Page 42 of Fatal Scheme

Exhaling a deep breath, I feel like a lab rat under a microscope, but nobody seems to notice, except Tyson, who makes his way over to us, his eyes locked on me while he walks across the room.

We never discussed boundaries, or hooking up without all of us present, and by the look on his face, that conversation may need to happen sooner rather than later.

My cheeks burn with guilt, hating that I’ve made him feel less important, but no matter what I do with Jasper behind closed doors, they’re both my men. I just need to convince Tyson of that, because it physically pains me to think that I’ve hurt him in the slightest.

I never thought I’d fall deep enough down the rabbit hole to care this much about these boys, but I’m so far gone, you might as well stamp ‘fucked’ across my forehead in bright red letters.

I’ve strayed so far off the course I began on that I couldn’t find the starting line if I tried, but I’m committed to the wild ride I’ve found myself on, and who says you can’t follow your own path every once in a while?

TWENTY

TYSON

I understand what’s expected of me, but it doesn’t make this dinner party any less tolerable.

Usually, it’s just Massi and I, trying to survive whatever the hell our fathers throw at us, but now that we’ve added Carter to the mix, my patience is even thinner than usual.

The second Mr. Masseria’s eyes land on our girl, I want to lunge across the room and gouge them out, never allowing him to creepily check her out again, but I have to pretend that I don’t even notice.

His gaze travels to her chest, and he’s very obviously staring, my blood boiling with each passing second until Massi interrupts, returning his focus elsewhere.

Carter looks visibly uncomfortable and shaken up, but there’s a specific glow to her that I’d recognize anywhere, the post-orgasm bliss painted all over her face.

Involuntarily, I clench my fists, hating how her and Massi sneaking off affects me, but I’ve never felt a true connection to a woman before, and the urge to possess her wholly is too strong.

Still, for the charade, Carter belongs to him tonight, and if I want to keep our cover, I need to shrug it off, instead choosing to believe in the promise that she made me.

“Tyson. Now.” My father snaps his fingers, and like a dog on a leash, I follow his command.

We work our way through the living room, his footsteps stopping right beside Massi, his father, and of course, Carter.

Her perfume makes it hard for me to breathe, but she glances up at me, a slight blush forming on her cheeks as we make eye contact.

She holds her emotions in those captivating baby blue irises, and right now, I can feel her sadness radiating deep into my bones, like we’re connected on a deeper, spiritual level.

All I can do is I offer her a small smile, one to ease her troubled mind, and her entire body relaxes, as if one facial expression has erased all the doubts or worries she was holding onto.

“Before dinner, the five of us need to have a chat in my office,” Mr. Masseria says sternly, coming across as an order, rather than a suggestion or an invitation.

It feels a little strange, bringing Carter into the fold with four men surrounding her on all sides, ushering her into a room by herself, but she’s strong enough to fight back or defend her actions.

Massi shoots me a look, and without hesitation, I walk beside Carter, effectively forming a protective bubble around her as we follow our fathers down the hallway to the office.

Alone, my father isn’t intimidating in the slightest, but when he stands next to the head of a crime family, he’s transformed into a man resembling power, something people fear.

Having been friends since attending Emory themselves, our fathers make a nasty duo, one of the many reasons why the two families merged into one force to be reckoned with.

They both stand behind the desk, acting as if this were a casual business meeting, but when those two are together, it’s far from informal, similar to how people view Massi and I.

“Now, you three seem to have gotten yourselves into a big mess.” Mr. Masseria jumps right in, his eyes locked on Carter directly in the middle of us as we all take our seats. “Young lady, I don’t know how you got mixed up in this, or where exactly you fit in, but how can we guarantee your silence without having to rearrange that pretty face?”

“Dad, that’s not –” Massi nearly levitates out of the chair, his body tense, but his father only holds a single finger in the air, effectively shutting him up.

“I’m the one who killed those two people. I alone pulled the trigger, and I don’t plan on telling a single soul.” Carter folds her arms across her chest, fearlessly facing the Don head on, but I can already tell by her attitude that this isn’t going to end well.

The thing is, when you’re dealing with men like us, nothing is off limits.

Carter may not be a part of this Family, but she’s subject to the same treatment as everyone else, and that terrifies me.