Chapter 17

Hailey

“You can’t come here again.”

“What?” Clara put her hands on her hips, frowning at me as I shut the door to the library behind us. “What are you babbling on about?”

I sighed, shaking my head, and gestured for her to sit down. There were plenty of seats—two large armchairs by the fireplace and several chairs around a table in the middle of the room. Clara bypassed the table to go to the more comfortable armchairs, and I followed after her, trying to marshal my thoughts.

This morning had been one shock after another.

Waking up in Giacomo’s arms and not feeling the immediate desire to crawl away… though it did eventually appear, tinged with self-recrimination that I had actually been enjoying cuddling with him. Not only that, but part of me had still thought of him as ‘Daddy,’ rather than Giacomo. I’d ruthlessly shoved that part down deep inside me.

Breakfast with his family and his father’s change in attitude toward me. He had acted as though I was any other member of the family. I’d worried how he might react to Mrs. Smith and Arthur’s presence, but he’d let Serena do as she wished without a hint of critique. I could only wonder if Giacomo would be similar with me one day… then shoved that thought away, too. It was ludicrous to think. Wasn’t it?

Then the news that Mayor Smith was dead.

Suicide?

More like execution by Familias.

Giacomo had kept his promise. The mayor wouldn’t be able to hurt his family anymore. All because I’d asked him to.

I hadn’t meant him to have the mayor killed, though…

Had I?

The swelling of satisfaction and relief that had poured through me at the news would indicate otherwise.

How else can I be sure Mrs. Smith and Arthur would be safe from him?

I’d asked Giacomo to take care of the problem for me, and he had. I didn’t fool myself that he’d only done so for sex. He could have had that at any time. What he’d wanted was a willing wife. A willing me.

It made my emotions clash in an uncomfortable manner as I suddenly wondered what would make him want to do that for me.

What made a man willing to kill on the whim of a woman?

I’d been still reeling from that when Clara had come barging in. Sweet, eager Clara, who was far too cavalier about the family I’d married into, who did not see the danger. I’d wanted to cover her mouth when she’d bossed at Gio, though, thankfully, he’d seemed more amused than insulted by her sass. However, I didn’t know how far his tolerance would go, and Clara didn’t seem to realize he was a threat. She hadn’t taken any of my previous warnings seriously.

Huffing, she plopped down into the chair.

“So, tell me, why on earth you think I’m going to abandon my best friend just because she married into the mob?” Clara raised her eyebrow at me.

At least she understood the issue. I sighed as I lowered myself into the chair, only a little gingerly. I was still sore, though not in the way I had been yesterday, but my body was not used to nightly marital relations. It had only been two nights, after all, though somehow it felt far longer.

“Because it’s dangerous?” Which should be a good enough reason for anyone, but not for Clara. She sniffed derisively.

“They are still merely men.”

“Men can be dangerous.”

“They can, but there’s no reason for them to be dangerous to me. Besides, you married the Don’s son, and I’m your best friend.” She grinned at me. “Are you saying you would not protect me?”

My bottom tingled, almost as if in warning, but I knew the answer.

“I would do what I could, but I fear you’re overestimating the influence I might have.” Though considering the events of the past day, I might be underestimating the influence I had with Giacomo. Daddy. Especially when I was willing to call him that. Still, I wasn’t willing to bet Clara’s life or future on my possible influence.

“Am I?” Clara asked archly, lifting the broadsheet she was still holding and shaking it at me. “Are you telling me you had nothing to do with this?”

Immediately, my heart started to race, and my mouth went dry. I could practically hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears. I stared at her, answering too late to appear sincere, but there was nothing else I could do.

“Of course, I didn’t. What makes you think so?”

Clara rolled her eyes at me.

“I know how upset you were about Chief Barnes refusing to help her. How upset we both were. And men like Mayor Smith… men like that don’t put a bullet in their own head. They especially don’t leave notes admitting any kind of wrongdoing. He didn’t care about hurting anyone else, and it certainly wouldn’t drive him to suicide. But within a day of you marrying Don DiNardo’s son, all of the sudden, he did. Granted, I was coming to share the good news, but with Mrs. Smith and her son sitting at breakfast with you, I can put two and two together.”

“It’s not true.” My stomach churned, and I leaned forward, gripping the arms of the chair. “Clara. You cannot let anyone suspect that you think that is true.”

I was not scared for Giacomo. He’d already amply demonstrated his power over the police. I was scared for what might happen to my friend if he or his family thought she might have loose lips and accurate suspicions. No matter what Giacomo might felt for me, what concessions he might be willing to grant me, threats to the family were always dealt with.

“I am not stupid, Hailey. You are the only person I am going to talk about this with.” She snorted, glancing at the paper. “Trust me, I am not at all upset about the sudden loss of our departed mayor. The man got what was coming to him, and thankfully, it happened before he could irrevocably hurt anyone else.”

Taken aback, I stared at my friend. Clara had always been so sweet, so bubbly, so devoted to helping people… even when she was angry, she was sweet. Before this moment, I would have said she couldn’t harm a fly, but now I wasn’t so sure.

“Sorry,” she said with a half-smile. “But he made me so angry. And I was even more angry that we couldn’t help her at all. Chief Barnes…” Clara took a deep breath and exhaled, obviously wrestling with her temper. “All I’m saying is, I’m glad she and Arthur are safe, and I don’t particularly care what had to happen to Mayor Smith to get that done.”

Wow. I’d had no idea. And yet… I agreed. Hearing Clara say it helped ease the guilt I felt—the guilt about not feeling guilty. I felt like I should feel guilty over being the cause of a man’s death, but I didn’t. All I felt was relief that his wife and child would no longer be in danger from him.

