Page 71 of Wicked Sinner
I finish breakfast, make myself a cup of black coffee, and go upstairs to get dressed. By the time it’s almost one p.m., I’m pulling into Konstantin’s driveway and, just as I’d thought, I haven’t seen Bridget since she stormed off.
Pushing her out of my thoughts as best as I can, I make my way to Konstantin’s office. I find him there, along with Tristan. The sight of the Irishman makes my jaw clench as I walk in, sitting down without invitation, and I ignore him as I look directly at Konstantin.
“Caesar.” He looks at me calmly, but I can see the irritation in his eyes. “Are you going to explain yourself? And give me a clear answer as to which woman we’ll be announcing your engagement to?”
“You don’t need to announce an engagement.” I look at him evenly. “You can announce a marriage, if you like. I’vemarried Bridget Lewis. Now, Bridget Genovese.” I slap the file with the paperwork down on his desk, pushing it toward him. “It’s all there. Legal and binding. There’s confirmation from my physician that she’s pregnant, as well. Carrying my heir.”
Konstantin’s jaw tightens as he takes the folder, flipping through it. Next to me, Tristan is motionless, unspeaking. After a few minutes, Konstantin closes the folder and looks at me.
“You’ve lost your goddamn mind.”
“No, I’ve chosen my wife.” I don’t falter for even a second. “I told you that I’d chosen her. She finally agreed.AfterI had to rescue her from men who were sent to take her captive and who killed two of my best men.” My jaw tightens. “And I’m going to have answers for who was responsible.”
“This is a mistake.” Konstantin’s voice is flat, cold. “This could have far-reaching consequences, Caesar. You’ve been courting two women for weeks now. Vincent Torrino is convinced you’re going to marry his daughter. Caterina’s father will be less of a problem, but Vincent may distance himself from us. We could lose shipping deals, could find ourselves facing roadblocks to shipments and trade. Bribes might be less effective. He could cause all kinds of problems for us, if he’s sufficiently offended.”
“So find a way to make him take it well.” I stare Konstantin down. “You’re the head of the families. This is your job, to make sure that things like this don’t cause unnecessary waves?—”
“And it’s the job of the other bosses to make sure that I don’t have to clean up messes like this!” Konstantin slaps his hand down on the file. “I needed one thing from you, Caesar! You come back here, after being disinherited, demanding that you be allowed to pick up your father’s legacy regardless. To avoid conflict, I agreed, withonecondition… that you marry a woman who will make this transition easier and gain the acceptance of the other bosses. I asked you to prove yourself, and you havedone theexact fucking opposite!”His teeth grind together as he stares at me. “You’ve listened to your cock instead of your brain, and it’s going to cost us, Caesar.”
"I've chosen my wife over your politics," I correct. "And the child she's carrying."
"A bastard child from a nobody!" Konstantin slams his hand against the file again. "This isn't how things are done, Caesar. You don't marry for love or lust—you marry for power, for alliances, for the good of the organization."
My lip curls. “Are you saying you don’t love your wife?”
“The love came after,” Konstantin snaps coldly. “I did my duty even when I didn’t know I’d love her.”
“I’m not you.”
"No, you're not." Tristan cuts in, his green eyes cold. "You're a reckless fool who's going to destabilize what we’ve worked for because you can't keep it in your pants."
Something dark and dangerous unfurls in my chest. "Careful, O'Malley. That's my wife you're talking about."
"Your wife is a liability," he continues, apparently not picking up on the warning in my tone. "Every enemy you have now has a target painted on her back, and by extension, on all of us, because now we’re required to recognize her as the Genovese heir’s wife. The Cubans, the smaller families who want to see us fail—they're all going to see her as a weakness to exploit. And if Slakov is back, and causing trouble?—"
"Then they'll learn otherwise when I put bullets in their heads."
"You can't protect her every second of every day," Konstantin says. "And when they take her, when they use her against you, what then? How many of our people die because you couldn't think with your head instead of your dick?"
"Enough." I push off from the door, taking a step toward them. "I didn't come here to be lectured like a child. I came hereto inform you that I've married Bridget Lewis, and she is now under the full protection of the Genovese family. Anyone who moves against her moves against me."
"And if we don't accept this marriage?" Tristan asks coldly. "If we decide that your personal choices have made you unfit to lead?"
The question hangs in the air between us, a loaded threat. For a moment, the only sound is the rustling breeze outside and the tick of the antique clock on the wall.
"Then you can try to stop me," I say finally. "But you should know that I'm not the same man who left Miami twenty years ago. I've learned and done more than you realize. I’m not about to fucking lose what I came here to claim. And I sure as hell don't lose to men who think they can control me."
Konstantin lets out a heavy breath. “The marriage is legal and binding. But Tristan is right. I need to consider whether or not this proves the exact opposite of what you set out to do. This makes you look like a wild card, Caesar. Like someone who I can’t afford to allow to gain power.”
“Your actions have consequences,” Tristan bites out. “You’ll learn?—”
“Like you’ve already tried to mete out?” I snarl, and Konstantin shoots Tristan a look.
“What the fuck is he talking about, O’Malley?”
“He thinks I sent men after his fucking wife.” Tristan shakes his head. “He’s lost his fucking mind?—”
“You’re a fucking liar.” I glare at him, tense in my seat, and Konstantin slams his hands down on the desk.
