Page 32 of Wild Heart
I stare at him with my mouth hanging open. Because it’s everything I wanted since I met him too. I thought he would think I was a troublesome girl. I thought he’d be scared of myfather. But Raiden isn’t scared of anyone. It’s what I want, to spend the rest of my life with this man.
“Yes,” I say. “Yes, yes, yes!” I throw my arms around his neck, and we’re both laughing as I shower his face with kisses.
“Emerald to match your eyes.” Raiden slips the ring on my finger. “But before we tell anyone, I need to speak to your father.”
At the mention of my father, the smile slides off my face.
“He won’t be happy.”
“It’s your happiness I care about, princess. But I have to do the honorable thing.”
He’s going to be angry. He had plans for me. Plans that I need to tell Raiden about. The reason I ran away.
I open my mouth to speak when there’s a knock at the door.
“Go away,” Raiden grunts.
The knock comes again. “Sorry, Prez.” There’s an urgency in the man’s voice that makes Raiden look up. “Carlo Berone is downstairs.”
14
RAIDEN
Carlo is seated at a table in the middle of the empty restaurant. A man stands on either side of him, a few feet behind. Far enough away to give the illusion of privacy, close enough to be deadly if I make the wrong move.
Arlo places a steaming cappuccino in front of him, and Carlo gives him a tight smile.
“Thank you.”
His manners are impeccable, like the Italian suit he’s wearing, tailor made to his large frame. He takes his time lifting the streaming cup to his lips and drinks.
“Ahhh, this is good coffee, Raiden.”
He speaks without looking at me, and it’s not until I pull out the chair opposite him and sit down that his gaze shifts to mine.
Carlo Berone is as frightening up close as the rumors say he is. His face is heavy set with deep lines furrowing his brow. He’s about the same age as me, but the worry lines make him look older. His dark eyes are as intelligent as his daughter’s, but with none of the sparkle. As they bore into me, I stare straight back.
I won’t be intimidated by this man, not in my own clubhouse.
“I take it you’re not here for the coffee.”
Carlo sets the cup down and the scrape of crockery is the only sound in the place.
“No, Raiden. I’m here for my daughter.”
The genial smile goes from his face, and when he looks at me again there’s barely veiled animosity.
I’m not going to insult him by pretending she’s not here. It was only a matter of time before she was traced to the clubhouse. Someone must have seen her on the back of the bike, and there’s only one MC on Wild Heart Mountain.
“What if she doesn’t want to go back?”
Carlo eyes me warily, and I get the feeling I’m being assessed. That he’s trying to figure out what kind of man I am.
“You have a daughter.”
He says it softly, and my heart drops to my stomach. I push back my chair, and his men step forward. “If you’ve done something…”
He raises a hand, stopping the men and making me pause. “Relax. I’m not in the business of hurting little girls. I merely bring up your daughter because you understand how much I love mine. How she’s the most important thing in the entire world to me.”
