Page 5 of Hostile Cravings
I put my hands on my hips. “Suitcases, and you can go get them. Isn’t that why you have all those big muscles? You wouldn’t want me breaking a nail before our honeymoon even begins.”
“Honeymoon? You’re delusional,” he said, storming past me and grumbling as he walked from the room.
His men followed him out, leaving me alone with my father and Tony. My father motioned for his men to close the door. I waited for it to shut, biting my tongue because I knew my father wanted privacy.
“You keep that shit up, Angela, and he won’t put up with you long enough to make this work,” he scolded me.
“Me? Daddy, he’s horrible. A low-class brute who?—”
My father moved in front of me, anger etched on his features. “Now you listen to me, Angela Rosellina Donelli. I came from an even lower class than Raines came from, working my way up the ranks to stake my place as head of this family. We had nothing, and I worked my ass off to ensure you have everything. You insult his roots, you insult mine. Watch your insults and play the part. I don’t care how much you hate him. You’re safer with him than you are here.”
I dropped my eyes, hating that he was angry at me. My father doted on me, never raising his tone with me, and it stung. “Sorry, Daddy.”
He took my cheeks in his hands and raised my face to his. “You are my pride and joy, Angela. You and your brother, and I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Until Tony and I can ensure the family is no longer vulnerable, until I can put that creep Joey in his place and I’m assured he can’t touch you, you stay close to Raines. He may not like you, but he will protect you.”
I nodded, forcing back the tears, knowing my father was sending me away for my safety, no matter how it hurt me to leave him, Tony, and my life.
“Now be a good girl and go wait in the car for your husband.”
I tried not to cringe, kissing and hugging him goodbye before doing the same to Tony, who gave me a massive hug.
“Be good, Anj, and don’t do anything stupid,” Tony said.
“Me?” I said, trying to cover the tears that were still pushing against the back of my eyes.
“Yeah, you.”
“Never. I wouldn’t think of it.” I turned, leaving them behind me and saying, “I wonder if they have any good clubs in Treemont,” as two of my father’s men followed me out of the room.
“Angie!” Tony yelled, and I shook my head, smiling at how protective my older brother was of me.
Head held high, I made my way to the waiting car, Tyson’s henchman opening the door for me. Two of my father’s men loaded into the car behind mine, his precaution in case this turned ugly, and Tyson and I irritated each other enough to spark violence. It seemed silly since he was handing me over to Tyson as if I was nothing more than a prized horse he was selling.
As I waited for Tyson to join me, I stared out the window, thinking about how I’d had no say in any of this. No voice to decline this arrangement. It was business and I was the strategic play to ensure my family stayed safe. With a reluctant exhale, I looked out at our estate one last time and fought the overwhelming pressure behind my eyes at the thought that this might be the last time I saw it or my family.
Chapter Three
TYSON
The bitch had packed too much, and I let out a barrage of expletives as I tossed her suitcases to Breck and my other man before taking the last one. There we were, three massive men carrying bright pink suitcases down the hall. I was glad Mason wasn’t there with me, or I would never have heard the end of it.
Angie Donelli was going to be the death of me. There was no way I could go without killing her. Just being close to her in that room had me even more tense than Tirenti and his scumbag son. I’d forced myself to kiss her, knowing Tirenti needed proof. The way she’d gone limp in my arms, her body flush against mine, her hand clenching my jacket had left me unsettled. I wasn’t sure what to make of it or the pink hue that had filled her cheeks. Her brown eyes had been wide and as inviting as her mouth had been.
Shit, I didn’t know what I was thinking. I threw the bag in the trunk and removed my jacket, throwing it into the car and hearing Angie complain about hitting her with it. Rolling my sleeves up, I got in, letting Breck close my door.
Not bothering to look at her, I said, “Shut up, Angie.”
From my periphery, I saw her turn back to looking out thewindow. It was strange that she hadn’t snapped back. She was usually quick with a comeback or a snide remark about me. But this time, she stayed quiet. After a few minutes, I glanced over at her, seeing her bring her hand up, her knuckles wiping below her eyes in a subtle move meant for me not to see.
The venom in me soothed. She was crying, something I’d never seen her do unless she was crying crocodile tears to her father to get something from him. All I’d ever seen from her was nastiness aimed at me or Casey. What she said to Casey was usually passive aggressive, side-remarks about her weight or some other comment to make her feel inferior. It never worked. My sister was too confident to let someone like Angie bring her down. But it pissed me off even more than her presence already did.
She brought her knuckles up again, wiping another tear away, and I wasn’t sure what to do. Turning forward, I realized this was likely the first time she’d been away from home. Her father and brother were her life, the only life she knew, just like Armina was. And I was taking her from everything she loved and knew. Under normal circumstances, I would have called her tears out, made her feel bad for being a baby, but I remained silent, choosing to pretend I didn’t notice and watching the road pass by.
When we arrived at the hangar, I waited for the guys to inspect for any sign of danger. After the incident with the Bad Omen, we took no chances. And as pissed as Tirenti was, I wouldn’t put it past him to do something stupid. I was sure Mason hadn’t thought this through, and Mason thought everything through. If he had, he’d have anticipated Tirenti’s reaction, the slight he would experience at having me step in line for Angie and knock his son out of the running. My fist to Joey’s face hadn’t helped the situation.
“Come on, little Viper. Time to show you the real world,” I said, stepping out of the car. I didn’t know why I’d enhanced the nickname, but I liked the way it sounded when I said it, althoughthe usual vehemence with which it left my mouth no longer accompanied it.
“I don’t need to see any more of the world than Armina,” she said, the tears no longer evident as she strode past me with her nose in the air. “And I have no desire to see your tiny shithole of a province.”
