Page 37 of Arranged Obsession
I married topossessher.
“Are you suggesting your family isn’t strong enough to keep my sister safe?” he asks very slowly.
“I’m saying we are. I’m sayingI am. Your sister is important. Our alliance must work out. I believe I am the only person in the country that can guarantee she’ll be completely safe.” I take a step toward him. To his credit, he doesn’t flinch away. “I swear to you, Don Marino, on my blood and any shred of honor I have left, I will make sure your sister remains unharmed. Nobody will touch her. Our enemies will suffer if they try. I will fill New York with graves if that’s what it takes.”
I force myself to stop talking. The earnest zeal in my voice makes me uncomfortable. Adriano definitely hears it, and he’s studying me intently now, trying to figure out what’s going on.
But he’s not a stupid man. He knows how these situations work. There’s always a danger in an alliance like this, especially in the first few months, when it’s possible that a quick death can make the whole deal fall apart. I’m sure he had a protection arrangement in place with my father; only now I’m offering him something much better.
“I know the rumors about you,” Adriano says, keeping himself steady. “You’re good at what you do. You’re efficient when needed and brutal if necessary. But an assassin is not a bodyguard.”
“I can be whatever she needs.”
His lips tug into a frown. “Why do you care so much?”
“I’d do anything for my family.”And anything for her.
“And why didn’t you consult me before all this?”
“It was a last-minute decision. We should have spoken with you first, but I made the call without consulting my parents.”
He shakes his head slowly. It’s clear he still doesn’t like the situation, but he’s softening. “I understand the logic in what you did. And if your father had brought this to me weeks ago, I might’ve agreed. Marrying Bianca to you would go a long way toward making sure nobody would dare try to touch her. But this was so poorly done. It’s an embarrassment.”
I grind my jaw. My heart rate speeds up. I’m tempted to wrap my hands around Adriano’s throat. I could squeeze, smash his head into the wall, knee him in the guts, make him suffer and scream until he gives me what I want?—
But death doesn’t solve all my problems.
My fingers curl into fists.
“I’ll take the blame. Spin it however you want. But I’m the best husband for Bianca.”
Adriano runs a hand through his hair. He rubs his face before storming over to the drinks. Like a good mafia bastard, he pours himself a stiff whiskey and tosses it back with a grunt. Alcohol fixes everything.
“She has to agree,” he warns. “If she refuses, it’s done. And frankly, good fucking luck. She’s livid right now.”
“I’ll speak with her.”
“You probably shouldn’t.” He laughs, shaking his head, and fills up another. “But fuck it. Go ahead. See how that goes.”
I stride to the door. My hands are sweaty and shaking. I can’t remember the last time I felt like this. Not even during a difficult kill. Not since I was a child.
I’m fuckingnervous.
Because my whole life hinges on the next few minutes.
“Just a warning,” Adriano calls before I leave. “Threatening her won’t work. Hurting her will only doom your entire fucking family. It’s her choice.”
“I would never hurt your sister,” I say softly, and by all that’s holy and all that’s broken and wrecked inside me, I absolutely mean it.
Chapter 12
Bianca
Ipace across the bridal suite with a big glass of champagne in my hand. “How did this happen?” I ask and take a long drink. “What the hell is even going on?”
“I don’t know,” Lucy says nervously. “Honestly, Bianca, this is crazy. When I saw him standing up there—” She shivers, shaking her head. “The Whelans’ Ghostman. Why would anyone wanthimto marryyou?”
I stare at her and have to swallow the urge to defend Cormac. Because she’s right. He’s a vicious killer with a bleak and terrifying reputation. Marrying him is like wrapping myself in raw steak and diving straight into a pit of hungry wolves.
