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“What’s this about, Mikhail?” To his credit, he managed to sound nonchalant, at least.
“Your daughter, Alexandra, has ended her relationship with my son,” my father said with the weight of condemnation.
Fitzgerald didn’t quite manage to conceal his exhale of relief. He didn’t want his precious daughter getting involved with the Bratva.
A few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have cared either way. But now that I knew Allie, I wished that she’d steered clear of the Bratva, too. She was innocent and soft, but shockingly strong and insightful when I least expected it. She’d surprised me and challenged me. By the end, I’d truly wanted her. She was the first woman to actually intrigue me in a long time, and all my other prospects now seemed fleeting and far too easy.
It was better for her that she’d gotten away.
“Allie is an adult,” Ron asserted. “She can make her own choices. What do you expect me to do about it?”
“I expect you to give a shit,” Mikhail bit out. “Your daughter has been sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong. First, she was looking into your old case against the Mafia. You know I didn’t like that.”
“She’s only interested in studying the case to build her career,” Fitzgerald insisted before my father could continue with his litany of Allie’s sins. “Besides, there’s nothing in the files that recorded the connection between you and me. I didn’t so much as write your name on a scrap of paper when you were feeding me intel about Michael Ferrara’s gas scheme. You know that.”
“If she only cares about the case for academic reasons, then explain this to me,” my father hissed, reaching for the remote on the table beside him. He turned on the big screen TV mounted above the empty fireplace and pressed play.
The confusion on Fitzgerald’s face was probably mirrored on my own. I had no idea what the fuck my old man was about to show us, but judging by his thunderous expression, it wasn’t anything good.
The recording was taken from above, clearly footage from a security camera. Allie’s copper hair shined, distinctive even at a distance from the camera. She stood amongst towering bookshelves, and she was reaching for a book high above her head.
It figured that Allie would be at the library, and that she’d be too stubborn to ask for help. She was wickedly smart and fiercely independent, despite her soft nature. It was one of the contradictions I found so fascinating about her.
On the screen, a darker figure rounded the corner. The man was massive, dwarfing Allie’s much smaller frame. My muscles tightened with a protective instinct the moment I saw him grab her. Fitzgerald made a pained sound.
“When was this taken?” he asked, panicked. “Is Allie okay?”
“This is from three days ago,” my father responded tightly, irritated. “I’ve had someone watching over her, but it took me a while to get the footage I needed to show you. She’s not in distress. Look.”
Allie’s arms twined around the man’s neck, and she pulled him closer, deepening a fierce kiss.
“What is this?” Fitzgerald demanded. “Who is that man?”
My fists flexed. I’d like to know the same fucking thing.
“It’s Maximus Ferrara, defiling your daughter in public.” My father flung out the words like a damning accusation. “Do you still think Alexandra isn’t interested in your old Mafia case? Do you think she’s totally ignorant of everything that happened a decade ago?”
I tore my eyes from the stomach-turning images on the screen to look at Fitzgerald. His tanned cheeks were pale, and he looked as though he might vomit. I took a long gulp of vodka, allowing the alcohol to calm my strangely surging emotions. I couldn’t lose my composure in front of my father or our puppet mayor.
“You’re going to make sure your daughter is in a relationship with Nikolai,” he commanded, his hard tone brooking no argument. “My son can keep her in line and distract her from things she shouldn’t be stirring up. Whatever is happening with the Ferrara boy will end. Am I clear?”
Fitzgerald drew a shaky hand over his eyes, as though he could wipe away the image of Maximus Ferrara grinding on his delicate daughter in broad daylight.
“H-how am I supposed to do that?” he asked weakly. “I can’t force Allie to date Nikolai.”
“You’ll find a way.” My father was utterly assured of the outcome. Fitzgerald would follow orders.
And I couldn’t deny that I’d be more than happy to see Allie again. Especially now that I’d watched the footage of that animal pawing at her. He clearly didn’t know how to handle a woman. If my father wanted me to thoroughly seduce Allie, I was glad to do it.
It seemed Alexandra Fitzgerald was my responsibility, and I took my family duty very seriously. My father had issued his edict. Neither of us had a choice now. Allie would be mine.
