Page 62 of Arranged Obsession
It’s a fucking hell I can’t escape from.
“Bianca won’t be an issue going forward. I’ll make sure she’s safe.”
He snorts, making a face. “I’m more worried about your performance as this family’s Ghostman.”
That makes my hands clench. He cares more about my job than he does about my wife?
But I understand he’s speaking as the Whelan clan’s boss, not as my father.
It still fucking stings.
“Give me a target and I’ll handle it.” I get up before I say something else I’ll regret.
Dad nods wearily. He slumps back into his chair and sighs. “I’ll be in touch. For now, hold tight. Maybe I can still salvage this situation.”
“Good luck with that.”
I leave his office. Dad’s a fool if he thinks Ruslan Morozov’s going to back down. Not after I killed his nephew and two of his soldiers.
No, this is a war. Nothing we can do now.
I head to the door, but my mother’s voice calls my name from the front parlor. I drift over reluctantly and find her sitting at the piano, her back very straight as she plays a quiet melody. “Come sit down.” She pats the bench and looks over her shoulder. “It’s been a while since we practiced.”
“Not since I was a kid.”
“No time like the present, right?” She smiles warmly at me. “Come on, Cormac. Indulge your mother.”
I reluctantly join her. She places her hands on the keys and begins to play. I listen for a moment, always impressed by her soft and perfect touch, before joining in. I’m rusty, but after a couple measures I start to ease into the music, letting old muscle memory take over as we play.Arabesque No. 1by Debussy was never my favorite, but Mom always loved it, and so we’d play duet arrangements together all the time.
“Your father is concerned about you,” she says without looking over. “I’m worried too.”
“Everything’s fine.”
“You really surprised us when you married that girl, you know.”
“The situation made sense.” I know what she’s doing. Distracting me with the piano. And it’s working.
“Did it?” she murmurs, shaking her head. “I don’t know. Finn got what he wanted. Which makes me wonder what you ended up with?”
“I make the most sense. Bianca’s already a target.”
“Your fault.”
I miss a note and stop playing. “Now you sound like Dad.”
“Is he wrong though?” I glare at her, but she speaks before I can respond. “Keep playing. Come on, we don’t have to bicker. You know you made a mistake. I won’t rub it in.”
I pick up where we left off reluctantly. “Bianca’s a good wife. She’s trying to find her way here.”
“And you’re going to help her?”
“I don’t know. Something like that.”
“Cormac, you know I love you, but you’ve never been the most emotionally available person in the world. I made peace with that a long time ago. But how does your wife feel about it?”
I close my eyes and sink into the music. I feel Bianca’s body under my hands. I taste her on my tongue. I hear her moans in the gaps between the piano keys. “She’s coming around.”
“Be careful. That’s all I’m saying. You found a happy medium these last few years, and I’m just worried you’re going to backslide.”
