Page 3 of Damaged & Deadly

“Then what is it you want from me?” Dante’s tone is cool and calm as he stares impassively at his father, putting the dots together at the same time I do.

“For now… Nothing.”

“Then I don’t get it. What is this all about?” I question, confused. If Luc isn’t being used to threaten me or Dante into doing something for him, what does Giovanni want with him?

“All will be revealed in due course. For now, I just wanted to offer my congratulations to the happy couple.”

“I want to see my brother!” I demand, not even listening to the words coming out of his mouth.

Giovanni’s cold laugh grates on my nerves. “I don’t think so. I’ll be holding a formal celebration tomorrow night. I have some exciting news to announce. Be there, and you’ll get to see your brother.”

With one last over-the-top grin thrown in our direction, he exits the room, leaving me speechless.

“What do we do now?” I croak, still staring at the closed door as if expecting Luc to just walk through it at any second.

Someone sighs behind me. “There isn’t anything we can do,” Enzo says. “We should go home and regroup.”

At that, I spin to gape at him. “Go home? I’m not going anywhere until I talk to my brother.”

“Your brother’s probably already gone to wherever Giovanni is keeping him—which could be anywhere. And no, we can’t just scour the city for him. You’d only be asking for Giovanni to do something that will hurt him.” Enzo closes the distance between us once again, placing his hands on my shoulders. “The best thing for your brother is for us to go home and work out what Giovanni wants with him. You heard him, he’s got something planned for tomorrow. Until then, he won’t hurt him… much.”

“He’s right,” Oliver says in my ear, having apparently heard the entire conversation. “There’s nothing more you can do for him right now, Trouble. Not without putting him at further risk. Figure out what you can, and we’ll find out everything we can on our end. We’ll get him back, I promise you that. Cain and I won’t rest until he’s safe.”

I sigh and close my eyes against the onslaught of conflicting emotions. “Okay,” I say in a low voice. Lifting my head, I first meet Enzo’s reassuring gaze before looking at Dante’s steady one behind him. “Let’s go.”

***

As I slide into the back seat of the Sedan, my ring catches off the light and I stare down at it, unable to wrap my head around the fact that I’m a married woman. It definitely wasn’t the outcome I’d been expecting today. Fuck, none of this was how I thought the day would go. I should be back at the Rejects’ clubhouse, celebrating our win and enjoying being in Cain and Oliver’s arms. Instead, I’m married to Dante. I don’t even know what to think of that. I’m too numb from today’s events. I haven’t had time to fully process the implications of all of this.

The man himself slides into the back seat beside me. I glance at him out of the corner of my eye. My husband. The man I’m supposed to share my life with, yet the chasm between us is miles wide and feels impossible to cross.What the hell have I done?A brief flash of terror locks me in place as I take in the stoic man beside me. I don’t really know him. I absolutely don’t think I can trust him. Yet, somehow, I’ve found myself legally bound to him.

God, what must Cain and Oliver be thinking? Cain must be furious, even if he does understand why I had to do it. I didn’t see any other choice. We couldn’t make a move with my brother sitting there. I wasn’t going to risk his life like that, and I don’t think I would have gotten away with changing my mind about marrying Dante at the last minute. Dante wouldn’t have allowed it. It was all a charade anyway. Even if I had refused, a ring would have been forced on my hand and everyone would just have pretended they heard me say my vows. No matter what, I was either leaving that church a married woman or with dead bodies and Antonelli blood under my feet.

Our journey back to the house is quiet. I feel the weight of Dante’s gaze on me every so often—not to mention Enzo’s green eyes in the rearview mirror—and tension is thick in the air. I feel both exhausted and strung out, my thoughts going in a constant loop as I jump back and forth between freaking out about my new husband and what might be happening to Luc at this very moment.

