Page 4 of Claimed By The Devil

I want to knock his head off his shoulders and reply, “That’s the last time you’ll disrespect her, too.”

He stops in his tracks and turns back to face me. I clench my fists and wait to see if this wedding is going to turn into a gang war, but he says nothing. He just shoots me a sideways glare.

Bobby goes back to the party, and his henchmen carry the broken and bloodied man out the backdoor. When the hallway is clear, I turn my attention to Deirdre. She looks like a deer in headlights, and I assume that she’s in a state of shock.

“Are you okay?” I ask, brushing her hair from her face.

“He asked me to dance, and I didn’t want to be rude so I danced with him. He was putting his hands all over me. I left him on the dance floor and came back here, but he followed me. He pushed me up against the wall so hard that the dishes fell off the shelf. I thought he was gonna rape me!” she explains.

“Did he hurt you?” I ask, fully prepared to storm out the door and finish the beating that I started.

“No, he didn’t. You got here before he could.”

“Good,” I look around and spot an employee restroom. “Go in there and clean yourself up.”

When she goes to the restroom, Jimmy says, “What was that all about, boss? Were you really gonna blow the whole deal over her?”

All I can say is, “Yes.”

3

DANCING WITH THE DEVIL

DEIRDRE

Looking at my mascara-stained face in the mirror, I run the warm water over my shaking hands. My mind takes me to a place that I don’t want to go. I call it the land of what if.

What if Danny hadn’t come out when he did? What would have happened? The most likely answer isn’t one that I like to imagine. I would have been raped, and if the assault resulted in a pregnancy, my father would have forced him to marry me and take responsibility for the child that he made. I would tell him that the goon forced himself on me, but he would call me a liar even though he knew it was true. He’d probably be relieved if that happened. It would be the easiest way to get me off his hands so that he could concentrate on making a new family with his pretty young wife.

I was always an uncomfortable burden to him, but when my mother died, he became honor-bound to raise me. Now, I’m more than just a burden. I’m like an old piece of furniture in a newly remodeled room. I don’t match the décor, but he keeps me in the room because he can’t throw me away. Not because I have any sentimental value but because he’d be judged for it if he did.

What about this Diavolo? Did he really just strike a deal with my father and lay some sort of claim on me? When I saw him in the church, I wasn’t sure who he was, but there was something about him that seemed different from the rest of the guys.

He’s twice the size of any man I’ve ever met, with bulging muscles and a scar that runs all the way down one side of his face. The scar takes nothing away from how handsome he is. In fact, it may even make him a bit sexier. Without it, he’s attractive, but with it, he’s attractive and dangerous.

His eyes tell a different story. When I look at the other guys, I see one of two things—lust or rage—but Danny’s eyes are more soulful. I can just tell that he’s a deep thinker.

From the stories I’ve heard, he’s the most dangerous man in the business. They call him cold-blooded and say he’s the devil himself, but when I look at him, I don’t feel intimidated. I feel safe. My instincts must be very good because he didn’t waste a second coming to my rescue.

The idea of exploring just what it means to be claimed by Danny entices me, and I finally stop shaking. I fix my makeup and hair and take a final look in the mirror. Maybe when I walk out of this bathroom things will be different. He did promise me that things were going to get better, after all.

He’s waiting for me when I come out and asks, “Feeling better?”

“Yes, thanks,” I reply, folding my hands in front of me.

“Are you ready to go back out there, then?”

The idea of returning to the wedding reception now terrifies me. I was so fixated on Danny that I didn’t even think about having to walk out there and see the looks on all of their faces. By now, they all must know what happened, and in their minds, it’s all my fault.

“You’re gonna walk out there on my arm. You’ll sit at my table and we’ll get to know each other a little better. Maybe we’ll even dance a little. You deserve to enjoy yourself. Your father isn’t the only one who gets to start over today,” he tells me and my heart swells. For the first time in my life, I feel special. No one has ever treated me like this before.

I sit between Danny and his associate who doesn’t say anything, but I can see that he isn’t too sure about my presence. I glance around the room and see a few people gawking but nowhere near as many as I expected, so I settle back and relax a bit more.

Dad and his new wife, Celia, cut the cake and the wait staff deliver slices to all the tables. My slice is placed on the bride's table, so Danny takes a forkful from his plate, smiles, and tells me to open wide. My face gets hot but I open my mouth and let him feed me.

“What are we doing here, boss? We already had our meeting. Can’t we just slip out now? No offense to you, young lady, but a week ago, these people were our arch-enemies. It doesn’t feel right being here,” Jimmy looks around the room and then shrugs his shoulders.

“You’re right. You should go. If they haven’t tried to cap me yet, they aren’t going to,” Danny tells him.

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