PAISLEY
“Are you fucking insane?” I hear Leo shout in the corridor, drawing me out of the kitchen to see what all the ruckus is about.
Massimo is standing in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest. “No, he didn’t want to meet at the Casino after last time.”
Leo shakes his head, pointing a finger at his brother. “Father wouldn’t have stood for it. He would have stood his ground and insisted.”
I walk closer to the two men, sensing this will not end well.
Massimo’s jaw flexes as he squares up to his brother. “I did what any good leader would do, compromise. We won’t get anywhere entering a pissing contest with the two families we are trying to work with.”
Leo moves a step closer to him. “That’s because you aren’t strong enough. Father would have insisted it was held at the casino.”
I rush forward, but I’m not fast enough to stop it as Massimo’s fist collides with Leo’s face.
Leo growls and then launches himself at Massimo, knocking him to the ground.
Luca appears and smirks when he sees his two brothers scrapping on the floor like a couple of animals, his attention moving to me. “Don’t worry, they often do this.”
My eyes widen. “Aren’t you going to intervene?”
“What, and mess up this?” He signals to his face. “I don’t think so. They can act like savages all they want and I’ll enjoy watching.” He winks at me.
I shake my head, turning my attention back to the men acting like children on the floor. “Stop!” I shout, which gets me nowhere. Rolling my eyes, I step forward and grab Massimo’s wrist just as he’s about to land a punch. “I said, stop.”
His eyes find mine and then narrow, as he yanks his wrist away and lets go of his brother’s shirt collar. “Truce?” He holds his hand out to Leo and he takes it, allowing Massimo to pull him to his feet.
“What are you fighting about?” Luca asks, leaning against the wall.
“Massimo agreed to the meeting with the Estrada Cartel being held at Podolka.”
Luca’s jaw flexes slightly. “Yes, it was the only viable option.”
Leo’s eyes narrow. “Surely he could have pushed harder for it to be on our turf.”
Luca’s brow arches. “You try to negotiate with that crazy son of a bitch and see where it gets you.” He waves his hand dismissively. “It didn’t make sense to fight them on it. We’re trying to work with them, not against them.”
Leo’s shoulders slump and he nods. “I’ve got work to do.” He marches off, clearly irritated that Luca didn’t take his side in the fight.
I move toward Massimo, setting my hand on his cheek where a bruise is forming. “You should ice that.”
He closes his hand over mine, eyes blazing with anger. “Don’t ever interrupt a fight like that again. You could have got hurt.”
I raise a brow. “And you couldn’t have?”
His jaw clenches and he sighs heavily. “We scrap now and then. It’s what brothers do.”
“Men,” I mutter, rolling my eyes.
Massimo’s expression remains serious. “I need you to accompany me tonight to the meeting,” he says, dropping the subject. “It will be dangerous.”
My brow furrows. “Why do you want me there?”
“Because you are my wife.” He yanks me against him. “Your place is by my side.”
I shouldn’t like that idea, that I belong by his side. However, I can’t help the twinge in my chest when I hear him say that. “Why will it be dangerous?”
“Every mob boss in the city will be there. The Russians, Irish and Cartel.”
My stomach churns as I consider that for a moment. Over a month ago, I’d never imagined I’d be married to a mob boss or thrown into such dangerous situations, even though the MC was dangerous in their own right.
I had stability as they protect their own and I had unwillingly become one of them. As I glance into the eyes of the man who stole me away, I realize he wasn’t really imprisoning me, only moving me from one cage to another. I hate to admit that I like this cage far more than the one my brother forced me into.
“What are you thinking?” he asks.
I shake my head. “That I can’t believe this is my life now.”
He winces slightly. “You hate that I’ve forced you into this world.”
“Not exactly.” I sigh. “It’s complicated.”
Massimo pulls me so that I’m facing him, cupping my cheeks in his large hands. “Tell me, baby.”
I swallow hard, realizing as I look into his eyes the man I called a monster is so far from it in reality.
He may have been monstrous toward me at first, somehow knowing without doubt that we were made for each other. A perfect fit, even when I fought it.
“I was thinking that I was in a cage before you stole me away,” I say.
His eyes flash with an emotion I can’t quite place.
“My brother fucked over my life and dragged me into the MC’s business, making it impossible to escape.” I laugh softly. “And you just plucked me from one jail and put me in a nicer one.”
His jaw clenches. “I don’t want you to feel like a prisoner, princess.”
“How can I not when you stole me away and lock me in this house all day?”
There’s turmoil swirling in those dark chocolate depths of his. “I don’t know.” His shoulders slump slightly. “I can let you out of the house, of course. It’s just so dangerous at the moment.”
“Won’t it always be?”
He nods. “Probably.”
“So, this is my life now? Every day I’ll waste away in this house doing nothing.”
“No, I want you to be happy.”
I arch an eyebrow at that. “I find that hard to believe, Massimo.”