Page 130 of The Dark Obsession

Fisting the wooden railing at my back, I collect myself enough to ask.

“Would you have told me?” My voice cracks, letting him hear the hurt he caused.

“Yes, eventually.” His features betray nothing.

“When?” I press on.

I’m not letting this go. The least he can do is give me an explanation.

“When I could be certain you wouldn’t leave me.” Something akin to guilt flickers in his expressionless eyes.

“And when was that going to be?” My eyes narrow.

I will have that answer.

“Soon enough.” Tyson steps forward, towering over me. “After you were free to live your life however you wanted. Then you’d be able to make the decision whether you want to meet them.”

I wasn’t expecting that. Meeting them face to face.

I’m not ready for that confrontation.

What would I even say?Sorry our dad chose me over you.

I can’t do this.

They’ll surely hate me. And yet I always wanted a family beyond just my overbearing parents.

“You’ll let me see them?” I probe hesitantly.

“Of course, but I’m coming with. You must understand that they are dangerous men, to say the least. I want you as far away from the Camorra as possible.”

I nod in understanding, staring at Tyson’s chest with my teeth nervously gnawing at my lower lip.

“Malory, look at me.” He crowds me against the side of the porch, taking away any chance of escaping his dominating presence.

“Since I told my…ourbrothers that I found you, they didn’t stop bothering me about seeing you. They know you’re nothing like your father.”

In the blink of an eye, his arms are around me.

“And the fuckers thought they could protect you better than me.” His jaw is tense, and I can feel his fists flexing at the small of my back.

“R-really?” I stutter wide eyed.

Not only do I have brothers, but they care about me enough to want to protect me.

“No one gets to lay their hands on you if I have any say in it.” Tyson growls, pinning me closer to him.

“No, I mean… they don’t h-hate me?”

“None of what happened to them is your fault, little one.” His voice softens to a gentle caress. “You're a Corso now. They’ll lay their lives down for you.”

Wrapping my arms around his waist, I press my cheek against the damp fabric of his shirt stretched across the man’s muscular chest.

“That's why you hate my father.” All the pieces of Tyson’s need for vengeance finally fall into place.

“He left her to fend for herself. Left her to suffer at the hands of my fucking father.” I can feel the anger, the undiluted rage reverberating from under his ribcage.

He's talking about his mother.

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