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I feel his breath on the shell of my ear when he whispers ,“You are mine, Suri, and I’m not going to allow you to marry my brother.”
A feeling of deja vu comes over me as I gulp at his words. I look up into the mirror. His shoulders fill the mirror, his huge body surrounding mine making me feel small and safe. His hand brushes ever so lightly down my arm leaving goosebumps in its wake. He presses his shoulder and then the other, his eyes never leaving mine in the mirror. One lone tear falls down my cheek before he swipes it away with his finger. “Don’t cry, princess. I’m going to fix this if it's the last thing I do. Be strong for me for just a little bit longer.”
With one last look in the mirror, he leaves the bathroom. When I hear the click of the doorknob, my knees finally buckle. I give myself a moment before I turn myself into the strong girl he needs me to be. My shoulders sag. I look down at my hand and see my engagement ring. I can’t help but wonder if Brendan will be able to marry me. Putting my mask back on, I can’t help but wonder how long will it take before he’s able to save me from this nightmare? Will we also be able to save my dad too?
Entering the dining room, I can feel the tension that fills the room heightening my anxiety. What the hell is going on? Why is everyone so tense? I hear Mallory call my name. I look up and see her waving me over, “Good, you're here, Suri. Come sit. We’re just talking about the wedding. We’re thinking spring. Will that work?”
I walk over to the table and sit in the only empty seat available next to Brendan and across from Kieran. A thought flashes through my mind, did Brendan sit like this on purpose? I mutter softly, “Spring is fine,” as I pull my chair out trying not to make eye contact with Brendan.
I always imagined a summer wedding on the cliffs of Hawaii. Overlooking the beaches at sunset, but I don’t bother to say that though because it doesn’t matter. Mallory nods. “See? Nothing to worry about. Suri is very easygoing. A quality that will be perfect for a wife.”
I roll my eyes at her words. They must have been arguing about the wedding. Before she can reprimand me, the doors to the kitchen open and the waiters dash into the room, bringing out dinner and placing it in front of us. I go to grab my fork when a hand caresses my thigh, causing me to gasp. “Suri, are you ok?” My dad asks.
“Oh, me, yes. Yes, of course. Just hungry and everything looks delicious.” Brendan’s hand squeezes gently, sending shockwaves straight to my clit.
“If you’re sure. You look flushed.”
“I’m sure. Please everyone eat.” I lift one hand to my cheek trying to cool my skin. The other I slide under the table to link my fingers with Brendan’s on my leg.
Brian’s phone ringing cuts through the room. As he looks down, he scowls. His face smoothes out though as he looks up. “I’m sorry, I have to take this call.”
As he leaves the room, my dad tries to break up the silence. “How does everyone like their meal?”
Maeve gives him a small smile. She places her hand on his forearm speaking softly, “Oh it is great. You must give our compliments to the chef.”
As soon as the words leave her mouth, Brian walks back into the room with no emotion on his face. He looks at my dad. “I’m sorry, but something has come up and we need to go.” Moving his gaze to his sons, he barks, “Kieran, Brendan. Let’s go.”
Maeve and her sons briskly get up and leave us sitting at the dinner table. Once we hear the closing of the front door, my dad pushes back his seat. “Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have some work to do in my office.”
Mallory and I sit at the table silently. I place my fork down and start to excuse myself when she grabs my wrist with her hand, her nails digging into my skin. I try to pull away but she doesn’t allow it. “Don’t think I didn’t see that you didn’t even talk to Kieran,” she hisses.
“He didn’t talk to me either.”
She lets go of me and speaks to me in an eerily calm voice. “You will marry him, Suri. I will not allow anyone to break up this engagement. Not you. Not Brendan. You know what will happen if you don’t.”
With those words, she turns and leaves me rubbing my wrist.
Shit, that one is going to bruise.
Chapter seven
Brendan
Something must be going on for Da to have us leave dinner early. He harped on about how important it was, even going so far as telling those who work for him not to interrupt. So unless someone has a death wish, this must be an emergency.
Da pulls out of the driveway and starts to head toward our family home. He looks over at Ma. “Maeve, we're going to drop you off. Then the boys and I have to head to a meeting.”
Ma just nods her head. She doesn’t want to know what the meeting is about, which is for the best. The less she knows, the safer she’ll be. Silence fills the car, all of us lost in our own thoughts about dinner and what’s to come.
“Boys, we are heading to the warehouse. Some of our inventory is missing from the last shipment,” Da explains after we drop Ma.
Neither of us speaks. I can feel the fury coming off of Da. I wonder who would be bold enough to steal from us. Pulling up to the warehouse, the tension feels palpable in the air. All of our men are standing around conversing with each other while they wait for instructions. Off to the side, Henry is talking with another man who is hidden in the shadows.
As we exit the car, every man stands at attention. Before anyone says anything, Henry moves in front of us, and I can finally see Zeev, who heads up the French Mafia with his wife Blanche. Zeev and my Da are part of a group of mafia men that support each other. They get together once a month to discuss pacts, strategies, and potential problems.
Zeev nods his head in respect and then says quietly, “Brian, we need to talk. I have some information.”
“We'll talk in my office.”
