“She’s pregnant,” I say for him. “I heard you before I entered the room.”
His eyes narrow slightly, deepening the lines of his face, but he nods. "Yes."
“But the baby isn’t Lorenzo's."
His jaw clenches and the blue in his eyes brightens with the rage he’s feeling before he quickly masks it.
"No, that honor goes to Rurik Morozov. It's been going on for a while. Since before the engagement to Lorenzo was announced.”
I let the information sink in. Since before the engagement. Which means that while the Syndicate was sitting around a table arranging her future, while my father and Cesare Mariano were agreeing to terms, while Lorenzo Mariano was accepting a marriage he didn't choose, Dáire was already defying our da and the agreement that they were making.
And no one knew. Well obviously someone knew. Dáire has guards, men that my da trusts to protect her, they had to have known. The question is, did they tell my da or did they keep it secret? If they did, it could mean the end of their lives for doing so.
Of course it’s Dáire that has made this huge fucking decision, not giving a fuck about the consequences. I’ve no doubt that everyone will accommodate her, they always do, because Dáire is the kind of person that gets whatever the hell she wants. Regardless of who it hurts.
I think about growing up beside her, of the hatred that she has for me. I think about every event, every function, every occasion where I stood next to my sister and felt the disgust she has for me. How she’d lose her damn mind if she deemed the dress I was wearing better than hers, or more expensive, and our mam would do what she always does. Make me change to ensure that Dáire feels better, never mind how I’m feeling.
I have a sickening feeling that I’ve been called to meet with our da for a specific reason. Not to inform me of what happened with Dáire, but because he wants something from me.
"What happens now?" I settle back into the couch and sigh, readying myself for whatever the hell he’s going to answer my question with.
"The engagement is dissolved," he says. "Dáire will marry Rurik, within the month. It won’t be a big wedding. Hell, there will only be a few in attendance."
I nod, knowing that’s the only solution that makes sense. Dáire has to marry Rurik, there’s no other option. Otherwise, she’d be deemed tainted in our world, and that only has one ending…death.
"And the alliance with the Marianos?"
He doesn't answer immediately, but something shifts in the air of the room. That stifling feeling to the air changes and now it’s more static. Tony’s body goes very still. He hasn’t said a word since I entered the room, hasn’t even moved, but now he’s rigid like a tense bow.
My da's jaw tightens. "The alliance needs to hold," he says simply. "The Syndicate is watching. After the Harringtons…" He stops, shakes his head, realizing whom he’s talking to and that I don’t need that information. "We can't afford the appearance of instability, and we can't afford to let this look like the Delaney family is unreliable."
I hear what he isn't saying. It’s what I’ve learned to do. I've always been good at hearing what isn't said. I know exactly what’s coming and I’m beyond livid. Fucking Dáire.
He looks at me. "Quinn."
That’s all that he says. Just my name, and that says it all.
Fuck.
"You're of marriageable age," he tells me, his gaze holding mine. "Lorenzo Mariano still needs a bride. The alliance still needs sealing."
I think of Lorenzo Mariano and what little I know of him. I've seen him at Syndicate functions over the years. He's tall, dark brown hair, dark eyes, and annoyingly good-looking. The scar through his left eyebrow is what I always notice first. I remember seeing it years ago and wondering how he'd gotten it.
Not that I'd ever asked, or had any reason to.
For the last year, he was engaged to my sister.
Still, it'd be hard not to notice that he's handsome. Strong jaw, broad shoulders, expensive suits that look like they were made specifically for him. The man looks like he walked straight out of one of the mafia romance books I hide under my mattress.
Unfortunately for me, he's very real.
Lorenzo is well known for being violent and unforgiving. He’s killed more men and women than his father has and he’s only twenty-five. The man is ruthless and everyone knows that he’s going to be the boss once Cesare relinquishes his title as The Boss of the Italian mafia. He’s also very active within the social circles, meaning that he’s been with a lot of women who are part of our world, who all seem to love discussing their dalliances with him.
But he was supposed to marry Dáire. He wanted to marry Dáire. Or at least, he accepted it. He stood in a room with the entire Syndicate and agreed to it, and now I am sitting in this chair and my da’s looking at me expectantly.
He didn't choose me, he's being given me, the same way I'm being given him.
"You're sure there's no other option?" My voice comes out even, colder than I thought possible.
