Page 45 of Hostile Cravings
He kept his eyes on me, the proud man I respected not giving the conniving ass behind him a second glass, nor his son, for that matter. We both waited until the door closed.
“Daddy—”
“What did you do, Angela?” His expression was stony, and it hurt.
“I didn’t do anything.”
“No? Then why are you out of his protection? Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
“He hurt me.” I heard the weakness in my voice, the fear behind it because my father never took his anger out on me.
“What did he do? Did he hit you? Touch you wrong?” He moved closer, looking me over, concern in his eyes.
“No, he didn’t do anything like that.”
“Then you should have stayed, because whatever he did is better than what Joey Tirenti will do.” The hardness in his features softened, a look of defeat taking over him. “I tried to protect you, Angela. Gave you to Raines in desperation, but now…now I can no longer protect you. With Raines involved, Joey would have lost interest, moved to his next victim, but with him no longer in the picture, you’re his for the taking.” He sighed, a long, pained sound that said all he needed about how much he’d fought to keep me safe. “I’m not in the position to fight him, and your brother is too green. His interests have only now turned to the family business.”
“But Mason?—”
“No, Mason has stepped out of this. It’s between the families in our province and Mason’s hold on Tirenti is old and it’s slipping. The Bad Omen have been working Tirenti, wearing him down, and now that Mason and Tides are aligned, Tirenti’s allegiance has shifted. Tirenti hates Tides. It’s a rift that goes back to before you were born, and one that even Mason can’t fix.”
I leaned against the desk, realization setting in that I’d done this, making a hasty move, a decision fueled by my emotion. I’d confronted Tyson and pushed him, and he’d sent me away. But I’d always confronted him, always bit back, always pushed his buttons, and he’d never turned away.
“You will marry Joey Tirenti and mend the divide to keep your brother and the family safe,” he said, pulling me from the thought.
He moved closer to me, rubbing his thumb over my cheek and giving me a sad smile. “I miss your freckles,” he said as he rubbed my makeup away. “You look so much like your mother, no matter how you try to hide it.”
Tears pooled in my eyes, and I fought my hold on them. “I’m sorry, Daddy.”
“I know, sweetheart. I just wish I could fight this, but if I do, I’ll lose you both. Tirenti has promised me no harm will come to you, and I have no choice but to trust him.”
I nodded, hating that I was a pawn in this war. A pawn that had passed from one player to another, one who would never give me what Tyson had, never touch me like he had, never appreciate the real me, and one I would never love. Not like I loved Tyson, no matter how much my heart was breaking because of it.
Standing, I held my head high, putting my usual façade on. “I’ll need my nails done and my hair.”
“It’s just a small ceremony, Angela. Just to make it official.”
I grimaced at the thought. “It’s my wedding day. I want to look pretty. And I want to spend my last night here. Not with Joey. He can wait one more day before his slimy hands touch me.”
“Whatever you want, sweetheart.”
He gave me a kiss on the head, squeezing my hand before leaving the room. I remained there, my grip on the desk steadying me because if I didn’t hold tight, I would collapse. How had my life turned upside down so quickly? I’d gone from the safety of Tyson’s arms to a tightrope that would send us all tumbling to our doom if I made the wrong move. The family business had never been my concern, but now it had become mine to protect and no matter how terrified that thought made me, I had no choice but to accept the fate I’d set in front of me when I’d run from the only man who could have protected me.
Chapter Thirteen
TYSON
The door stayed closed. Angie didn’t return. Yet I stood there, frozen and unable to make myself move. My mind was trying to process what had happened. How we’d gone from a morning of amazing sex and tender moments that had left me ready to bare my soul to her, to experiencing the shallow emptiness that now consumed my body. I didn’t understand what she was talking about. Why she’d been so angry with me, so hurt.
She’d overheard me in the hall, but I’d been saying good things, talking about admitting my emotions. Something I’d been planning to do when I’d walked in the door, opening my heart to her, to what I’d denied all this time. I sat on the bed, staring at the rings on the floor and trying to figure out how it had all gone wrong.
Finch came in and tried talking to me, but I put my hand out to stop him, not ready to talk yet. I was still too empty. He left me alone with the shake of his head. Running my hands through my hair, I walked onto the balcony, trying not to think of Angie, of how we’d sat there together, how soft her legs had been in my lap, the way the sun had shimmered in her hair.
I pulled my phone out, knowing I needed to warn Mason, to let him know I’d screwed up and let her walk out. That I’d just sent her to swim with the sharks.
“Hey,” he answered. “How’d it go?”
“Are you with Donelli yet?” I asked, disregarding his question.
