Page 29 of Married into the Mob
It was all semantics, and I wasn’t giving my mate to anyone. He’d refuse to be with Draven, that much I knew, but could I convince him to come somewhere with me?
“Shit!” Rewinding what Flint had said, I focused on what banishment would mean. Not being a Beta in La Luna Noir. Not being a part of the pack and never seeing my family again.My brothers had their mates and families, so the blow would be softened for them. But for Dad to lose his youngest son, I couldn’t imagine how he would grieve for me. And I, for him.
And there was Uncle Arnie, Treyton and his siblings, my friends and pack mates.
And where would we go?
Flint must have read my mind. “Grandfather bequeathed an old cabin to Uncle Arnie in his will.” They were siblings, and Arnie had been a loyal brother and Beta.
My world was being torn away from me, and I sank onto the sofa.
“Today. Now! You have to go.” Flint wasn’t going to tell me how much he’d miss me or that it would be okay. What was unsaid was more important than what came out of his mouth. He switched from audio to video, and his anguished face appeared on the screen.
Odell, who’d put away the groceries, peered over my shoulder. “Something’s happened and it’s to do with me. Don’t hide it. Spill.”
“Go now. I’ve put two bags in the car and a few other necessities. Before they come looking for your… for Odell. Destroy this phone now. Stay safe, little brother. I… I love you.”
Oh, it was bad, because I couldn’t recall Flint saying those exact words to me or Ranger. We did love one another, but we didn’t say it! I’d figure out why during the weeks ahead in the cabin.
After ending the call, I pulled my mate onto the couch and gave him a condensed version of what had happened, but instead of pack, I said it was mafia rules. Odell wondered out loud about a ruling mafia body, but I couldn’t get into that.
“I understand we’re not really married, in the eyes of the law, yes, but you’re not in love with me.” I deliberately left out me being intoxicated by him.
“True, but where are you going with this, and Hunter, I’ve been a pain, I know, but the last twenty-four hours have been a bitch. Sorry, they have.”
“I can only imagine.”
“But you’ve been banished from your family, so where does that leave me?” He put up his hands in surrender. “Yes, I know I’ve been trying to get away from you all day, and now I’m scared that me and my family will have no protection.”
“Your aunt and uncle will be looked after. Flint doesn’t break his promises.” They couldn’t stay in the panic room forever, but for now, they could hide out there. In the coming days, I’d assign guards to them and they could go to a cabin on our pack land. “But if you stay here, Draven will try something.”
“To get the marriage annulled.”
I nodded. Draven didn’t give a shit about marriage. If he really wanted Odell, he’d need me dead. But his aim was to hurt me, and that would involve killing my mate. Odell and his family were pawns in Draven’s game of checkers. I had to be smarter and play chess.
And getting me banished? That was to separate me from my family, leaving me without resources so it’d be easier to harm my mate. Draven now had a legitimate reason to track us down, and he had the Shifter Council’s blessing.
“Two weeks. Come with me and give me two weeks. There’s an underlying reason you’ve been caught up in this.”
“Give you? Give you the time to do what?”
“To ferret out what’s behind Draven charging into your life and put an end to it.”
“You’re not going to kill him, are you?”
“That’s not for me to decide.” I fudged that answer. After removing the chip from the phone and destroying it, I got the shopping bags and filled the coolers with what we’d just bought.
“I have to let Aunt Louisa know. She and I made all the family decisions together once I reached eighteen.”
“My brothers will let her know you’re safe.”
Odell stood in the middle of the room, a pained expression on his face. “I hate this. I hate everything about it.”
Taking both his hands, I asked, “This may be a silly question, but do you trust me?”
He removed his hands from mine and stared out the window. “Do I trust my kidnapper?” He swung around on his heel. “You’ve done nothing to hurt me, you protected me and my family in a tiny claustrophobic space, and maybe it’s bonkers, but I do. More than Draven, though that’s not really saying anything, is it?”
We shared a laugh. “Not exactly.”
