Page 61 of The Beast

“It’s good. All is good. Anyway, finish your story. Tell me about the scar.”

I trace my fingers over the jagged edges and love how imperfect it is. Much like him, beautiful in its madness.

“We simulated removing our hearts for the battle ahead.”

I wasn’t expecting that, and I stare at him in shock. “You did what?”

He laughs softly. “Flynn had a claw shaped blade and one by one we scratched our skin deep enough to draw blood and as the blood spilled onto the paper, we signed a contract in blood to bring you home to us.”

“Oh my god.” I’m so shocked and he shrugs as if it was of no consequence.

“We all did it. We called it The Contract and the most important mission in life after Rockwell was setting about bringing you home.”

“How?”

“Marrying for power. One by one, we would marry into rival families to make an army. The hardest thing of all was waiting for the plan to come together, knowing you were suffering with him.”

He looks so tormented my heart physically hurts and I drop a light kiss on his lips and whisper, “Thank you.”

He kisses me deeply with an intensity that heats my blood, knowing how far they were prepared to go to rescue me.

The time for talking is put on hold because it’s actions that count now and this time we make love with an intensity that shocks me a little because being here with Alessandro at last dulls the pain of my past.

CHAPTER34

ALESSANDRO

Ileave Winter to sleep while I shower and change. I have calls to make and want to catch up with my brothers before the day runs away with us.

As I leave, I take a lingering glance at the sleeping beauty in my bed and still can’t believe my luck. She loves me. The moment those words fell from her lips, it healed my soul. Nothing else matters now. My grandfather, Allegra and the Giodanos. Nothing but making Winter my wife and taking over the Majerio family as soon as required.

It will be a fight to the death to keep Winter by my side, but my grandfather chose me as his successor for a reason and I didn’t miss the pride in his eyes whenever I stood up to him, despite the frown on his face. I am more like him than he would care to admit and I’m guessing he would be disappointed if I married Allegra, anyway.

I head outside and nod to the ever-present soldiers who guard our headquarters well. Their loyalty is to Club Mafia when they are here, not only their respective Don. Here Angelo is the Don, and we all offer him that respect, regardless of what and who we control in the outside world.

Stepping over to the fountain that is the centerpiece of the courtyard, I call my grandfather more out of respect than anything else.

“Alessandro.”

His husky voice reaches out and grabs my attention and he says slowly,“I trust you are in a more amenable frame of mind now you have had your fun.”

“Nothing has changed, Grandfather. I won’t marry Allegra and will bring Winter home, or we remain here.”

“Which is…”

Nobody knows about Club Mafia except those who belong and serve it, so I laugh softly.

“Here is here. That’s all you need to know.”

There’s a brief silence before he sighs heavily.

“You put me in an unfortunate position with Don Giodano.”

“You will find a way out of it.”

“No, Alessandro.”

“No, what?”

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