Page 30 of Luca
“I know that you’re ten years older than me, Aiden,” I remarked instead. It was better than lying to him. “But that hardly makes you smarter than me,” I added with a smirk hoping to divert his attention from me and my thoughts.
He scoffed, then pushed off the wall and walked over to me. He was tall, six foot three, and towered over me with an unreadable expression. Except I knew Aiden like the palm of my hand. While to strangers he was a threat, to me, he was just an overprotective brother.
He led me out onto the balcony despite the bitter wind sweeping off the ocean. Once we stood by the rails, he turned to me.
“You’re running, aren’t you?” Guilt washed over me. It would seem my brother knew me a lot better than I even gave him credit for. I trusted him with my life, but with this, I wasn’t so certain. So I hesitated.
Aiden always had my back, but he wanted me close too. He worried about letting me spread my wings. And yes, he stood up to Uncle and his wife in my defense.
But when it came to the mafia business and making alliances, Aiden followed Uncle’s decrees. It was the reason he’d taken over more and more responsibilities. He’d take over Uncle’s criminal organization soon.
Sensing my dilemma, he raised his hand and swept a finger over my nose. Just like when I was a little girl and something upset me.
“Maggie, I'm on your side. No matter what.”
“I can’t handle another fiancé,” I croaked.
He nodded. “Okay.”
The last flicker of hesitation dimmed and nothing could hold my words back anymore.
“I can’t do this,” I breathed. “I don’t know why these men keep dying, but I cannot accept another. I’m done.”
I was born into this underworld, but I didn’t want to die in it. And whoever was killing these men… my sixth sense warned I was the reason. Some days I could almost feel his gaze piercing me from the shadows. Like earlier.
Who was that stranger?
“I’ll talk to Uncle,” he said. “I’ll make him see reason. End the parade of prospects.”
I sighed.
“I want out. Out of this world. Out of any future arranged marriages. Just out. For my baby and me.”
Understanding flickered in his blue gaze and he pushed his hand through his coal dark hair. Our coloring was so identical, there was no mistaking our relations. But character wise, the two of us were very different. I was impulsive and wild. Aiden was not. I got into trouble quite frequently growing up and someone always had to rescue me. Aiden got into trouble, but he always got out of it on his own.
“So you want to run,” he stated calmly. It should have sent an alert through me, but it didn’t. At this point, I had nothing to lose. Without help, I won’t be able to leave this prison. “But you need funds.”
The wind had picked up and tore at my hair. A shiver rolled through my body. Either from the thought of being completely alone or due to the wind, I wasn’t sure.
“Yes.” There was no reason to beat around the bush.
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” I said. I didn’t bother telling him that being alone terrified me. Growing up in our Irish family meant always being surrounded by someone. Parents. Brothers. Cousins. Uncles. Aunts. There was never a dull moment. If you wanted to be alone, you locked yourself in a bathroom.
“It’s a huge step,” he noted, scratching his jaw as if he was going through all the bullet points I should know.
“I’m aware,” I remarked dryly. “But I can’t do another engagement party. Another round of congratulations while being called a black widow under their breaths.”
“If you give me their names, I could easily kill them,” he said with a casual smile. So typical of someone in the mafia to throw that out.
“Well, you’d have to kill a good number of our own family,” I retorted wryly. “I don’t even like the idea of marrying someone just because I’m pregnant.”
My hand came to my stomach and I rubbed it affectionately. Feeling the baby move inside my stomach was an indescribable feeling. I fell in love with my daughter twice so far. The day I saw her little blip on the sonogram and the day I felt her move inside me. From then on, I’d do anything, and I mean anything, for her.
Steal. Cheat. Kill. Anything.
“Why can’t I just have the baby on my own?” I murmured, talking to myself.
