Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 95013 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95013 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
“I’m aware.” Painfully aware of all those things.
“Then I’m sure you’ll change your mind. When the time is right.”
I shook my head. “I’m a man of my word. He wouldn’t have let us go otherwise.”
“Then let that be his mistake.”
“It’s done.” I didn’t raise my voice, but my tone had an edge to it. I would never forget how it felt to hear from my men that my home had been compromised, that painful realization that Aurelia was the target. By the time I’d made it there, Darius had her on the floor with a gun to her head.
It was Edric all over again.
But this time, I was able to stop it. I was able to save her.
Another cloud of silence passed as he looked at me. “If you’re a man of your word, then it’s time you keep your word to me.”
My eyes narrowed as I failed to understand his meaning.
“My daughter.”
When the realization struck me, it was followed by a wave of annoyance. “I just gave up the Roman Empire for a woman. I’m clearly unavailable, Tommaso.”
“But are you married?”
“What does that matter?”
“It matters because you’re not committed.”
“Oh, I’m committed.” Very fucking committed. Committed for the rest of my life, whether she was my woman or my wife.
“You said if you weren’t married, you would consider my daughter.”
I’d come here to be consoled by an old friend, and now I was being propositioned for an arranged marriage. “We both know that was a stupid request—”
“But you agreed to it. And I put my life on the line for your stupid brother.”
I suddenly had a kink in my neck, irritation that flooded my entire body.
“Are you a man of your word or not?”
“Why do you even want me for your daughter?” I snapped. “I just handed the keys to the kingdom to a psychopath. I turned my back on my country and my people for a single woman. I’m not a hero.”
“And that’s why I want you for my daughter, Constantine. I want a man who would turn his back on everyone else before he would turn his back on her. Who would sacrifice the entire world before he’d let anything happen to her. There are so few men like you. A needle in a fucking haystack. That’s what she deserves.”
“I’m sure she does, Tommaso. But I did those things because I’m in love with this woman, a woman who will someday be my wife. I’m sure your daughter is lovely, but my heart belongs to someone else.”
“Con, you said you would consider it.”
I dropped my head in frustration and rubbed one of my eyes. “You know how insane you sound?”
“I’m just repeating our agreement because you’ve clearly forgotten.”
“And after all these years, you haven’t realized how ridiculous of a request it is?”
“No.”
“What does your wife think of this?”
“She’s on board.”
I sat back in the chair and gave a frustrated sigh, unable to believe that this agreement made seven years ago was about to haunt me. “It took me nine years to love someone again. I’m not going to meet your daughter and then suddenly forget Aurelia.”
“Just consider it.”
“If I consider it, I’m cheating on my woman. That’s not who I am, and why the fuck would you want a man like that for your daughter?”
“Why is everything so extreme with you?” Now he raised his voice. “All I ask is you have dinner with her. A bottle of wine with a dinner salad and a nice piece of fish in cream sauce. Just an hour of your time.”
“This is ridiculous.”
“You gave me your word, Con. I could have been killed that night. Could have left my girls without a father and a husband. I only stick out my neck for men who deserve my spine, and I never would have extended it for that knucklehead brother of yours, especially if I’d known what he’d done—which you hid from me.”
My eyes flicked away because I still felt guilty for what I’d done. Compromised my own principles just for the chance to save my brother. Told an intentional lie to get what I wanted, despite the damage to my reputation.
“You owe me.”
“Fine.”
When Tommaso finally got the answer he wanted, he relaxed in the chair, even wore a smile.
“I still don’t fucking understand.” I didn’t understand any of it.
“Con, God decided I would have daughters instead of sons, which is fine. They’re the light of my life, especially now that they’re adults and out of the house and not giving me grief every fucking day. But I have to think of the future of Cosa Nostra, how to keep it in the Sirenuse family, and none of my brothers or their kids are up to the task.”
Now I understood. “Should have known it was all political.”
“It’s always political,” he said. “You marry my daughter, and I have a good son-in-law who will keep her safe. Who will keep his dick in his pants when she’s not around. Who will be a good father instead of a neglectful piece of shit. And I’ll have a son to carry on Cosa Nostra when my time comes.”