Chapter 8

We've beenon the road for hours, and in a short while, we'll be at my father's. I texted my sister to find out if she's heard about this meeting and if she'll be there too, but she hasn't called me back yet.

I glance over at a tense Devlin, his knuckles going almost white with how hard he grips the steering wheel.

He knows something. He has to. But he hasn't said a word, even when I asked. I'm almost afraid to know why I've been invited. Maybe that's why he hasn't told me.

My body sags as I lay my head against the window.

"You alright?" he asks, the timbre of his voice low and deep.

I shake my head in response. "I know you're hiding something from me."

He doesn't even deny it. His jaw visibly clenches, and that's all the confirmation I need. Devlin has never been a liar. Even when he doesn't want to tell me the truth, he just won't say anything instead.

My phone vibrates, and I discover a text from my sister.

Finally.

Iseult

No one told me about any meeting. But don't worry, I'm heading to Boston. Just told Gio I'm gonna surprise Daddy. Bet he forgot my invitation.

I laugh aloud before I reply.

Eriu

I'm scared it means he found someone for me. I can't marry a man I don't even know. Please, Iseult. Find out what's going on before I get there.

Iseult

Look, if our darling father found you a husband, I'll make sure the guy becomes permanently tied up. You get me?

Eriu

Um. I think so? But I don't actually wanna write that in a text.

Iseult

Smart girl. Now, listen. You don't have to worry. You won't marry anyone you don't like. You make the rules. Fuck our father and fuck whoever he may have found for you. Got it?

Eriu

I love you. I don't say that enough.

Iseult

I love you too. Always. Now let me drive, because I'm going too fast, and if I die, Gio is gonna kill me.

Eriu

Yeah, don't die. I need my sister. See you in a few hours.

I slip the phone back in my handbag. Iseult won't be here for the meeting. No way she'll make it on time, no matter how fast she drives. Not that I want her in danger. I just need her. She's the only one on my side.

All the men I'm surrounded by—my brothers, Devlin, my dad—all they care about is honor and doing the right thing. I don't care about that.

All I want is to fall in love like in the books I read. I want my pulse to flutter, my body to grow weak. I want to be nervous my first time, I want to feel my heart soaring. I don't want my marriage to be a contractual negotiation between my father and some man he's chosen.

But do girls like me really have options? Even with Iseult's reassurances, will my father bend?

She can't possibly murder my future husband.

Can she?

My heart sinks as soon as we step out of the car and head up the cobblestone steps to my father's home.

One of the guards welcomes us into the large foyer of the mansion, a sparkling chandelier hanging above the cathedral ceiling, filled with paintings of angels floating in a vivid blue sky.

My father is grandiose in his décor. There are various Renaissance paintings throughout his house. He has an unhealthy obsession with that era. The furniture is similarly styled, gold and old-fashioned, but still beautiful.

The home is surprisingly silent. There are usually staff cleaning one of the many rooms. But I do smell my father's chowder, and I know for certain he's entertaining guests somewhere inside. He always cooks his chowder when he's welcoming company.

I still in my tracks, and my hands visibly tremble. But Devlin's fingers slip into mine, his body so close I register his rigidness against my shoulder, the slow rise and fall of his chest consuming me with panic.

"What's waiting for me there?" I whisper, my tears throbbing behind my eyes.

He sighs, and his brows snap almost painfully. He turns all the way to me, a hand cupping my cheek, holding it as our eyes connect.

My heartbeats quake louder, beating tumultuously in my chest.

"I won't let anyone hurt you."

It's an oath he means, but it's not enough. If he really didn't want to hurt me, then he'd have asked my father for my hand, and he hasn't.

His touch vanishes, and I grow colder without it.

"Come on now. We don't want your father waiting."

But I need to stall. I need Iseult here. I can't face whatever is there without her.

Sudden footfalls start closer, light and tapping nearer, until Fernanda, my father's new wife and Gio's mother, appears.

"Hey, sweetheart!" She embraces me tightly. "I heard you were coming in. Hello, Devlin."

"Ma'am." He nods.

"Hey, nice to see you," I say. "Do you know why Dad had me over?"

