Page 37 of Precious Hazard

“All that was nothing but a pretense for Drago’s sake. The last thing I want is for him to get into a confrontation with Ajello over me.”

“Fuck Ajello! He’s a scheming, pompous asshole! How dare he pull this shit again? Let’s go to Drago, and you can tell him everything.”

“Really?” I look up, meeting Sienna’s frantic gaze. “And then what? Drago gets pissed. Kills your brother? Goes to war with Cosa Nostra? Maybe tries to take out Ajello, too?”

“Yes. I mean, no. Shit. I’m calling Arturo and telling him to put a stop to this nonsense.”

“Don’t bother. He’s made it very clear that he’d never go against the don’s orders. It’s a done deal.”

Sienna’s shoulders drop. She sits on the bed beside me and sighs. “So, where does that leave you? You two seem to have been getting along. Do you, at least, like Arturo?” When all I can do is shake my head, she continues, “Not even a little? I mean… I know he can be a handful, but…” Her eyes sparkle with faint hope as she asks.

The glass is always half-full with my sister-in-law. Even amid the most devastating situations, she looks for a silver lining. This time, unfortunately, there isn’t one.

“I can’t stand your brother, Sienna. And he definitely doesn’t have any love for me.”

She grabs my hand and squeezes. “You can’t spend a lifetime tied to a man you don’t love.”

“Actually, we came to a compromise. It will only be for a year. Later today, we’re signing a prenup. Twelve months of marriage, after which, he’ll give me a quick, uncontested divorce”—I force a smile to break across my lips—“and twelvemillion dollars.” I pause, gauging her reaction before continuing, “Mark your calendar, girl. This time next year, we’re going on the most amazing shopping spree.”

“You’re serious?”

“Dead serious. But you can’t tell Drago a word, Sienna.”

Sienna leaps off the bed and starts pacing the length of the room. Her fingers rake through her hair while she wears out a path on the floor. Left to right. Right to left. She remains silent for several minutes, with only her rapid breathing and the muffled scrape of her orange faux fur slippers on the floorboards filling the space between us. Once in a while, she stops and throws a look in my direction. It brims with questions, concerns, and unhidden pain. Then, she continues her mad trek. Finally, Sienna stops and wraps her hands tightly around her middle. Pure devastation is written all over her face.

“I can’t. I can’t lie to Drago, Tara,” she chokes out. “I promised him I’d never do that again. I… You can’t ask that of me.”

Guilt hits me square in the chest. Instead of dealing with my own shit like a grown-up, I ran my damn mouth and blabbed the truth. And look what that got me. An even bigger mess than before.

“You know Drago,” I whisper. “You think he’d let this go without bloodshed? Without either your brother or mine ending up hurt or worse?”

Sienna slumps beside me on the bed, looking totally dejected. The two of us remain quiet for a long while, simply staring at the nearby wall as if the answers are written there. My vision slowly blurs, and my nose starts prickling. Taking a deep breath, I press my palms to my eyes, trying to stave off my tears.

“I’m so sorry for putting you in this position, Sienna,” I say, sniffling. “I was feeling so lost and… and I just had to tell someone.”

“It’s okay.” A slight sob escapes her. “I’m sure Drago will understand and forgive me when I eventually explain.”

“You could destroy half of the human race or do something equally catastrophic, and my brother would still stand by you. He loves you so damn much, it’s fucking scary.”

Sienna leans her head on my shoulder. “Someday, you’ll meet someone who’ll love you just as much. Initially, he’ll be a stubborn grump, of course, because you don’t like men who give in too easily. Maybe he’ll be a moody marquess. Or an alpha wolf shifter. Or even better, a ruthless wolf shifter who is a marquess, and he’ll love you so much he’ll risk his life to save you.”

I can’t help but smile. “You’re back in your shape-shifter era, I see.”

“Yeah.” She shrugs sheepishly. “Oh God, Drago is going to flip out when Arturo actually asks for your hand today.”

“Yeah.” My gaze slides to the fish tank where the plump little fish happily zigzags among her friends. “What if I tell Drago that your brother got me pregnant?”

“You thinkthatwould make the situation better?”

I try imagining my brother’s reaction to hearing that a guy he can’t stand knocked me up. “Nope. Definitely not.”

The loud rumble of an engine sounds outside. Sienna and I exchange looks, then dash toward the window. A massive stretched car pulls up and parks in the driveway. With both of us half-hidden behind the curtains, we watch as my soon-to-be fiancé (officially) steps out of the vehicle and heads toward the mansion’s front door.

“Do you think he came armed?” I whisper.

“Arturo is always armed,” Sienna answers back in a barely audible voice. “Should we go downstairs? Or we could wait until we hear the furniture being smashed?”

“For sure we should go downstairs.”

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