Page 31 of Wicked Sinner
"She's carrying my child," I cut him off. "My heir. I'm not going to leave her unprotected while I figure out how to navigate the politics of taking over my father's territory. Or risk her running and taking my child with her."
"So you kidnapped her."
The word hits like a slap, even though it's exactly what Bridget called it. "I brought her somewhere safe."
"Against her will."
"For her own good."
Danny stares at me for a long moment, then shakes his head. "Jesus, Caesar. You've been back in this world for five minutes, and you're already acting like one of them."
"One of what?"
"The entitled pricks who think they can take whatever they want just because they have the power to do it." Danny leansforward, his expression serious. "That's not who you used to be, man. You used to hate that shit."
The accusation stings because there's truth in it. I did hate it once. Hated the way my father and his associates treated people like possessions, like pawns in their games. Istillhate it. It's part of why I ran in the first place. It wasn’t just the responsibility—it was the politics. The games that everyone in the mafia plays with other people’s lives. I didn’t want to get caught up in all of it.
"I'm not my father," I say quietly, my voice tight.
Danny shakes his head. "No? Then why are you acting like him?"
I want to argue, to defend my actions, but the words stick in my throat. Because maybe Danny has a point. Maybe I am acting like the man I once despised.
"She doesn't understand," I say instead. "She has no idea what kind of world she's stepped into. The kind of people who would use her to get to me. How important she is to me now?—"
"So explain it to her. Like a normal person. Don't lock her up like a fucking prisoner."
I huff out a sharp breath. "You haven’t met Bridget. I tried explaining. She wouldn't listen."
"Can you blame her?" Danny takes another drink, studying me over the rim of his glass. "Think about it from her perspective, Caesar. Some rich asshole shows up, fucks her, and disappears. Then three weeks later, he shows up again and drags her away from everything she knows. How exactly did you think she was going to react?"
When he puts it like that, I can almost see Bridget's point. Almost. But it doesn't change the fundamental reality of the situation.
"My child needs protection," I say firmly. "She needs protection. Whether she understands that or not."
"Your child," Danny repeats. "She’s pregnant? Holy shit, that makes this all so much worse. Listen to yourself, man. You sound like you're talking about property."
"It's my heir," I snap. "It’s important. If I married one of the women Konstantin is throwing at me, the first priority would be making an heir. And now I have one, with a woman I actually like?—"
“Doesn’t sound like you’re treating her as if you like her.” Danny shrugs. “Look, I don’t know anything about all that mafia shit. I lead a simple life, and I like it that way. That’s what you wanted too, back in the day. Now you’re back, and you’re getting tangled up in all their bullshit. Is this really what you want?” He sets his glass down, looking at me intently. “Why don’t you just walk away? Let them do whatever they want with your father’s shit. I’m sure you’ve got plenty of money.”
“It’s not about money.” I run my hand through my hair. “It’s about proving a point. My father thought I couldn’t handle this. That I wasn’t worthy of being his heir any longer.”
“So you’re gonna… what? Screw up your chances with this woman to prove a point?”
“That’s different?—”
“I don’t know if you can be both, man.” Danny leans back in the booth with a sigh. “I don’t know if you can be a guy who lives on your own terms and be wrapped up in all that mafia shit. Someone you care about is gonna get hurt. And it seems like right now, you’re doing the hurting.”
“I thought I was going to get a friendly ear,” I gripe, finishing off my beer. “Not a lecture.”
“A good friend tells you how it is.” Danny looks at me from across the booth. “I’m still your friend, Caesar. And I don’t want to see you make the kind of mistakes that will fuck things up permanently for you.”
I nod. Deep down, I appreciate it—having a friend who isn’t wrapped up in all of this—even if I’m only feeling worse right now about how this entire situation has spun out of my control.
We sit for a little longer, catching up, before I pay for my drinks and his. “Don’t be a stranger,” Danny tells me before heading to his car, a ‘74 Nova in light blue that looks like he put a ton of work into it. I follow him over, admiring the car before heading back to my Ferrari to go back home.
For once, the sight of it doesn’t send a jolt of arousal through me. I had no idea what I was starting that night when I drove to Bridget’s garage. No idea who I would run into. I ended up seducing her because it felt inevitable the moment I laid eyes on her, like I had to have her.
