Page 17 of The Arrangement

A form near the bed clouded his tired vision, a hand patting his head as she passed. Anton knew then it was his mother. Sasha was affectionate like any mother, but still quick to give him privacy and space. Had she known Viviana had made it to the safe house the day before, she probably wouldn’t have been in his room at all.

“Good morning. Try not to be so loud today, hmm? Your father needs to rest; the infection in his lungs is taking a toll. Take Rocco to the park or something later—you’re starting to get cabin fever.”

“I’m fine.” Placing his gun on the cushion, his mother didn’t blink at the firearm. He rolled his wrists, working out the kinks. “I have things to handle today, anyway.”

“Ant …”

“Ostanovit.”

Stop, he’d told her. While he let his mother get away with occasionally mothering him in private, he wasn’t in the mood for it then.

“Fine.”

Without another word, she was gone and the door closed softly behind her. Anton stayed quiet as he stood, stretching out his arms and turning away from the woman sitting back on his bed. “You were crying in your sleep last night,” he said to Viviana. “I didn’t want to get into the bed and freak you out, so I called Rocco up. You stopped when he laid down by the bed.”

“Where is he?”

Anton squinted at the watch on his wrist. “Clarissa is probably giving him food. I told you he keeps a schedule. If you want, I could have her accompany you on Rocco’s walk while I go out to the club.”

“Is that safe?”

“For now,” he replied. “If a breach happens, there’s protocol to follow. Ivan can explain that when he comes over later in the week.”

“Why not you?”

Anton turned then, meeting her gaze with a cold stare. “I have business to handle. These are things I can’t explain outside of a marriage bed, you know that, Viviana.”

“Clarissa, she’s the maid?”

“She worked in Nicoli’s home for many years. They had a close relationship, and she’s very loyal to us because of it. She was not a free woman like you are. He protected her from that in his own way. Seems he had a thing for saving the broken.”

The choice in wording he used wouldn’t be missed, Anton knew. Like the Cosa Nostra, the Bratva was also known to deal in human trafficking, despite his particular branch of the brotherhood keeping their hands far away from all of that.

“Oh.”

The quiet tenor Viviana adopted said she hadn’t missed his implication at all.

“She’s better here with me than somewhere else,” he offered. “Her earlier life makes working with others she doesn’t trust difficult. Clarissa is free to leave if she wishes, but she likes it here, knows she’s safe, and she’s good with Rocco, so … ”

“You don’t have to explain, Anton.”

The honesty in her statement struck him silent. His gaze lifted, meeting hers again. “I know, but I wanted to. I wouldn’t ever hide things like that from you.”

For a brief moment, it seemed as though she couldn’t speak, but when she did, she struck him speechless again.

“Okay…I’ll marry you.”

Chapter Five

Anton stared at her for what felt like hours before he swallowed hard and asked, “Are you sure?”

“Do you think I’ll change my mind if we stand here looking at each other for long enough?”

Rubbing a hand over his face, he felt torn. The last thing he wanted to do was force her into it, despite his veiled threats the night before. They had been nothing but a lie. Was marriage really what she wanted with him?

A hoarse sound escaped his throat. “You’re sure that this is what you want, Viviana … Positive?”

Pushing blankets off her form, she moved from the bed to stand. Anton stood stock-still, watching as she pawed through a small pile of folded clothes he’d placed at the end of the bed. It was her clothing, stuff that Boris had brought back from the dorm. Nothing much, but enough to do her for a short while.