an ocean between us. “I told him I wouldn’t come after Deirdre again. And I didn’t.”

“You didn’t,” he concedes. “But that was then. And this is now. What assurances do I have that you’ll honour a deal with me? That you’ll keep your word even after you’ve married my daughter?”

“You want to test me?”

A gleam enters Vinny’s gaze.

“I want Halifax.”

From the corner of my eye, I can see Rowan crank his head, ever so slightly, to glance at me. I don’t return his look, keeping my gaze straight ahead and on Vinny.

“You want Halifax.”

“The port.”

Ah.

It’s all clicking now. If shit goes even more sideways for him in Montréal than it already has, he’s going to need to diversify his avenues of receiving and moving product.

---