Page 9 of Cruel Vows

Rebecca stares at me for a moment before she starts laughing. “You know what, that’s a good joke. For a moment, I thought you were serious.”

I give her a flat look. “I’m serious.”

Her nostrils flare, blue eyes shining. “Sean, tell me you’re not. There’s no way you’re getting married to her. She’ll wait until you’re consummating the marriage, and then she’ll cut your throat.”

“At least it would be a wedding people would never stop talking about.” The corner of my mouth twitches as I tease my younger sister, laughing when she winds up and punches me in the shoulder.

“You’re an idiot. You should be worried about this.”

I finish the first cigarette and light another. “I’m worried, but there’s also nothing else I can do about it. Dad and Aiden negotiated the terms. Apparently, he likes you too much to marry you off.”

Rebecca snorts, leaning against the wall beside me as pallets filter into the warehouse again. “I doubt that. He overlooks me because I don’t have a dick. Which is a good thing. One of these days, I’m going to escape this hell.”

“There’s no escaping it, Becs. You just have to learn how to embrace it.”

“The day I do that is the day I roll over and die.” Rebecca bumps her shoulder into mine. “We could run away like we used to plan to do when we were little.”

“He would hunt us down and you know it.” I blow more smoke rings in her direction, grinning when it earns me another punch to the shoulder. “I wouldn’t leave either way, Becs. I like this life. I was born for it.”

“Funny. I didn’t think you were born to marry a woman just because Dad says so.”

“It’s going to bring peace between the families and we’ll stand up against the Rinaldos when they attack. It’s the best situation we can hope for.”

She sighs, leaning her head on my shoulder, her dark hair falling around her face. “I don’t think this marriage is the answer.”

“It’s the only plan anyone has.”

“And you think that’s fine?” Rebecca pushes off the wall, snatching the cigarette from where it burns between my fingers and tossing it to the ground. “There has to be some way out of this, Sean.”

“There’s not. I’m going to marry Ellie.”

“You shouldn’t have to.”

I give her a crooked smile. “What other choice do I really have?”

All I can do now is prepare for the hell I know Ellie is going to put me through.

She may be beautiful, but she’s deadly, and I get the sinking feeling that I’m walking straight into her trap.

3

ELLIE

“I needmy own damn place. Then I can find the fucking eggs for once.”

Summer laughs as she races through the kitchen, grabbing her purse on the way by. “That’s going to be the day hell freezes over.”

I snort, closing the fridge and turning to look at her. “One of these days, he’s going to have to let go of the reins and let all of us have our own damn lives.”

“Yeah, because that’s going to happen.” Summer rolls her eyes, sarcasm dripping from her tone. “You may as well consider yourself an old nun destined to live in the family home forever. I have.”

She smirks and takes off out the door, leaving me to wish for the millionth time that Aiden would give me some breathing room.

My wet hair is cold against my bare back as I move around the kitchen, slicing an avocado before looking for a rogue egg at the back of the fridge.

I pull down the hem of my camisole as it climbs up my stomach when I stand on my toes to dig through the top shelf of the fridge for the egg.

The steak sizzles the second it hits the pan, early morning sunlight streaming through the large kitchen window.

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