Maybe that made me a bad person, but it did make me feel better that sunny, sweet Clara felt the same way. Maybe it wasn’t just because I was my grandfather’s blood, maybe… maybe Mayor Smith was just a bad man who’d gotten what he deserved.

Though how that aligned with who my husband was, I didn’t know. He was not a good man. He wasn’t. Murdering a bad man—or at the very least ordering him to be murdered—did not make him a good man.

But I wasn’t sure I was a good woman anymore either. Because I was glad the mayor was dead. And when it came time to pay the piper, I was going to do it more than willingly – I was going to do it eagerly.

Jack

“You need to stay away from Clara.”

Curious, though fairly certain I knew what was going on, I turned the corner in the hallway. Sure enough, my wife was standing in front of my cousin, pointing a threatening finger at him. Gio stared down at her in amusement while I sighed with exasperation.

“No, I don’t think I will,” Gio replied, tilting his head at her, as if he was wondering what she was going to do. Considering he towered head and shoulders above her, she was hardly intimidating.

“You have to. She’s not interested in you.”

I should have expected this. Ever since Clara left, every time Hailey and Gio had been in the same room, she’d been shooting him suspicious little glances. I’d thought it was because she assumed he was responsible for Mayor Smith’s untimely demise, but I should have realized it was about her friend. I’d thought she’d feel guiltier about the mayor, but apparently, her protectiveness for her friend overrode that completely. When she’d hurried after him following dinner, I’d been only a bit behind her, wondering what she was doing.

Now I knew.

“Little one, what are you doing?” I asked, coming forward. Hailey jumped, spinning around to face me, a guilty expression on her face. I nodded at Gio, who grinned at me and slipped away down the hall, leaving me to deal with my wife.

“I… I was just talking to Gio.”

I raised my eyebrow at her.

“You were trying to interfere with him and Clara, you mean.”

The guilt in her expression evaporated, turning mulish, and she glanced over her shoulder to see that Gio had disappeared before glaring at me. It was not a very heated glare—nothing compared to the ones she’d leveled my way before our wedding—but I found it interesting that she still had the courage to do so for her friend, if not for herself.

“He needs to leave her alone.”

“Why?” I stepped forward, invading her space and forcing her to tilt her head back if she wanted to maintain her gaze. I was close enough to see the way her pupils dilated, her lips parting as she sucked in a quick breath. Whether she wanted to be or not, she was affected by my nearness, and my own arousal stirred at her reaction. “Clara can make her own choices.”

“But…” She huffed and stepped back as I came forward again. If she hadn’t moved, we would have been pressed together. As it was, she hit the wall, unable to go any farther, and her eyes widened.

I blocked her retreat on one side with my arm, hand flat against the wall next to her head while lifting my other hand up to curve around her throat. I could feel her pulse fluttering against my palm as she let out a little gasp, and I stroked my thumb along the underside of her jaw.

“I think you need to be more concerned about fulfilling your promise to me and less concerned about protecting Clara from her own choices.” Though, if Gio wanted Clara, I had no doubt she would rapidly find her other choices dwindling, the same way Hailey’s had… but there was always a choice.

I pressed my lower body against Hailey so she could feel my erection as I lowered my lips to hers for a kiss. I was hungry for her, eager to get started, to feel her truly submit to me. Hailey was a woman of her word, and I had no doubt that she would fulfill her promise to do whatever I wanted.

I’d had the mayor murdered for her, and now I was going to get my reward—her complete and total submission to me.

Her lips parted beneath mine, allowing me access to her mouth, and I swept my tongue inside, claiming her as I deepened the kiss. I could feel her relaxing against me, trapped between me and the wall. Already, she was giving in to the sensations, giving in to me.

As exciting as the fight had been, I was now anticipating her cooperation. I had taken what I wanted; now, I wanted her to give me everything.

I explored her mouth with my tongue, rocking my hips against her and making her squirm. My hand dropped away from the wall, sliding down over her shoulder and collarbone to cup her breast, pinching her hardened nipple through the material of her dress.

Which was when she finally gasped and pushed at me, her hands coming up to shove against my chest. Completely useless, of course, but I ended the kiss, lifting my head to see what she wanted.

Her gaze darted back and forth to either side of us, seeking witnesses that weren’t there. Even if anyone had appeared at the end of the hall, they would have quickly made themselves scarce upon seeing us in the middle of it.

“Not here,” she hissed at me. “This is… indecent. Your parents could walk by at any time!”

Personally, I found it rather exciting, but I did want her to submit, not to be fighting her own desires.

“Ask me nicely, and we can go to our bedroom.”

She pressed her lips together, then they relaxed so she could take a deep breath, as if she was gathering her courage.

“Daddy, can we go to our bedroom instead?” Her big doe eyes pleaded with me. How could I resist just a sweet request? I couldn’t.

“Very well.” Sliding one arm around her back, I crouched slightly to hook the other under her legs, scooping her up in my arms. She let out a startled cry, her arms automatically going around my neck to help her keep her balance and stay in place.

“What are you doing?” she squeaked.

“What you asked,” I replied, chuckling as I strode down the hallway, carrying her off to the bedroom like a prize I’d just won. She blushed red hot when we passed by Tomas in the next hall, even though his expression didn’t change a jot. Her embarrassment was adorable, even more so when she ducked her head and burrowed it into my shoulder, as if she was trying to hide.

I couldn’t help but grin.

She might have been a reluctant bride, but she was turning into an eager little girl as my wife.