"I do not. Your father tends to be secretive about certain things." Her forehead scrunches in frustration.

Because he probably knows she'll hate this as much as I do. With her past being as it was, she isn't a fan of arranged marriages.

She was once married to Giancarlo Marino, the former head of the Messina crime family, until he died. But my father and Fernanda were apparently high school sweethearts, and though they were in love, they weren't allowed to get married. She comes from an old-school Italian family who arranged a marriage for her to Giancarlo, a cruel man from everything I've learned. But my father and Fernanda never stopped loving each other.

Iseult was angry with him because she always suspected he didn't love our mother like she deserved, but in his way, he did. He just loved two women, and I can't fault him for that like she does. I almost feel sorry for my dad and Fernanda. To love someone and not be allowed to marry them… I know how that feels.

I glance at Devlin, and my heart breaks, wanting him more than I can say.

More footsteps come, this set heavy and foreboding. And I know instantly it's my father.

"Darling, there you are!" He appears, his green eyes full of joy, a large grin on his face with no hint of anything amiss.

He kisses Fernanda. "Hello, my beautiful bride."

She shakes her head playfully, and her cheeks turn all red.

And Devlin? He's staring at me with unspoken emotion, and I wonder if he wants that to be us one day as much as I do. But that's ridiculous because the man is made of stone. Nothing could make him love me.

I force a smile, throwing my arms around my father in a tight hug, one that he returns.

He kisses my forehead and places his hands around my face. "I'm so glad you're here. We've been waiting for you."

"We?" I gulp.

"Aye. You have to meet someone very special. It's why you're here today. Now, come. They're in the study."

"Who, Daddy?"

"What are you doing, Pat?" Fernanda tsks.

"I'll tell you more in a bit, my love. Why don't you go relax, and I will join you shortly?"

Her eyes follow me with melancholy until we grow distant.

I just wanna run far away from here. Every cell in my body is screaming to get away, but I can't. No one would help me.

My father loops an arm through mine and leads me down a narrow corridor, with Devlin close behind.

One turn leads to another, my father's men all around us, and when we enter the den, I find my brothers standing around. Tynan, the oldest, appears serious as always, but somehow more so than normal. My other brothers, Fionn and Cillian, don't appear happy either.

What's going on?

As my eyes scan the rest of the room, I find two strangers here too, seated on a sofa. I didn't see at first, not when my brothers were blocking my view.

One is around my brothers' ages, and one is older, like my dad.

That's when I know what I feared is finally happening.

That's my fiancé.

It has to be.

Nausea curls in my gut.

I'm gonna throw up.

I glance behind at Devlin, but he avoids me, and my heart sinks into despair. He comes to stand across from me behind an empty sofa, and I can't stand to look at him right now. He knew and he didn't tell me! He's letting this happen!

"Darling, this is Mason Reynolds and his father, William." My dad winds an arm around my back, and I try not to tremble from my overwrought emotions.

The elder one nods curtly while the younger man assesses me through hazel eyes, like I'm a car he's buying. He's handsome with short brown hair and high cheekbones, but there's something about him, something deeper, that makes him unattractive.

The sharpness of his gaze has me growing uncomfortable, and the air around him makes it clear he comes from money. Lots of it, and he wants the world to know it too.

"It's nice to meet you both." I feign a smile like the good Quinn girl that I am, but sorrow fills my veins.

"Please sit," Mason tells me with a hand slicing through the air.

As though I need his permission to sit in my own damn home! Asshole!

Devlin's gaze hardens, and a muscle in his jaw pops as he glares at the man I'm supposed to spend my life with.

My lips thin as I lower onto the leather, crossing my legs while my heart pounds in my ears. I try to shut down the tears from forming, but it's getting harder to breathe.

"So, I'm sorry to make you two drive here on such short notice, but this was important," Dad says. "Mason and his father are busy with business, so this had to get done today."

I swallow the nausea down.

"What had to get done, Daddy?" My voice quivers, hoping I'm wrong about this, but of course, I'm not.

Mason's mouth twitches on one side, like he enjoys the meekness in my tone.

"Well, my darling daughter…" My father faces me. "After your marriage to Gio fell through, we needed to find you a new husband. And I found you one."

