Page 27 of Say I Do

“Good. The least you can do is be useful to the family.”

I did my job, and I stayed out of the way. I’d given my entire life to the organization. Even when Dad had put me at the bottom with the low-level members, I worked my ass off. Unlike my brothers, they took everything handed to them, and still, they had the nerve to look down on me.

“It’s in his blood. He’ll do great. A child of a whore can’t be anything other than what they were born to be,” Kei said. He laughed at his own stupid comment. We were the same age, but we were never close. I wasn’t close to any of my siblings except Lorelei.

“Get back inside, Harlow, and do your job,” Daiki said.

Fuck this.I took a step away from Minato, and his arm dropped from my shoulders. The three of them crowded closer to me. Tension crackled in the air around us. I’d go down fighting if I had to.

“Careful there, Harlow,” Minato warned. He reached to the waist of his pants.

I wasn’t afraid. I knew, in the end, I’d be faster than him. The blade of my knife would cut through his flesh before he could pull the gun out.

“Don’t worry. Harlow is going to go back in there and show the world that he and that mobster are deeply in love.” Daiki sounded so sure of himself. “Otherwise, we might have to take care of Lorelei’s little problem. After all, she was the one who was supposed to be in your spot.”

I fucking hated that they knew my weakness. My sister. If there was one person in this world I’d give my left nut for, it was Lorelei. My chest clenched, and all the air rushed out of me at once. If I didn’t do what was asked of me, it wouldn’t just be my ass on the line. I didn’t put it past my father to hurt my sister. She might be his only girl and spoiled rotten, but in the end, any children of Denji Hayashi were pawns to be used.

I said nothing as I turned on my heels and headed back inside. I wove through the kitchen, no one paying attention to me as I headed for the table.

Benito saw me first and stood back up. “Ba… babe, where did you go?”

The term of endearment sounded stilted coming out of his mouth. I would have laughed if I didn’t feel so numb. Someone snapped a picture, and a flash went off in the corner of my eyes. Anger boiled under the surface. If one more person said or did anything to tick me off, I would lose my shit.

“Harlow.” My father’s voice penetrated the fog of anger. He stared at me, and all I could remember was that he was threatening my sister. Her life was my ball and chain.

“Oh, are you okay?” Gabriela asked.

I forced a smile on my face and relaxed my body. I was far from okay. “Of course. Just needed a quick smoke. It’s not every day the man you’ve been madly in love with proposes in public.”

Gabriela sighed. “Don’t I know it. Benito’s father proposed four separate times. I made sure each place was more extravagant than the last. We even went to Italy. Have you been?”

“Can’t say I have.”

I could feel Benito’s eyes on me, but I was determined to make it through the rest of the luncheon without looking at him or my father again. The remainder of the time passed by in a blur. It was easier once I got Gabriela to talk about herself; she didn’t stop. I knew more about her luxury lifestyle than I knew about her son.

I hardly remembered leaving the restaurant or even getting in the car. Before I knew it, we had pulled to a stop outside the penthouse. I reached for the door.

“Harlow!”

All the sounds around me came rushing back. Everything happened at once. Benito’s hand wrapped around my wrist, and I reacted on instinct. We tumbled, and Benito’s back hit the door. A bead of blood kissed the sharp end of my blade. Benito stared at me with a bored expression as we sat there at a standstill. His gun pressed against my temple, my knife to his throat.

The same electric charge in the air that seemed to surround us built to a greater height. I could practically taste it. Every inch of my body was hyper-aware of Benito. Any subtle movement, and I would drag my knife over his throat. The same could be expected from him as his finger caressed the trigger.

My cock twitched the longer we stayed in that position. We stared into each other’s eyes, unwilling or unable to make the first move. The car door opened.

“Close it,” we said in unison. Neither of us took our eyes off each other.

“Where did you get the weapon?” Benito asked.

“I have my ways.” They might have checked my bags, but most of my clothes and shoes had knives stored in them. Never knew when I’d need them.

“Put it away.”

Make me. The words sat heavily on my tongue. I flipped the knife around and put it away. Benito drew his gun back. We stared at each other, neither of us making a move to leave the car.

“Are you going to be like this at every single thing we have to do in public?”

“Probably.”

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