Page 68 of Brutal Legacy

I was still blinking back tears, trying to hide my reaction from my so-called fiancé.

The moment when Renato had told me I was getting married, my eyes had immediately found my mercenary. For the smallest of seconds, I’d thought it would be to him, and I’d… been relieved. That was the horrifying truth that hurt to admit. I supposed the old adage was true. Better the devil you know.

“Hey, I’m talking to you.” Jimmy poked my shoulder.

I faced him and folded my arms over my chest. “What?”

“You knew Renato when he was young?”

I just shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. A lot of good that’s doing me.”

Jimmy puffed up his chest. “I’d say it’s done you a favor. I mean, I don’t want to brag, but I’m kind of a big deal in the family… I even run one of the De Sanctis casinos in AC. You like gambling?”

“No.” I turned away to fight a shudder.

Jimmy touched me on the shoulder, and I jerked back around.

“Don’t touch me,” I snapped at him.

His gloating expression morphed quickly into something ugly. “Watch how you speak to me. Tomorrow, I’ll be your husband, and I won’t be disrespected at home. Get with the fucking program, or I’ll have to show you who’s boss here.”

“And who is that? Renato?” I mocked him quietly, my survival instincts fried at this point. “You’re certainly jumping to do his bidding.”

“You stupid bitch, you should be getting down on your knees and opening that smart little mouth to show me how much you appreciate getting a merciful husband like me.” He grabbed my shoulder and shook me, like he could shake some sense into me.

“That’s never going to happen,” I hissed at him, trying to stop my teeth from clacking together.

“Oh, yes it fucking is. Maybe we should go somewhere and have a demonstration right now.”

“De Luca.”

The quiet, commanding voice called to us from the doorway to the gardens, and Jimmy immediately stilled. We both spun to see my mercenary lounging in an archway.

He had his hip propped against the stone and his arms crossed, but there was no mistaking his pose for ease. He looked like a coil about to spring open.

“Is there a problem out here?” he continued in that quiet, deadly tone.

“Just a couple’s spat,” Jimmy said, his fingers still digging into my flesh.

My mercenary pushed off the wall and sauntered toward us.

He stared pointedly down at my shoulder, the place where Jimmy’s hand still sat.

He dropped it to his side and shifted slightly away from me.

“There’s no problem,” Jimmy repeated. He was afraid. It came off him in waves.

So, Renato hadn’t simply sent some random made man after me. He’d sent hissottocapo, his second. My mercenary was an important man in his own right.

I met his dark brown eyes and felt like they saw down to my soul.

“If there’s no problem, then I’ll be taking Georgia inside. Mrs. De Sanctis needs her.”

Jimmy raised his hands as if surrendering. “That’s cool, man. I can wait one more day to have uninterrupted time with my new wife,” he said, a smarmy smile spreading across his face.

A wave of sickness threatened to engulf me, but I pushed it away. I couldn’t fall apart now. I had to figure a way out of this.

I walked stiffly inside. As soon as I was in, I lost my orientation. I swiveled around to find my mercenary right behind me.

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