Page 23 of Mafia Boss's Fake Wife

Guilt.

"Here's the task. You have thirty days. That's as long as I can buy you. Thirty days to find out who is trying to frame you, and then I have to take you in."

Roisin nods. "Understood."

I shuffle. I'm still not quite sure why I'm here, other than the obvious.

The connection to my brother Sal, and my sister-in-law, Gia, stands pretty clear.

But, it’s not like I can do anything to actually help her. And on top of that, I’m not even certain that I want to.

Despite the fact that it’s fucking killing you to not be able to do anything?

I want to growl with frustration. Roisin lied to me. Her past identity is getting her in trouble.

What the fuck does it matter to me if she’s having a hard time.

O'Hara turns to me, seemingly sensing my distress. "And you're to give testimony soon, right?"

"Yes," I mutter hesitantly.

"Well then. I think that you're first on the list of people who stand to gain from framing our Roisin for this," he says.

I narrow my eyes. What the fuck is he..

"And if you did that, it would be a very long time in jail for you, and for that brother of yours, wouldn't it?"

"Sal didn't set off that explosion. Or the one in Belarus,"I snarl.

O'Hara's eyebrows pinch. "Did I say anything about the explosion in Belarus?"

Fuck.

"Well. I believe that in that situation, a certain Russian mob princess was captured. And, if this is to be believed, said princess is now about to be wed to one Liam MacAntyre?"

Shit.

The threads of what he's spinning are finally coming together. I tilt my head. "You want me to help her."

"Aye."

"Why?" I can't help but ask.

O'Hara studies me. "Marco De Luca. Heir to a family name that died out in the 80s. Heir to a shipping company that's been all but absorbed. Brother to a family that has essentially moved on. Even with the recent development of your Dino becoming the head of a certain cartel from Brazil, it seems that I no longer have anything to fear from you... and I have no use for you," he says quietly.

It's like a fucking slap in the face.

I bristle, and O'Hara chuckles. "Aye, bluster all you want, but it's the truth. You've somehow worked yourself out of a job, setting up cozy lives for all your siblings. And don't mistake me, I've seen the chess games you've played with your siblings. They're well done," he winks. "However, you've created a place for everyone except yourself. You can choose to help our Roisin. Or, you can walk away."

His words... hurt.

Each one is like a fucking cut.

But strangely, it’s like being punched in the face by a friend.

He’s not wrong.

It’s why I feel so empty. He’s absolutely right. I’ve essentially created a place for myself where I don't exist inside the life that my family does. I have worked myself out of a job. Out of a life. I’ve done things to set everyone else up… except myself.

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