Page 34 of Seized By the Mafia King
This nervous girl version of her is unacceptable. I’d rather have the one who ran from me. The one who came for me. The one who was brave and sweet and sexy.
“Maldon needed the Witham territory to stay afloat, and powerful in Essex. And we need all our resources, including the value of Willow as a bride, or at auction.”
“Auction?” I ask, and Willow huddles further into herself.
“Virgin auction,” Liam clarifies.
“What if I told you that wasn’t possible anymore?” I reply softly. Willow turns to me, wide-eyed. I glance across, reassuringher with my eyes. All her firsts. I might not have taken her virginity yet, but I’m not allowing anyone else to touch her. Ever.
“You little whore—” Robert hisses, eyes blazing and hands slapping on the table.
“Take that back.” My words are a low, dangerous snarl. One of the Maldon brothers recognises it for the threat it is, recoiling, but the other two don’t.
“What makes you think he’ll—” Her eldest brother doesn’t know when to shut up, so I stop him mid-sentence.
“I’m telling you totake it back.” I can’t pretend not to be angry, and my hand has tightened in Willow’s hair.
“She’smywhore of a sister. You stupid cunt,” Robert spits.
“I’m warning you not to insult my wife again.”
“Your wife?” Liam exclaims this time, whereas everyone else just gapes at Willow and me. Though not Willow, who has gone utterly still at my announcement, and her gaze has dipped to her lap.
“And I’m telling you she’s not your wife,” Robert says.
“My future wife.” I lean down and whisper into her ear, “All your firsts, remember little bunny. I’ll be your husband too.”
“You want her? Pay,” says Wesley.
Finally, some fucking sense. I’m okay with this if Willow is, but I can’t see her face, so I’m not sure.
“He won’t cough up what she’s worth at auction,” grumbles Liam.
“Not for damaged goods,” Robert sneers, and Willow flinches.
“It was your idea to marry her off,” Wesley points out. “You can’t blame her for taking a better option.”
“I don’t know why you’re so keen to defend her,” Robert says in an undertone not meant for my ears, but I hear it anyway. “She always was a disloyal bitch.”
And my anger explodes this time. It’s uncontrollable.
I snatch Artem’s gun from its holster and have it armed and fired before Robert can breathe another word.
A split second of his shocked expression, then he slumps forward. Dead.
“Fuck!” Westminster is on his feet and has his gun trained on Wesley Maldon before he’s even finished that exclamation.
Someone screams. Several people, I think.
Liam lunges for Willow and I fire again as he reaches out. My bunny squeaks and jolts back against my chest as he too falls. The headshot means he’s lost all capacity to touch her before he even hits the table.
“Bethnal. What was that?” Westminster demands.
“I warned them,” I reply without looking, dropping a kiss onto the top of Willow’s head, gaze fixed on her one alive brother on the far side of the two slumped dead in their chairs. “I told them not to insult my girl.”
Mayfair sighs and Westminster’s wife lets out what I suspect is a snort of amusement. I ignore them. Willow is trembling under my arm.
“I’m not as restrained as Westminster here.” I point my gun at Wesley. “I’ll kill you without any question.”
