Page 93 of Beautiful Broken Obsession

Carlo shakes his head. “It’s her fiancé who needs to get her under control on his own.”

I look back to where they were, but they’re gone. “You really do not care who you marry your daughters off to, do you? All that matters is they have money and power.”

He chuckles. “I don’t see you complaining.”

When I look back to where Grigori and his sons were standing they’re gone, blending into the crowd. Luca is in their place with Dominic standing beside him. A woman clings to Luca, who is wearing an eye patch which appears to hide a recent wound.

In true mafia fashion, no one says a word about what happened. Both Regina and Christy are home. But I’m introduced to Luca’s wife, Bella. She’s sweet and it’s clear she isn’t comfortable in the crowd of people.

Luca smiles down at me. “Sandro is a good man. I promise you that. He’s not happy about the marriage either, but he will treat her right.”

I force a smile. “Will he let me visit her?”

“Yeah, of course. He isn’t going to keep her locked down. I mean, he’s going to do what he needs to in order to protect her. But’s it’s only about protection. Sandro has been my number two for over a decade. He’s steady, smart, and if he can handle an entire city he can handle one woman,” Luca assures me.

Tony chuckles. “Women are never as easy to handle as a city.”

Pasting on a smile, Milos and I mingle over the next hour, pretending as if everything is normal even though tension is everywhere.

It happens and there’s nothing I can do about it. Carlo announces the engagement of Carina and Sandro. I fight tears at how miserable Carina looks. All I want to do is go to her, but Milos tightens his hold any time I’m not right up against him. And my mother is keeping Carina at her side, far from me.

With how uncomfortable Luca’s wife is, I’m not surprised when she and Luca leave only ten minutes after Carlo announces Carina’s engagement.

What I am surprised by is that when they leave, so do others, until the huge house and grounds begins to empty from the nearly three hundred down to somewhere around fifty or sixty. It’s earlier than I thought it would be but I’m relieved—the sooner we can get the hell out of here, the better.

Finally I can’t take it anymore. “Milos, I have got to pee, for fuck’s sake. Can you give me three minutes?”

Milos narrows his eyes on me. “I’ll take you.”

Peter appears, whispers in his ear. “Take her to the restroom. Don’t leave her side.”

I shake my head as Peter nods. Annoyed, I move fast through the house, knowing exactly where I’m going. I’m almost to the door when it happens.

Grigori is in front of me, his large hand goes around my wrist. He yanks me into his arms, laughing like a fucking maniac. “Got you. You’re so soft and small, I understand—”

I don’t hear the gunshot. All I know is for the second night in a row a man’s head explodes right in front of me. I’m falling with him until I’m not. Milos is there, his hand around my arm, holding me tight against him. In his free hand is a gun he hands to Peter.

Ivan looks down at his father, then up to Milos.

Voice cold as ice, Milos says. “I told him no one touches my woman.”

Artem shakes his head in shock. “You bastard.”

“It’s a shame the way strokes run in our family. My condolences. Take your father home and bury him with honor that he was able to die in his bed at peace.” It’s an order.

Ivan and Artem share a look. Jaw clenched tight, Ivan nods. “Thank you for your condolences.”

Like he did last night, Milos picks me up and carries me out of the house and into the night. There’s no seat belt again, only his arms holding me tightly in his lap.

Nothing is said on the way home, not a word from anyone in the car. At least that I’m aware of, because I slip into sleep ten minutes in.

Chapter30

Celia

When I wakeup I’m alone again. This time, though, Milos’s side of the bed is cold. I’m worried until I see there is an indention in his pillow. I guess I slept late again. Only the clock on the bedside table says it’s a little six after in the morning.

Throwing the covers off, I find I’m naked again. I go hunting in the closet for clothes. The cupboard thing is open, on the inside of the door is a full-length mirror, but it’s covered…in pictures of me. I back away from it as I take them all in. Me on the day of my high school graduation, me in my dorm room chatting with Sergei, me in a lecture hall bent over my laptop taking notes, me in the coffeehouse. So many pictures, and there among them, me on the day I graduated college.

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