Arranged love

“Another time,” he says, standing. Grabbing my hands, he pulls me to my feet. “Just know that I never blamed Mia. And I’m not going to blame you either. We all make our own choices, Haven. And I’m living with mine just fine.” Then he turns and walks back into the bedroom as well.

I go barging in to find all three of them standing in the middle of our bedroom. My mother and Luca are still arguing. Nite stands there with his arms crossed over his chest, looking like he didn’t just speak to me. He didn’t have to tell me to keep what just took place between us. A part of me knows that Luca knew exactly what was going to happen, and that’s why he ushered my mother from the balcony. But whatever that was between me and Nite is now over. He’s back to Silent Nite. And I will keep his secret.

“My …” I clear my throat. “Jimmy?” I ask. “How do we know he won’t double-cross us again?” I ask. I’ve received so much info in such little time. I need to prioritize it and figure out my biggest threat. He’s far up on the list.

Their bickering comes to a halt, and they all turn to look at me.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Luca assures me.

“He killed him,” my mother answers.

“What?” My wide eyes go to Luca.

His jaw sharpens as he glares down at my mom.

“I won’t tell her another lie.” She glares back up at him. “Or hide anything from her. He’s dead. The end.”

“I … did he hurt you?” I ask Luca.

He comes over to me and grips my hands in his. “No. He was going to sit back and let your life be ruined for fucking cash in his pocket. He deserved death.”

“So …” I swallow nervously and remove the clip from my wet hair. It falls down over my shoulders, instantly soaking the shirt I’m wearing. “What do we do?” I ask, trying to figure out how I’m going to use all this information.

The man I’ve called my father all my life is dead. My biological father can’t be beat, or he would already be dead. I’m not sure how this can end well for any of us.

“We go to Kingdom. Pack a bag,” Luca orders.

“It’s almost two a. m.” I say wondering why in the hell we’re going there.

LUCA

Removing my suit jacket, I lay it across the back of the couch in our hotel suite on the thirtieth floor at Kingdom. Her mom goes over to the sliding glass door, opens it, and steps outside for fresh air. Haven follows her.

I turn to Bones and Titan. “Thank you.”

Bones nods. “You know you are welcome here anytime.”

Titan crosses his arms over his chest and adjusts his stance, widening his legs. “We’ve got two guards standing outside of your room and snipers on the roof …”

“Why do we need snipers?” Haven asks, re-entering the suite.

“Safety,” I answer.

“Luca. What are you not telling me?” She looks around the room. “Why are we here at Kingdom and not at home?”

I want to feel happy that she referred to my house as our home, but I don’t have the time. I run a hand through my hair. “He doesn’t plan to let you live.” Her eyes widen. “Rossi is planning on taking more out than just me and the Kings at the ceremony.”

“What? No. He told me-”

“He lied,” I interrupt her. “You think he’d protect you? He never wanted you. He hates us.” I point at my chest. “You’re marrying the enemy. Either you die as collateral damage or are killed on purpose. I’m not taking that chance. There is better protection here. The numbers are bigger.” Plus, Rossi won’t step foot near Kingdom. He may want the Dark Kings dead as well, but he wouldn’t do it on their territory. He’s too much of a coward. He knows he’s outnumbered here. We just took out more of his men, so he will have to regroup and think of a new plan. And we’ll already be executing ours.

She bows her head, running her hand through her hair. “What if …?” She bites her lip in thought. “What if we get married now? Go to the courthouse and get it over with as soon as they open? Will that make a difference? Isn’t there some unwritten rule about going after a Mafia wife?” She rolls her sleepy eyes at that. “Not saying it’s still not done, but he may think twice if he knows the consequences are worse.”

Her mother steps into the room and five sets of eyes stare at her. “What?” she asks, looking around at all of us.

I step forward. “We’re already married.”

“Luca, this isn’t the time to …” Her words trail off, and her eyes go big. “What?” she whispers. Recognition dawns on her face, and she places her hand on her head. “The contract … it was a marriage license?” Her eyes narrow on me. “I didn’t sign anything.”Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!

I take another step. “Your name is on it. Whether you signed it is not the point.” On paper, she is my wife.

She tilts her head to the side, tears building in her eyes. “You tricked me.”

I say nothing.

She looks around the room. “And you all knew.”

Again, no one speaks because they all did. Even her mother.

“Mom?” She turns to face her. “You knew this?”

She nods softly. “I had to …”

“How could you?” Her voice cracks.

“I told you at the clubhouse. You needed to be a Bianchi-”

“No,” she interrupts her. “You could have told me. You could have …”

“I couldn’t say anything. It would have cost you your life!” she shouts, getting angry. “Why can’t you get this through your head? You know what kind of weight has been on my shoulders ever since I got pregnant with you?” she screams. “Haven.” She lowers her voice and walks over to her. Grabbing her hands, she continues. “I prayed every day that he wouldn’t want you. Even after he allowed your father to adopt you, I still feared he’d come for you.” Her eyes go to mine before returning to her daughter. “I needed Luca to save you. He was the only one who could. So I did what was best for you.”

She rips her hands from her mother’s and turns to face me. “So, what? The wedding was just going to be a formality?”

“Yes,” I say simply.

She looks at Bones then at Titan, but they stay quiet. This isn’t their fight. They may have known my plans, but their loyalty is to me. Not her.

Her brows pull together in deep thought, and then her brown eyes fill with fresh tears as she looks up at me. “Did you know he was my father?” I open my mouth, but she continues. “Is this why you did this? Picked me?”

“Haven …?”

“Your family has been fighting with Rossi for years. This would be the ultimate fuck you. Marrying his daughter and posting it for the world to see. Rubbing it in his face.”

I take the three steps to close the small distance. Placing both of my hands on her tear-streaked face, I cup her cheeks. “No. You know this.” She’s already asked me this once. “I’ve always loved you, Haven. You are a Bianchi now. And I will protect you until I die. If that means lying to you, then that’s what I will do.”

She pulls away from me, and my hands fall to my sides. Then without another word, she turns and enters the master suite.

“Haven …” her mother calls out, following her.

She slams the door in her face, and the sound of the lock follows.