Page 9 of His Vicious Vow
“So you do talk.” The fucker sounds disappointed.
“Fuck you. I’m not doing this. You can tell Carlo you tried.” Since I’ve already talked to him it doesn’t matter now if I don’t. I turn to leave. I’m not going home. I’m going straight to the airport.
A large hand is around my arm pulling me back to him. The touch sends heat and electricity through me so strong it scares the hell out of me. “No. That isn’t acceptable. You belong to me now. This marriage is happening. I should have known you wouldn’t appreciate honesty and being real with each other. If you’re going to live in a fantasy world, fine. I’ll play but—”
“Are you trying to be a complete and total fucker? I’m not marrying you. I don’t appreciate an asshole insulting me within the first ninety seconds without even saying hello. I don’t belong to anyone. If I did, I would decide and you wouldn’t even make the top one hundred on the list. Let me go, asshole.” I hiss when I try to pull away but his hand only tightens.
He steps closer, his chest brushes against mine and I shudder. My nipples are so hard they hurt. The clean scent of him teases my senses, moss, rain, something woodsy, something all him. I back up, not able to take another minute more. I don’t like the way my body is responding to him when he’s such a dick. His intense sapphire blue eyes flare with heat. “That’s where you’re wrong. Your father has given you to me. I was trying to be open and honest with you. My intent was to ease you into this. But that’s not what you wanted. Remember that going forward.”
Every word feels like a threat. He feels like a threat. Tony Sabatini is taller and wider but I have never once been afraid of him. Sandro makes me afraid—not of physical pain. Despite his big hand around my arm, I don’t fear violence from him. I’m afraid of the way I want more of his touch, the way my skin is too hot and tight and how I have no doubt it’s because of him and only he can soothe this.
An eyebrow lifts. He lets me go. I retreat until my back meets the wall. I shake my head, it’s all I can do. Before he can say another word I run for the door. I flee from the house grateful I don’t encounter another person.
I make it to the edge of the block where I lean against a wrought iron fence. A black Cadillac Escalade stops in front of me. I refuse to look up. I was stupid to trust Tony Sabatini once, I’m not doing it again.
Tony is in front of me. I want to be able to push away from the fence and walk away without a word to him but I’m still too winded. Collapsing in a heap at his feet is not happening.
“Carina,” I keep my eyes on the ground. He sighs. “I understand all of this is… scary. However, out in the world without protection is going to be a lot scarier. For you and your parents. I’m aware you believe your mother and father don’t care for you, you’re wrong. Marrying Sandro is a way of keeping you safe for them. You might think going out on your own is an option. I hate to tell you the real world is harder than you think it is.”
Shaking my head, I push away from the fence intent on walking away.
“How do you think you have as large of a bank account as you do? How is it that you weren’t met by the police for what you did to your boyfriend?” The words are a sigh.
“What?” How does he know about that?
“Since your sister met her future husband you’ve been under his protection. He not only has more of your artwork than any client you’ve had since you started, he also has men watching out for you. For the first time since I’ve heard the name Valdez someone else fixed it instead of him, your Sandro.”
No fucking way. I knew Milos is in love with Celia. And all this time he’s taken care of not only her but me. It takes two seconds to figure out who he was pretending to be. The week Celia won the scholarship I was contacted through my store. A client wanted a drawing of a black kitten with silver eyes. He didn’t care how much it cost, he wanted it as large as I was willing to do it. The first was on paper then he came back for it on canvas. Over the years he’s commissioned, holy shit almost thirty thousand dollars in art work but he also always tipped insanely well. My accountant ran the numbers on him and his tips were almost five thousand a year alone.
My stomach knots as what else he said hit me. “How did they know about Ben? What do you mean the police?”
“The men who watched over you are Valdez’s men. Milos thought they were best to ensure you never saw the same men every time. This wasn’t the first time they kept you safe and from the consequences of your own actions.”
I feel the blush wash over me as I wonder how many times they’ve saved my ass. Of Tony knowing what happened with Ben. All I want to do is see Celia, for her to tell me what to do. I’m walking away from Tony, ignoring him call my name. It’s a block before I even pay attention to where I’m going. I flag a cab and have it take me to Milos’s home where Celia sent me a text telling me she’s now staying.
The entire drive my mind is a mess. Did Celia know about Milos? Would Milos tell her anything? Why was she the lucky one who got a man who was in love with her? Someone who gave a shit about not just her but her sister. Me, I get a guy who called me a kid and told me I needed to grow up. Who looked at me like I was something that crawled out from under a bridge. He didn’t want me, didn’t care about me, all I am is a means to an end. A guy as gorgeous as him would grow to resent me for not being what he could have—some sexy blonde with legs up to her neck. He’ll cheat before our honeymoon is over and I’ll have to endure the whispers of women and them looking down on me.
When I see Celia, I’m not proud of the way I throw myself at her. I’m not sure if I make any sense at all. “Carlo is making me marry. A guy out of Vegas.” How do I not even know his last name for fucks sake? “Luca is going to stay in Chicago and take over Tony’s territory. Luca’s number two is being forced to marry me in exchange for taking over. It’s awful. He’s so gorgeous. A man like him wants nothing to do with me.” I can’t forget the way those blue eyes ran over me with disdain. “He stares at me like he's looking at living bubonic plague. I can’t do it.”
I don’t dare tell her what he said about me cosplaying—Celia has already urged me to stop. Not because she thought it was childish but because she was worried men would sexually assault me. Which I was too ashamed to admit happened often. Assholes thought the skin on show was available to touch and squeeze and pinch. I have yet to leave a single convention when I was cosplaying without being pinched, kissed or felt up against my will. Words won’t come, only tears. Celia, ever the sweet sister holds me while I sob.
It’s a long time before I manage to stop crying. Celia is patient as she cleans me up using almost an entire box of tissues.
“Run away with me.” I plead.
“Oh honey.” She hugs me tight. I know what she’s going to say before she says it. “I can’t. I love you so much but I can’t.”
Her words confirm it for me. She loves him. And I want to tell her about the things he’s done for me because he loves her. Except I don’t dare. To do it means to tell her my own secrets I’m not ready to share. As much as I urge her to believe he cares for her, she doesn’t see it.
“I don’t think so. But I do believe some day he will. In the end, this is who we are. While I was at school, I didn’t fit in with them either. This is the world I belong in.” Her eyes are soft. “We belong in. We wouldn’t be happy outside of it. I’m not sure if it’s because we’ve always grown up in it. Maybe our brains became wired differently by what we had as our version of normal.”
No, it doesn’t have to be this way. I can change. I refuse to be what they want me to be. I choose who I want to be and how I want to live.
Celia refuses to let me leave unless I’m driven.
The urge to tell the driver to take me to O’Hare instead of home is so high I check my bank balance. I’m fucked on one level because I forgot my carryon with Tony. My passport was in it. I still have my wallet and bank cards. Except I have to go home to get my birth certificate and social security card.
I thank the driver and hop out of the large SUV.