Page 9 of Deception & Desire

I let him, if only for the reassurance that he was still alive and that my decision to marry a mafia don was entirely warranted.

The thing is, there are only two people who would have the power to threaten my father’s life like that.

Fortunately for me, they’re both in this very room.

I turn on Teo Vitale in an instant. “There. Now I’m no longer a thorn in the Guild’s side. I hope you don’t mind taking a walk with me off the edge of Brooklyn fucking Bridge.”

“It was out of my hands, Mia.” The Guild’s don throws his hands up defensively. “I warned you this might happen if you didn’t join us formally.”

“Did I miss a memo? Last I heard, you wanted me to run a casino, not marry your brother-in-law!” I snap right back.

I can feel Leon shifting behind me, clearly growing impatient, but I stubbornly ignore him.

“Where is it you get off, Vitale? Pretending to be my friend, offering me a way out only to pull the rug out from under me? Not a word from you in months, and now this?” I begin to step forward. “I thought we had an understanding, but tothreatenmy fucking?—”

A hand wraps around my forearm, preventing me from throwing myself forward to strangle Teo with my bare hands.

“I think we’re all a bit tired of this blame game,” Leon’s voice is in my ear, low and bored. His breath against my neck makes me shudder involuntarily. “I have places to be.”

I try to pull my arm from his grasp and fail spectacularly. “Thenleave,”I huff back at him.

“Not without you.”

I grimace. “Okay, so you put a ring on my finger, and suddenly I’m your property?”

“Technically, yes.” He sneers down at me in a way that makes me think he’s only saying it to get under my skin. Successfully, I should add. “But in this instance, we have unfinished business.”

I show him my ring finger as if it were my middle finger. “I think our business is concluded.”

He looks away, suddenly looking slightly put out as he examines the chandelier above us quite extensively.

But before I can question it, Cas approaches, pulling me into a half-unwilling hug.

There, with her lips close to my ear, she whispers, “You have to consummate the marriage.”

Oh.

Fuck.

Leon takes a very purposeful step away from my father.

I knew, logically, that this would have to happen eventually, what with the demand on this marriage being to solely produce heirs. But I’d been relying on the idea that I’d have weeks to prepare (and get very, very drunk) to maintain my sanity during all of this.

Now that safety net was being yanked away.

Leon coughs and turns to address Teo. “I assume that today's events will remain secret to all those who are not currently in this room?”

“Mia’s safety will be our collective priority until a child is born. You have my word no one here will endanger her by revealing your union.”

My father relaxes a bit at this news, though he narrows his eyes at the priest, who looks as if he were trying to melt into the background.

Leon nods once before dragging his eyes back to me, suddenly looking unsure. “Then we should depart.”

“Right,” I manage to whisper.

Cas hugs me again, as does my father. I don’t spare a look at Rocco and Teo. Both of them have the common sense to remain silent as I follow Leon out of the room.

There’s a numbness that threatens to take hold of me as he guides us to an elevator. I cling to it like a lifeline instead of thinking about what is about to happen.

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