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“What do you mean?” I can’t help but wonder.
Sighing, my father says, “An alliance between our two families could benefit us both, present a united front that nobody would want to fuck with either of us. I also need some of his…business connections. Now that Lochlan knows Madison ran away and I’ve been lying to him about it, we have two choices, have a wedding, or have a vendetta with each other that won’t end well.”
So, a wedding or a mafia war? One ends with me being handed over to a thug, and the other ends in bloodshed.
Just like Cass, I want to say hell no, to turn around, walk away and forget this idiotic conversation about marrying a man I’ve never met.
But at the same time…I’ve never been strong enough to refuse my father’s demands. Besides, what if my rejection ends with my father getting killed? He lives a dangerous life as it is, constantly worried about threats to us, to Vanessa. Someone has to worry about him. If I could do something to help him avoid a war, then I should. I want to be a good daughter. Not to mention that this is probably the longest my father and I have had a conversation without my sisters in years.
An unknown future with a stranger is bound to be more exciting than my current one. I think I would agree based on that selfish desire alone. Being someone’s wife, having the sole attention of a doting husband could be nice too.
I’m about to tell my father I’ll do it when he says, “Before you give me a final answer, Lochlan is insisting on…meeting you.” He grits out the last two words as if he doesn’t like the idea of us being in the same room together, leaving me so damn confused.
“So, you don’t want me to meet him, but you’ll let him marry me?” I ask for clarification.
Vanessa grins up at my dad’s scowling face. “Yes, Dante. Answer Sophie’s question. Why would you let your daughter marry someone you don’t feel comfortable with her meeting?”
“Because if I know Lochlan, he’ll do something he shouldn’t, then call off the wedding just to be a dick.”
Do something he shouldn’t? Like what? I start to ask but decide I don’t really want to know. I would rather be surprised. Not knowing exactly what my future holds is exhilarating.
“So, you want Sophie to marry a man you don’t trust?”
Now my dad growls down at his new wife. My new stepmother. It’s still weird to have Vanessa living with us. In all my eighteen years we’ve never had a motherly figure around. Or any woman for that matter. While Cass doesn’t like Vanessa, I think she’s nice. And she’s been good for our dad. He’s happy. Happier than I’ve ever seen him before, as if their marriage was some sort of magic spell that tamed his wild ways. Over the years, I heard the rumors about him from the staff and guards, all the partying and endless women before Vanessa came along. Maybe marriage isn’t all bad. Especially if the man I’m going to marry is dangerous enough that my dad is worried about leaving me alone with him during our first encounter.
“I’ll meet him,” I agree on a ragged breath. My heart is already galloping in my chest, nervous and excited to get to dive headfirst into the unknown.
“You will?” my dad says, his black eyebrows raised in surprise as if he fully expected me to flat out refuse like Cass did. That’s one of the differences between me and my older sisters. They obviously lack the freak gene that makes me even more curious about the man they both ran away from as fast as possible to avoid at all costs.
Cass and Madison were strong enough to refuse our father. Cass did so to his face while Madison ran away to avoid his wrath.
Rather than admit my morbid curiosity, I just give him a nod.
“Great. Thank you, Sophie. I’ll set it up as soon as possible.”
“Good,” I agree, maybe a little too quickly. “I mean, I want to hurry up and get it over with, you know?”
“Of course,” Vanessa agrees, giving me a supportive smile. “Just remember that nobody is forcing you to do any of this, okay sweetie?”
I bite my bottom lip to stop myself from pointing out that I don’t actually have a choice. For this instance at least, I think I prefer it that way.
4
Lochlan
What kind of asshole demands that a man hand over his sweet, probably innocent, teenage daughter so he can tie her up, and ruin her?
Me. I’m the asshole.
Not that I’m going to tell Dante Salvato the depraved things I’m planning for Sophie. I’m sure he has a few guesses, which is why he looks like he’s chewing on a roofing nail when he opens his penthouse door to let me come inside, jaw ticking.
Oh, if I were a glutton for punishment or a swift death, I could spin all kinds of innuendo here to make him even more uncomfortable. As it is, nothing is set in stone yet, and this is just a meeting to try to finalize our deal—a yes from his daughter and him that I’ll inherit his businesses.
“Dante, stop glowering at the man and introduce us,” a small blonde woman says from behind the tall bastard.
Sighing like it costs him deeply, Dante finally says, “Lochlan, meet my wife, Vanessa. Vanessa this is Lochlan Dunne.”
“Nice to meet you.” The petite blonde steps in front of him to offer me a handshake and a smile. No wonder Dante gave up his playboy ways. She’s beautiful and warm, wearing a casual white and green floral dress that’s short enough to be cockteasing. Still, she’s nothing like the sluts he used to fuck around with before. “Although,” she adds, “it would be nicer to meet you if you would call this wedding mess off.”
