And then…I caught James and Johny-boy skulking in the bleein’ hall. If they thought that they could trapmygirl…..
My hands tightened into fists. I stepped into the dining room, with a table set for sixteen, and swept a look around. It didn’tmatter that they were my second cousins once removed on my mother’s side. Those boys were dead.
“Liam, a word,” Da said quietly, stepping in front of me.
I met his smile with my scowl. “Sir?”
“I’ve spoken with the lads about their behavior outside. If they step a toe out of line, you have my blessin’ to haul them out of dinner and toss them on the lawn to deal with later.” He smoothed a freckled hand down his tie. “After tonight, you’ll have to work hard to smooth things over with them. I don’t want them fucking up this alliance.”
My shoulders relaxed a fraction. “Consider it done.”
“Fecking eejits,” he grumbled. “I’m just glad your ma isn’t here to see it.”
Da led the way to the table, sitting to the don’s right. The underboss, Salvatore Deluca sat directly across from him, which put me across from the capo, Carlo Messina. Matteo Deluca and the soldiers were placed in the following seats. Which left the women at the foot of the table. At least Gabriella was safely wedged between her mother and sister.
Good.
No man would sit beside her.
I was surprised with the surge of possessiveness. She was barely betrothed to me, and yet I wanted to pluck her from the table and carry her out of here. Away from the looks the men—both Italian and Irish—sent her way.
The tension at the table only increased as the dinner was served.
Don Morelli, his underboss, and my father carried on the bulk of the conversation. Threads of light, feminine conversation floated from the other end of the table.
I stabbed a leaf of salad. Oil dripped as I lifted it. The vinegar’s bite didn’t hide the bitterness. It wasn’t my usual fare. No steak,no potatoes. Nothing hardy. But still, I ate. Politeness was a talent I could pretend to have.
As I braced myself for another mouthful of the godless greenery, a light noise shimmered through the room. The laughter was the sound of angel wings. My fork stilled in the air, food poised outside my mouth as my gaze shifted down the table. I knew before I saw that it was her.
Only an immortal being made music like that when she was happy.
And suddenly, I wanted it.
That sound.
I wanted to be the one who provoked it. I wanted it to be mine. The realization that she was destined to walk down the aisle in a few weeks settled in my mind.
Gabriella wasn’t delicate.
She was rare.
And I was the lucky bastard who was going to put my mark on her. Men like me didn’t earn the status of heroes. We took the worst life threw at us, sipped our whiskey, and survived. But this time, life was handing her to me.
She’s mine.
The moment was stained a beat later when I saw that it was the fucker sitting on the other side of her sister that provoked the sweet strain of music. He leaned closer, gaze fixed on my girl. He knew her. Of course, he knew her. The air around them reeked of familiarity. The craic was damn near tangible. The fecker grinned at the girls—ather.
The other women smiled and laughed, and I couldn’t care less that he was amusing them with whatever story he regaled them with. It was that he madeherlaugh.
The sound settled somewhere deep in my chest.
Possession followed a heartbeat later.
I shook myself and shoved the bite of food into my maw. I knew what I looked like. I wasn’t a man who deserved beautiful things. Even if I wasn’t burnt and ruined, my soul was pitch black, my heart a husk, and my desire wicked and violent. But at least I could hide behind the pretty face I’d been blessed with. Since that was no longer an option, I wore my sins in public. I wasn’t a man worthy of a goddess, but that wasn’t going to stop me from taking her.
And living with the consequences.
James muttered something and the men on our side laughed.