Cain and Oliver disconnected our call before I left the church, so I don’t even have the distraction of their voices in my ear right now. I already feel more distanced from them. This stupid fucking piece of metal on my finger is messing up everything. I’m just finally finding my footing with both of them. Now was supposed to be our time; instead, I’m married to their worst enemy.

Yeah, but you’ve been lusting after him for weeks now, a snarky voice in my head unhelpfully pipes up. I stifle a groan, my stomach tightening with unease. Both of them were already suspicious. Especially after I made Cain promise to spare Dante’s and Enzo’s lives. It’s only a matter of time before I have to come clean to them about just how fucked up this whole situation is. I have no idea what will happen then. I could completely understand if it’s all too much for Cain. Fuck, it’s too much even for me. I haven’t the faintest fucking clue what the hell I’m doing. Yet, despite how much he riles me up, I don’t want to picture my life without Cain in it. As for Oliver… he’d be more understanding, but I’m still not sure how open-minded he’d be. He didn’t seem to have any reservations about sharing me with Cain, but I don’t think he will be as okay about doing the same with Enzo or Dante.

A small snort passes my lips, and I’m faintly aware of two sets of eyes on me, but I ignore them as I continue on my internal ramble. Even my inner thoughts sound insane. Do I hear myself?! What the fuck am I even talking about? Some sort of relationship with four men? Jesus, fuck, talk about a recipe for disaster. The only way that ends is with everyone bleeding out on the floor. Don’t even start me on the fact that I can’t trust either Enzo or Dante. Sure, they were there for me that day in the sex club, but that doesn’t mean I should just lower my guard and let them in. I’m a mole in their organization—in their family. Fucking hell, I’ve seen what they do to traitors and spies. Despite their grievances with Giovanni, that doesn’t mean they’d be on board to burn the whole syndicate down.

Equally, Cain and Oliver won’t stop until they level this part of the city. So, where does that leave me? Stuck in the middle between two smoking hot enemies, turned on, and with a headache. Sounds awesome.

I’m no closer to sorting anything out when Enzo pulls in through the front gates of the Malibu mansion and parks the car. He’s opening my door before I can do it myself and playing the part of a gentleman, he holds out a hand, helping me out. My hand is still in his when he says, “I’m going back into the city for a bit. There are some men who are loyal to Dante. They might be able to get some intel for us.”

My spine stiffens. “But—”

He cuts me off before I can construct an argument. “Besides, you should spend some time with your husband.”

“Don’t call him that,” I gripe, frowning.

Enzo’s hand comes up to cup my face. “Why not? That’s what he is. If you give him a chance, he might be a good one too.” I continue to frown until he steps away.

With awell, what are you waiting forquirk of his brow, he nudges me toward the house, and with a sigh, I reluctantly give in. God knows, if I don’t go to Dante on my own, he’ll come and get me.

Nerves flutter in my stomach as I follow Dante up the steps. Casting a final glance over my shoulder, I find Enzo still watching me. He gives me an encouraging nod before he gets back into the car and drives away, leaving me at the mercy of my… husband.Well, fuck.I can’t be held responsible for my actions. Thank goodness I still have my Glock and knife affixed to my thighs. I may trust Dante enough to know he won’t hurt me, but I’m more than familiar with his level of stubbornness, and I'm in no mood for an argument today.

The front door barely swings shut before I find myself pressed against it, a heavy weight pinning me in place. Lifting my gaze, I find russet-brown eyes boring intently into me seconds before soft yet demanding lips collide with mine, and my mind is wiped clean as Dante kisses the life out of me. Like a starved man, he dives into my mouth, claiming every inch of it as his. I melt into his touch, leaning into the heat of his palm on my hip. His other hand threads into my hair, angling my head to enable him to go deeper until I’m convinced he’s trying to embed himself under my skin. Heat rushes into my cheeks, and any hesitation or doubts I had concerning Dante are quieted as my body responds to him like he’s a missing piece of my soul. My whole body comes alive beneath his touch as he trails his hand over my ribs and up my back, until he finds the buttons of my dress.

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