He takes my hands in his, blocking my view from the man I already hate.

"It will be okay," he says quietly. "You will be okay."

Please, I mouth silently. No.

I shake my head, tears starting to fill my eyes. But my dad's face hardens, and with a kiss to the top of my temple, he lets both of my hands go.

"Mason is thirty," he goes on. "And already an established businessman. He and his father own architectural firms all over the world, and this marriage will unite our worlds together."

"That's right," William adds. "Mason has heard so many good things about you. Your plans to become a vet, and your work prior with the animals on your dad's farm."

I nod, my whole body shaking, and I try not to cry, yet I'm sure they can all tell I'm about to burst into tears.

"Though you'll never have to work when we're married," Mason adds, leaning over his knees, and something catches in his eyes. Something cold and calculating. "My wife will not need to earn her own money."

My eyes enlarge. He wants to control me. Keep me in line by making sure I only rely on him. I can't go through with this!

"That's right. Marriage is a bond," my father adds.

But I don't think that's what Mason meant. Not from the leery appearance in his eyes. No. He would prefer I depend on him for everything, but that's never gonna happen.

"I want to work." I tilt my chin, needing to establish some semblance of authority over my own path.

"Well, we will discuss it when we're married, but your ethics are commendable."

"Thank you." I don't know what else to say anymore.

"The wedding will take place in two months."

As soon as those words leave my father's mouth, my head spins and tears sting the back of my eyes.

Two months? That's it? I stare at Devlin with a quivering jaw. How can it all end like this?

Devlin is instantly there, grabbing my hands in his as he kneels before me.

"Are you okay?" he whispers, searching my gaze, emotions threaded within his eyes. "Do you need water?"

I nod.

"I'm her fiancé now. I'll get her the water." Mason slaps Devlin on the shoulder, and they lock in a stare.

The look Devlin gives him would scare anyone. But Mason only chuckles dryly, as though taunting him, before he heads to the table filled with food and drinks.

"I can't do this," I tell Devlin. "Please…"

He shuts his eyes, and when his mouth moves, Mason appears again like a cockroach. He hands me a glass of water and attempts to cut in between us.

But Devlin remains there as he rises to full height, and the look shared between them could start a war.

Maybe it should. Devlin would win…

"Let's let the young people get to know one another." My father throws an arm around Devlin, practically pushing him out.

The room slowly empties until it's just my future husband and me.

My throat closes as he walks over to make himself a drink, pouring whiskey into a crystal cut glass.

"You're prettier than they said." He settles back down on the sofa. "Please…" He pats the seat beside him. "Come here."

My insides gnaw, and I fight my legs and slowly head toward him. Clearing my throat, I lower to the spot, feeling the weight of my anxiety as he places a hand over my knee and squeezes. When I shiver, he laughs.

"So, you're a virgin, like your father said?"

He what?!They were discussing it?

"I…"

"That's a good thing." His thumb massages me right above my kneecap, and disgust fills my gut. "It's what I want in a wife. I have no use for a whore."

My heart drums louder until my body and my head all feel like they're going to explode.

That would be a relief.

"You will remain a virgin until we're married. Do you understand me?" He pops my chin with a finger, forcing me to look into his eyes that have no kindness within them. "I know you're in college and around guys all the time."

"I don't have a boyfriend." I swallow thickly.

"Not even that bodyguard?" He hikes a brow.

"Devlin? No!"

I wish…

"Good." His leery grin sends my pulse into a chaotic rhythm.

"Will you be faithful to me?"

I don't think he will. He doesn't appear like the type of man who would be.

"Of course. It was one of your father's requirements, and I always stick to my end of the bargain."

"What will this marriage get you?"

"Is having you not enough?" He laughs sarcastically.

"I know I'm not the reason. I'm not na?ve."

He scoffs. "That's a good thing too. Don't want a stupid wife either."

My body shivers. There's cruelty right behind those eyes. He doesn't even need to hide it.

He leans back and outstretches his arms around the top of the sofa. "With your family's connections, we can expand even more and get permits we need much easier. And with our connections, your family can get property for more underground casinos they want to open across the world. We can get them access to land they couldn't get without us. It's a win-win for both sides."

