Page 39 of Wedlocked

I’d tortured her enough by leaving her chained up alone in the darkness. That she faced imminent death on top of all that and it was little wonder she’d mentally escaped—it was likely also why she’d vomited.

I made her another drink, then poured myself one as well. It wasn’t like I’d had any sleep yet anyway, as far as I was concerned it was the late hours of last night, not the start of an early morning.

She gratefully accepted her second drink and I took a sip of mine and said, “I’m calling the doctor to have him check you—“

“No.” She shook her head. “No doctor, please. If my family finds out I was hurt—”

“My physician is very discreet. Your family will never hear about this.”

She closed her eyes, her face pale and her voice trembling. “I don’t want or need a doctor.”

I sighed heavily. I wasn’t going to force the issue. I didn’t want her to regress back to where she’d been. “Then at least let me ice your bruise.”

She nodded. “I’d like that, thank you.”

I rang the apartment manager to organize a cleaner to immediately clean up my bedroom while I found an ice pack in the freezer, then wrapped it in a cloth. I disconnected the call as I returned to gently press the ice pack on Sabrina’s bruised face. She flinched and held the ice pack herself as she turned away from me, clearly telling me I wasn’t needed.

I hid a frown.

She didn’t trust me.

But of course she didn’t trust me! I was her enemy, the man who would one day end her life. I drew back, but didn’t take my eyes off her when I said, “I’ll make you a deal.”

She glanced at me. Going by her gleaming eyes her interest was clearly piqued. At least her stare was no longer empty. “Yes?” she prompted.

“I won’t handcuff you to the bed anymore and…I’ll keep you as my wife for as long as I can if you promise never to try and escape.”

“I promise,” she said, though her voice lacked conviction.

My stomach cramped. “Your family does believe in the mafia’s code of honor, does it not?”

“Of course,” she said, her face flushing.

“Good, then you’ll uphold your end of the promise.”

“As will you.” She bit into her bottom lip. “What’s in it for you, anyway?”

Besides keeping her as my wife for as long as possible and not constantly worrying about her running home and telling her family everything she’d learned about the Agostinos?

Which reminded me…

“All I ask is that you tell me a little something about your family.” It was, after all, why I’d managed to save her life in the first place. But if I didn’t start getting some information out of her soon, I’d be considered weak and my promise would be void. And it would kill me to kill her and go against my own promise.

“Now?” she asked, her voice unsteady.

“It’s as good a time as any.”

My cellphone chimed and I held up my hand to her in a signal to give me a minute before I pulled the cell out of my pocket and answered. “Papà. What is it?”

“Just checking up on my son, I am still allowed to do that.”

“Of course,” I allowed. My father never slept much; his early morning phone call wasn’t anything unusual. “But I’m more than capable of running the business without your…input.”

“I never would have handed it over to you if you weren’t. But…you’re also married now.”

I frowned. “That won’t affect how I run things.”

“Won’t it?”

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