Page 62 of Heartless Sinner

He never left me.

I would watch him from the bed, weighed down by too many emotions that I couldn’t get up, only able to watch as he took care of things in that low, firm voice of his.

As he took care of me.

It never occurred to me to leave. To ask to end things and leave this world, to run far, far away where nobody could ever find me or know that I was Marla Preston and that I had lost two brothers, one by my own hand. No one would know what I sacrificed to protect myself and my family.

But I didn’t want to walk away any longer. I had the fleeting thought but it felt like the thoughts of another woman. They didn’t belong to me anymore.

I knew when Vince spoke to my parents, because I heard my name. He was telling them he’d pay for all the funeral arrangements. I managed to sit up as I heard him say that I was grieving, and needed time, but of course they could see me when I was better.

When he hung up he looked over and saw me watching him. Vince walked over, his movements gentle but not careful. Like he knew I wouldn’t break despite what I’d endured. I appreciated that. I had no intention of breaking, no matter how heavily this weighed on me right now.

Vince sat down next to me, his fingers caressing my cheek, his eyes warm but assessing. “How are you feeling?”

“Sad,” I admitted. “But not guilty.”

“Do you want out?” he asked. His voice was soft and low.

“Out?” I repeated.

He hesitated a moment. “I can get you out. If you want to leave, if you’re finished with this life. What you did—what you had to do—it was the right thing for you. For us. For our world. But I know it’s… it’s a grief you’ll always carry with you. And if you want to carry it somewhere else, you can.”

For a moment I considered the gift he was offering—him selflessly releasing me from our agreement. I would lose Vince, the man I loved. But I would be free of the mafia. Free of a world where brother killed brother, free of a world where I’d had to kill someone I loved to stop a dangerous, unpredictable man.

I entertained the idea for a moment, the thing that I had once longed for more than anything… and I let it go. Those old dreams floated away like wisps of smoke.

Here in front of me was a man I loved, a man who saw me and loved me for who I was, who protected and respected and spoiled me. A man who gave me everything I had ever wanted. Everything I would ever need.

“Do you really love me?” I asked.

Vince stared at me like I made the sun rise and set. “From the start. Yes.”

I crawled onto his lap and braced my hands on his chest for balance. “Then I want to stay. I want to be your queen.”

A slow, relieved smile spread over Vince’s face. “And you always will be.”

I kissed him, and accepted my place in this world. Because as long as it was by Vince’s side, that was where I wanted to be. It was where I belonged.

When the chips were down, I had shown who I was.

I was mafia.

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Epilogue

Vincent

* * *

I was a man who was used to getting what he wanted. But for one of the first times in my life, I found myself surprised that I had gotten this. That I could actually have the woman I loved.

The last few months had been… a lot. Marla had grieving to do. I had arrangements to make. And we had to plan a wedding because simply hurrying to the church was not good enough for my father, or her mother. At least the preparations pulled Marla away from the anger and sadness that had dogged her presence for the first couple of weeks.

In the mafia, there were rarely good choices. Only smart ones. She’d made the smart choice. Didn’t mean those decisions didn’t hurt her. I’d held her at night enough times while she’d silently cried to know that.

But she’d loved planning. I’d told her that there was no such thing as too expensive for her wedding. I wanted to make a damn good impression of course, I wanted to show off my family’s wealth and power, but I also knew my fiancée and I wanted her to be happy, no matter the cost.

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