Page 22 of Married into the Mob
“Is Odell—?” Hunter cut off his brother with a loud, “Shush.”
And when my heart stopped racing, he led me to an armchair.
“We have to go.” Flint got up.
“But who will let us in if Hunter leaves?” Ranger kissed his husband, Matt, who clung to him, and they whispered, too low for me to hear.
Rudy put up his hand. “Guess who?”
Ranger chuckled. “I should have known.”
No matter how nice the family was, I couldn’t be stuck underground without Hunter. Yes, my aunt and uncle were here, but I had to trust that they’d be okay. I was too tired and confused to puzzle over why I had to be close to Hunter.
“I’m coming too or I’ll have another panic attack in your panic room.”
NINE
HUNTER
“What? No, you can’t.”
I grabbed him, maybe too rough for a human, but especially a human who had almost been forced into an arranged marriage with a mafia guy, kidnapped my another mafia man, me, put into a dungeon supposedly for safety when he was claustrophobic, and then met my entire family in the panic room.
Gods, when I thought of it like that, it was overwhelming. I was surprised Odell was still standing and not hissing at me.
I had to go with my brothers and help our pack members look for Draven. I glanced at Flint, manning the phone and talking to our men. Always the Alpha.
Whatever Draven’s long-term goal was, we were in his sights. We always had been, I supposed. He’s been brought up with the scent of revenge and bitterness lingering around him like a bad smell.
Odell couldn’t come with us. That was the first problem, and secondly, where would he go if he did?
He pulled away from me and shook me. My wolf complained, saying our mate was making him queasy.
“I can’t stay here a moment longer. If I do, I’ll collapse.”
Cradling his face with both hands, my gaze locked on his. “I won’t let that happen.”
His mouth tugged at the corner, and I steeled myself, thinking he was going to be sick. But it broadened into a tiny grin. “And do what? Protect me with your dying breath?”
I longed to hold Odell, mate to mate, but resisted grabbing him. “Absolutely.”
“Dramatic much?” His brows shot up, but teasing me had quietened his panic a tad.
Dad got up and put a hand on my mate’s arm while studying me. “Odell was just a means to an end. Draven doesn’t care about him.”
“But that was the point, Dad.” I slipped a hand over my mate’s back, and he didn’t pull away. “The easiest way to hurt me, other than going after my blood family, was to hurt him.”
I’d be devastated if anything happened to my dad, brothers, in-laws, nieces, nephews, uncle, or cousins. But if Draven killed Odell, I’d never recover. Like my dad. He was full of life and embraced every new challenge. No one would ever guess when he rose from bed every morning that his pillow was drenched with tears.
I wasn’t certain my brothers were aware but I’d woken Dad up one morning and would never forget his tear-stained face.
“He needs protection, something all packs would recognize.” Flint took over.
“Mating!” the adults in the room, shifter and human in-laws, said in unison.
Odell tore out of my embrace and gripped both sides of his face. “Stop the friend-zone talk.” He sobbed, great hacking sounds of grief that shook his shoulders and tore a hole in my heart.
“Marriage. We’re talking about getting married.” I removed my mate’s fingers clawing at his skin while my mind raced,trying to come up with an explanation. “Mafia men respect marriage, and they will rarely attack someone’s husband or wife. It’s an unwritten code.” Marriage would come first, and I’d have to come up with a reason why I drew blood from my mate and marked him.
