Page 31 of Sinful Daughter (Dark Mafia Sins 2)

“Give him a chance, Aria.” My brother sighs, attempting to give me a comforting smile.

And who does my mind instantly go to? A specific cop instead. I can feel my face twist with a frown as I watch Marco kiss ass to my father.

“I don’t understand why you’re fighting this so much,” Katrina adds out of nowhere.Where did she come from?I refuse to engage when I know she wants to start a fight. Ignoring her, I look over at the crowd in our house.

My imagination is playing tricks on me. I swear I see Theo walk through our front door into our living room. He’s wearing dark denim with a black shirt. His arms stretch the fabric, and a few tattoos poke out from underneath. My mouth dries up.Impossible. My eyes blink, expecting his image to disappear.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” Luca sputters, walking right toward Theo. I’m left standing in place, mouth wide open before I convince myself he’s actually here and not a figment of my imagination.

Following on Luca’s heels, I wonder the same as my brother. My father will shoot and bury him before he asks any questions. You can’t come and rip a man’s house apart, then expect to join in on family dinner. It doesn’t matter that it was a few months ago or not. Something like that will never be forgotten. Looking behind Theo, I see he has no backup. Well, it was nice knowing him.He’s a dead man.

“Theo Fox.” My father steps away from Marco with a smile still on his face.

I look around to see who will get the honor to shoot first. No one steps up, and my father extends his hand.

Theo nods before shaking my father’s hand. Marco, who hasn’t even tried to talk to me yet, is now by my side, placing his arm around my shoulder. I want to nudge it off, but the way Theo is glaring at his hand has me smiling and not moving.

“Marco, this is the man who saved your future wife,” my father informs him.What is he up to?

“He could have done a better job, but I’m not the one paying, I guess.” Marco glares back at him. I stare at Theo, not understanding why he’s here.

“Having one paying job makes it easier to remember where my loyalties lie.”

The tension around us heightens. I begin to sweat as I watch Marco and Theo narrow their eyes at one another.

“I fucking hate the mess you left my house in when you barged in,” my father cuts into Marco and Theo’s conversation.

Theo and Father are now glaring at each other, the tension escalating to a dangerous degree.

“Part of the job,” Theo replies, not looking worried that he’s in a house full of gangsters who have no moral conscience if he went missing.

“In all honesty, thank you for saving Aria. I would have no problem killing anyone who hurt her.” My father is staring Theo down, and I can feel myself blush, remembering all the sexy things Theo and I have done together. If he were dating me, I would think my father was threatening his life. Instead, Marco is the one by my side, and I haven’t heard my father give him that speech yet. I doubt he’ll get one.

“I understand; she’s a beautiful, smart girl. I would think less of you if you didn’t protect her,” Theo adds casually. My heart rate is spiking higher with each word they say to one another.

Marco stiffens beside me, and says coolly, “It’s a good thing I’m here to protect her now.”

My dad looks at Marco, then Theo, mischief filling his eyes. My stomach begins to drop, and I wonder if my father knows.Is this a trap?

Theo looks Marco up and down. “Sure, man.” And he taps him on the shoulder.

Letting go of my shoulder, Marco takes a step toward Theo as he leaves our small circle. Luca pulls Marco back, preventing a fight.

“He’s a cop, man. Don’t do something stupid.”

“Why the hell is he here then?” He looks at me. “How did you get mixed up with him?”

“Excuse me? You’ve not said one word to me today, and this is what you want to start with? Go screw yourself.” I walk away, leaving my brother to smooth the waters for me. But seriously, I won’t be marrying that man. He may have covered for me, but we owe each other nothing.

Walking out of the house and past our pool, I go toward my mother’s flower garden. It’s surrounded by hedges, making it a peaceful place to get away.

“Aria?” Gia questions, standing with a group of her girlfriends. I lift my hand to wave her off and keep going.

I’m shaking my head at the whole situation, not looking where I’m going, when I bump into Gia’s man, Alfonso.

He mumbles, “Sorry,” while practically running back to the heart of the yard before slipping inside.

I wonder what he was doing out here. I look around, but no one is near.Oh well. I enter the garden and lie down in the grass, looking up at the sky. The cooler air tries to seep into my skin, but my sweater holds it out.

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