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The second he stood, fear cleaved my feet to the ground, holding me motionless. I glanced down at the stretchy pencil skirt and oversized cotton blouse I’d put on for dinner. The look was casual but far from hobo. Dad had never cared in the slightest what I’d worn to dinner, so I had no idea what had gotten into him.
When I lifted my gaze, Sante peered at me apologetically but kept his lips sealed.
“Sante, go check in with Umberto and make sure he keeps a cool head tonight.” His voice dropped to a menacing growl as he crept around the table toward me.
I fought back waves of betrayal as I watched Sante disappear down the hall.
Then it was just my dad and me. Alone.
I wasn’t sure what was going on, but alarm bells were screaming inside my head. A cold, sticky dread clogged my veins and sent my pulse racing.
“There’s been an offer for your hand. An important alliance.”
For my hand? As in … marriage? What the hell is he talking about?
He continued to push closer until he had my back pressed against the wall. “You will not fuck this up for me.” His hand cupped my throat, his thumb coarsely drifting back and forth over my windpipe. “Youwillagree to this union, but I want you to understand that your departure from this house does not keep you from my reach. If you spread a single word about whatever it is you think you know, there won’t be a rock you can hide under where I won’t find you.” His hand tightened—not hard enough to bruise, just enough to crystalize my blood into ice at the threat of my thinning airway.
I kept as still as possible, pleading with my body to cooperate.
“I’ll know it was you. You don’t have to speak to be a rat,” he growled.
My nostrils flared as spots dotted the edge of my vision. I finally caved and grasped his wrist, unable to overcome the clawing desperation.
His beady black eyes bore deep into my soul a second longer before he finally released me, though he remained rooted to the spot, a malignant invasion of my space. “His name is Conner Reid. He’s Irish, and he’ll be here any minute. Now go up and put on something presentable before you embarrass me.”
I nodded, slipping along the wall and away from my father before rushing back to the safety of my bedroom.
Holy shit, what just happened?
My legs shook more with each step I took.
Closing my bedroom door, I leaned against it and tried to slow my racing heart before it exploded from my chest. I had to think clearly. Dad had agreed to marry me off to someone as part of an alliance. I was going to be married.
Holy shit!
The guy’s name was Conner Reid. The name was vaguely familiar. I’d never concerned myself with my father’s dealings, but it was impossible to ignore bits and pieces.
Think, Em. Think!
This Reid guy had asked to marry me as a part of an alliance. He’s Irish, so the Italians want to form an alliance with the Irish. But why me? Of all the other Italian women available, how the hell had my name even come up?
The desperation in my father’s eyes flashed in my mind.
Of course, this was his fault. Having his daughter at the heart of a critical alliance would be huge for him, and he wouldn’t think twice about selling me off like cattle. So what did that mean for me? Instead of escaping the mafia, I would be permanently married to the Irish mob. Not the fate I’d wanted, but it would get me away from my father. It was a possible solution, at least, in the short term. Though, once I was out of the house, I wasn’t sure how much access I’d get to Sante. And if this guy was just as bad as my father, maybe I’d end up worse than I’d started.
Panic coated my palms in sweat and sent my heart rate clamoring.
I couldn’t tell if this was the chance I’d been hoping for or a total disaster. My thoughts were all over the place, my emotions a mess. Salty despair pooled on my lashes, and each breath I took grew more shallow and stilted.
I had to calm down.
Dad would be furious if I went to dinner blotchy and red-eyed. I forced my lungs to take in a long, deep breath, then slowly released it.
See what you can learn while you get changed. Try not to overreact.
I nodded to myself and grabbed my phone from the bed. Dad monitored the device, but I needed to know what I was getting myself into, and there was one sure way to find out. Pippa was my cousin and best friend. She was also a horrific gossip and busybody. I adored her and missed her dearly. My father had kept us apart, and I’d been forced to play the grieving daughter card to explain my absence. Pip had been understanding, though I could sense her patience was coming to an end.
She would have answers for me, and I didn’t think my father would care if I asked about the Irishman. In the past, he’d never paid me any mind at all. The only thing he cared about now was that I kept my mouth shut about my mother’saccident.