Yeah, everyone except me.

DEVLIN

My rage has me reeling, unable to utter a fecking word. Afraid what will come out of it.

I can't believe this is who Patrick found for her. That bastard was about to get himself killed for staring at me like he owned her.

Eriu is mine. She'll always be mine. He'll never have her the way I do.

Mason is a rat. Nothing more than skin and bones with money. His father is the one who worked his entire life, coming from nothing. His son is poison. He's heavy into gambling and whores. Patrick has to know that.

This makes no sense. Why would he choose someone like that for his daughter?

"May we talk?" I ask him while Eriu is stuck in a room with that arsehole.

"Sure. Come on in."

He leads me into his office, and I shut the door behind me.

"Sit, please." He settles on the chair behind his desk.

"I'd rather stand."

"Alright. What can I do for you, son?"

"She can't marry that bastard." My palms clasp the edge of his desk.

He chuckles. "Right to the point. One of the things I always liked about you." He releases a sigh, looking too intently at me. "You're so protective of her. Always have been. It's why I knew you'd be perfect to keep her safe from the time she was a little girl, but she needs more than a bodyguard, Devlin. She needs a husband." He looks me dead in the eyes. "Someone who can continue our bloodline. Someone who will love her and respect her and be there for her. Mason can do those things."

Sure, he feckin' can.

Ishould be the man to do all those things. No one else.

But I squash those thoughts and focus on the problem at hand: getting rid of Mason.

"Oh, come on!" My voice rises, and he snaps a glare. "I mean, with all due respect, he doesn't have a good reputation. Never has."

"Well, neither did Gio, and look how well that union turned out. He's a good husband to my Iseult. So you should trust my judgment."

I don't at the bloody moment.

"I spoke to Mason about the women, and he assured me all that will stop."

"And the gamblin'?"

"I can't tell a man what to do with his money. That's his business. I care about him sleeping around, and that will end once they're married, or he will pay the price."

A fist clenches at my side. I can't let this marriage happen.

Because you wanna be the one to marry her, you bastard.

Feck!

She deserves more than Mason. More than me. Someone like Eriu deserves the world, and I'm gonna make sure she gets it.

"Eriu received a threat today. It was a note left in my mailbox." Patrick takes a deep breath, a furrow between his brows.

"She what?"

He nods. "It was a personal threat, and whoever wrote it said they're gonna come for her. I want eyes on her twenty-four seven. You understand?"

I nod.

"I need her married, Devlin. I need her as protected as possible, and you know the Reynoldses are connected to the highest people in government. Senators, even the fecking president. I need her to marry someone like that. It's the only thing I care about, her protection. When I'm gone, I want to know my baby girl is safe. She's never been like the rest of us. She can't protect herself like we can."

I can keep her safe…

Couldn't even keep your brother safe. What makes you think you're capable of keeping a wife safe?

My own thoughts sabotage every chance I could have with her.

"Can I see the note?"

Fear settles deep in my gut. Maybe it's the gang I was associated with, but why would they send a letter to Patrick and not me? If they found me and found my connection to the Quinns, they would threaten her by sending me the note.

This makes no sense. It has to be someone else. But who?

He reaches into a drawer and hands me the paper, the words typed out.

She'll pay for what you've done. I'm coming for her. And there's nothing you can do about it.

My pulse rings in my ears as I read the words over and over. It could be them. They'd know I work for the Quinns and that I'd see this letter. They'd find an indirect way to taunt me.

"Do we know who it's from?" I ask him.

"We don't. Not yet. We're all looking into it, but don't tell Eriu. I don't want her worried."

"Aye."

When I start to leave, the door swings open, and in walks Iseult, bright red fiery hair swinging as she marches in with more rage than I've seen in a while.

"Devlin," she grits before her eyes zero in on her father and her palms slap across his desk. "Really, Father? Mason fucking Reynolds? Are you insane?!"

"Hello to you too, darling. Please do come in." He gives me a look that says help me.

Yet I do no such thing. I turn the hell around and leave him with a pissed-off Iseult.

Nothing will change. He always gets his bloody way. But two months is a long time and a lot can happen.

To Mason, that is.