Page 3 of Fanged Secrets
Amara
The woman who was to be my wife was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. From the moment I stepped out of my father’s Cadillac and met her violet eyes, I felt an undeniable tug of attraction that caught me off guard.
She was unusual in her beauty. Underneath the dark makeup and swath of glossy black hair, her features were soft. Painted full lips on a pixie face, wide eyes winged with dark eyeliner. There was an unnatural stillness about her that scared me as much as it drew me in.
My breath caught in my throat when her eyes locked on mine, flashing for a brief moment with a strange intensity. A moment later, the spark was gone and I wondered if I had imagined it. Either way, a small flame had ignited inside me and it was all because of her.
She, however, did not seem to feel the same way. Her lip curled into a barely disguised snarl, and her gaze movedelsewhere in a clear show of dismissal. This was not an arrangement she was happy with.
That was fine by me. I had no real hope for our marriage either. However, rather irked by her obvious show of disgust, I turned my nose up at the beautiful woman and instead studied her companions who were making small talk with my father.
The redhead, Jordan Lane, wore a placid, friendly mask but it was obvious how she really felt about my father. The woman at her side, an eccentric-looking individual with short-cropped curling hair, wore her feelings plainly on her face, eyeing Don the way one would a rat on the subway.
I kept an eye on my father’s lips as he spoke.
“Well then.” He turned his attention to the sullen third woman, the one who seemed to be doing her best to avoid catching my eye again. “This is my new daughter-in-law?”
The woman’s jaw twitched. Don’s cheery demeanor was at odds with the obvious tension among them. My father had a knack for getting under people’s skin; arrogant and egotistical, he had an easy time of it.
After scoring a sharp look from Jordan Lane, my betrothed bowed her head slightly toward my father. I watched her luscious lips move as she spoke. “What an honor it is to meet the infamous Don Leone in the flesh.”
I couldn’t blame them for their resentment toward my father. From what I had heard, Don had been causing quite a lot of trouble for them. And if his plan panned out the way he wanted it to, he’d be causing a whole lot more.
I narrowed my eyes at the trio, taking in their outfits, ranging from professional business attire to velvet and puffed sleeves that looked like they belonged in the 18th century. The third woman, my soon-to-be wife, looked like she had stepped right out of the Matrix.
They didn’t look like the usual high-class criminals I had grown familiar with over the years. They didn’t look like the thousands of wanna-be big-shots taken down by my father either. The Leyore gang was something entirely new.
Initial infatuation aside, the thought of being wed to a member of their syndicate made my stomach turn. If Aliyah was still around she would never have allowed it. I had tried to communicate that to my father, but Don Leone did not care for my older sister the way I had.
Don’s firm hand gripped my forearm and I snapped to attention, catching the tail end of my father’s introduction of me. “ – and this is my daughter, Amara.”
Three pairs of eyes locked onto me and I shriveled under the sudden spotlight. I knew what my father expected of me, Don wanted a performance. Bring out the doe eyes, convince them that I’m innocent. Gathering intel on the Leyore gang would be much easier if they didn’t perceive me as a threat.
“It’s nice to meet you, Amara.” Jordan’s mouth was easy to read, she sounded out her words with plump red lips. “I’m sure we’re going to love having you around.”
I gave a shy smile in response. Jordan watched me for a moment, her bright eyes searching mine as if looking for evidence of deceit. The Leyore leader was no fool, she suspected a scheme of some kind. I arranged my features into a placid expression, the picture of innocence.
I could feel the eyes of my betrothed burning into me, but I refused to look her way. I had a sinking feeling that she would prove much harder to convince.
With pleasantries out of the way, Jordan and Don got to talking about their agreement, rehashing both ends of the bargain. I watched their lips for a while, my head flicking back and forth like a spectator to a game of tennis.
A few moments later I was marched into the grandiose hall by my father and his right-hand man with the three women following in after us. For a shady drug syndicate, the Leyore gang had taste – and money. The building we walked through was gorgeous, with towering pillars to my right and left and smooth-marbled flooring polished to a sheen. In the tall windows to my left, I caught glimpses of my reflection. A small, pale face. A frail body in a lilac sundress. A helpless bride-to-be.
Suddenly claustrophobic between the shoulders of the two men, I glanced behind me at the open doorway, only to catch the eye of my sullen betrothed once again. Her frosty stare did nothing to help the sinking feeling in my stomach and I quickly looked away. I combatted the creeping dread by reminding myself that this – all of this – was only temporary.
For years I had sworn to myself I would escape my father’s world entirely, biding my time until I could eventually break free from Don’s control. That opportunity was almost here and this marriage was just a small detour on the road to complete freedom.
Don was sending me in as a mole, an agent on the inside to help him take down the Leyore gang once and for all. But unbeknownst to my father, I had schemes of my own. In my years growing up under my father's thumb I cultivated a few talents, and days before my father approached me with this marriage proposal I had heard back from my agent that my published graphic novel would finally be getting a TV series.
It was only a matter of time before the deal was solidified, and the money I would make would be enough to help me flee my father for good. I just had to go along with his plans until then, and that meant surviving the Leyore gang and my minacious new wife. I could feel her eyes on me still, boring into the back of my skull.
Surviving may prove more difficult than I thought.
Despite the extravagant setting, the marriage itself was unceremonious, the air thick with tension. Don’s right-hand man, Carlo, was to be our wedding officiant, having hurriedly filled out the ordination application online in the car this morning. Of all the men who answered to my father, I liked Carlo the best. He was more bear than man, with shoulders like boulders and a buzzcut to boot. But his eyes were kind, and he shot me a sympathetic smile when we gathered to begin the ceremony.
There was no pew or pedestal, only Carlos to my left and my betrothed standing before me. She exuded an aura of cold confidence that I couldn’t possibly compete with, heavy-lidded eyes skimming over me as if I, and this entire ordeal, were beneath her.The nerve.
The flush of irritation caught me by surprise and I stamped it out quickly. This was a wedding of convenience, why should she care for me at all? Even so, my blood boiled at her silent dismissal and I bit down hard on my lower lip to avoid scowling at her obvious disinterest.
