Page 101 of The Worst Pucking Deal

“But then the bitch betrayed me and struck a deal with our old Don. And that deal is coming to an end.”

Someone clears their throat. “The loophole for her freedom to become permanent was marriage. Is she not married to Sawyer Perry?”

Sy stiffens, and I squeeze his hand, trying to wordlessly tell him to remain calm. “She is,” Sy confirms. Then he lifts our joined hands to his lips and presses a kiss to the back of my hand.

Fabian scoffs. “A fake marriage. One created just for publicity. The fact that the Don allowed it is an insult to all of us.”

Even though I know I should keep my mouth shut, I can’t. “If you have an issue with forced marriages you don’t have much of a claim,” I accuse.

“Noted,” one of the masked men says.

“For fuck’s sake,” Fabian shouts, completely forgetting his manners and the importance of protocol.

Okay, I know I don’t have a leg to stand on since both Sy and I have done the same, but we’re not in the Senate. Fabian is, and he should act like it. Right now, he’s just showing everyone how personal this is.

“And me?” Remus asks. I discreetly look around, but I can’t see him anywhere. “Why am I summoned by a sheep? And why is my own council permitting this atrocity?”

Fabian’s satisfied smirk sends another shiver down my spine. “Glad you asked.” He pulls his phone out and plays something on it.

“Oh God,” I whimper as I realize what it is we’re listening to. It’s the conversation from mine and Remus’ dinner.

I want to snatch the phone from Fabian’s hand and smash it to pieces as I’m forced to listen to me and Remus casually discussing the fact I needed to get married. I look at Sy, trying to gauge how he feels about it, especially now that he knows I was willing to do anything to get my freedom. But he doesn’t give anything away as he looks straight ahead, his jaw clenched.

The recording continues being played.

“How long do I have to be married? I mean, what if my new husband dies or wants a divorce? What’s the time frame for my marriage, Remus?”

“I’d say at least a year. But I’d also caution you that exactly three hundred and sixty-five days would look odd if that’s when your husband mysteriously dies or divorces you.”

Oh no, I’d completely forgotten about the specifics of our conversation. It seems like it happened in another lifetime. But it wasn’t. Fuck, it wasn’t even that long ago I considered hiring someone to become my husband, and even considered killing them after I’d gotten what I wanted.

Knowing in your heart what you’re capable of is very different from hearing it said out loud. The implications of my questions and Remus’ answer are heavy. And Sy… my heart contracts at the thought of what must be going through his head while listening to the terrible things I said.

“Stop it,” I cry out.

“But there are still so many things to play for the Senate,” Fabian laughs. “Like the way you told your friend that you were making Sawyer your unsuspecting victim.”

“What?” I gasp. “I never…” Shit, I did do that. With Gail when we met up at O’Jackie’s after my dinner with Remus.

“If Sawyer is innocent, why is he here?” a man asks as he stands. “You told us he was part of the plan to cheat the Senate. But now you say he’s innocent. Which is it?”

The others murmur their agreement, also demanding Fabian answer the question.

“He’s here because Lucia married him,” Fabian defends. “How do we know he isn’t part of it?”

“You said he was innocent,” the man says. “He can’t both be innocent and part of deceiving the Senate. Choose. One or the other, but not both.”

Fabian’s eyes flash with anger. “Fuck. Fine. Then he’s innocent.”

“Sawyer Perry is excused.”

A guard comes toward us, and I sigh in relief, but it’s short-lived. “I’m staying,” Sy growls. “Unlike this asshole, I’m not leaving my wife.”

The guard doesn’t slow down, instead he rushes to us. As soon as he reaches for Sy, my husband moves to the side. Then he retaliates by slamming his shoulder into the guard’s stomach. He doubles over with a string of Italian curses leaving him.

“He just attacked a guard in this holy place,” one of the men shouts. “Get him. Get him.”

As more chime in, I realize this is where we get to see who’s backing Fabian. And the real reason they haven’t openly shown their support until now is because they’ve been biding their time. Fucking cowards.

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