Page 8 of Say I Do

I blinked as I turned to stare at the officiant. He looked at me, his nervous eyes darting back and forth before he urged me on with a nod. The tension in the air was thick. Denji’s men stood around, looking as if they were ready to defend him at any moment or even the smallest hint that I would back out. My brothers and men were no better. Everyone was trigger-happy, and I was stuck in the middle.

“Yes,” I said, gazing up at the psychotic man strapped down in front of me. “I do.”

“Gag him,” Denji ordered.

His men looked back and forth between each other, hesitation written all over their faces. I held up a hand. Closing the gap between us, I ignored the priest as he muttered the rest of his lines about til death do us part. I worked quickly and carefully as I shoved the bit back into the man’s mouth and secured it, keeping my fingers out of his path.

“You’re now married.”

“Here’s the paperwork,” Denji said.

“Enzo?”

My brother stepped forward with the folder I’d given him. I passed it over to Denji. We opened them, examining the deal that had been laid out before us. Denji would use our construction business for a cheaper rate to build his endeavors, I would help him network with people I knew, and I got a slice of the pie in his holdings company. A hotel and restaurant, one that would have the Vitale name on it. It was a step forward. The pens scratched over the papers, one by one, until everything was signed.

We closed our folders at the same time and exchanged them. Denji and I shared a look. Reaching out, I grasped his hand, and we shook. Just like that, the deal was sealed. I’d gotten screwed over, but there was no backing out now.

“My father should be calling you shortly,” I said, my throat tight as I restrained myself from saying the full extent of what I wanted to. “The change of plans is not exactly in line with what we wanted. A male can’t have a baby,” I pointed out.

“I am prepared to make up for that.” Denji snapped his fingers. A suitcase was brought over, and he nodded toward me. Once I took it, the man retreated. “Hopefully, that should cover the cost of the inconvenience to you.”

A grin tugged at my lips, one I didn’t remotely feel like putting on. “I’m sure it will.” I turned to one of my guys. “Have…”What is his name again?

“Harlow,” Denji supplied.

“Yes, have Harlow taken to my place and secured.” I looked the restrained man up and down. “He should get some sleep.”

“Yes, boss.”

“We can take care of that,” Denji answered. “Go on.”

The priest was ushered out of the room before a needle was slid into Harlow’s arm. He glared at me the whole time like a rabid animal that needed to be put down. In anyone else’s head, those startling gray eyes would have been intriguing. Men weren’t my first choice, but I dabbled occasionally, and Harlow, with his slender figure and long dark hair, was enticing. I enjoyed the feminine much more than the masculine.. He would have been right up my alley if he wasn’t more wild than Giancarlo.

As his eyes fluttered, I briefly remembered I’d seen him before. It was in one of those meetings between Denji, myself, and my father. He liked to bring me along to the international deals so he could be sure I knew how to read the subtle differences in every organization and their culture. Deep down, we were all the same.But on top of it all, there was a facade, a set of rules that each group followed.

In Italian, I gave the directions I needed in place. “Restrain him and get the door fitted with a lock.”

My penthouse was on the 32nd floor, so I wasn’t worried about him jumping from a window.If he did, it would save me a hell of a lot of trouble.

“That’s all, gentlemen,” I said as I turned around. “We’ll meet up again shortly.”

Denji nodded, snapped his fingers, and his guys filed out after him. The one that was missing a finger stopped to snatch it up from the ground and held it to his chest like an injured bird. He went with the others while my men wheeled a sleeping Harlow out. As the doors closed, I sighed.

“Okay,” Giancarlo said. “What the fuck was that?”

* * *

I’d changedout of my bloodstained outfit into a new button-up shirt and slacks I kept at Blu, our nightclub. My brothers sat on either side of me. We skipped sitting at our own place to travel to a dive bar half an hour over. It was a piece of shit, but it wasn’t as loud, the clientele didn’t give a damn what we had to talk about, and the barkeeper minded his business.

My fingers grazed the cold glass of whiskey. I picked it up, downed half of it, and sat it down, swallowing thickly as I ignored the burn that arched down my throat. Enzo sat his glass down while Giancarlo made a big show of saying “Ah!” after taking his shot. Silence settled over us.

“No, really,” Giancarlo said as he turned to stare at me. “What the fuck was that?”

They both sat across from me in the booth, staring. I groaned. This was why I didn’t want to tell them beforehand. I knew there would be too many questions I didn’t want to answer, but now there was no avoiding it.

“I have to agree with Giancarlo for once,” Enzo said as he leaned toward me. “Whatwasthat? I mean, you’re married now? Why didn’t we know about it?”

I shrugged. “Dad and I thought it up.”

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