Page 65 of Vengeful King

“I bet,” Connor says, an eyebrow sarcastically arched. “It’s not like those people would ever have a reason to hide, right?”

I think about Katrina and her mother. She really was the perfect person to fall into Yuri’s lap—with her mother sick, she wouldn’t leave town. But her drive and devotion meant she would do anything she needed to, to survive.

I hear the chime of my security system as I stand there, and the bell sounds lower than I remember. Ominous.

“Ezra’s here,” I say.

It feels like the end of something.

My brothers clam up about Yuri as I go to the door; we all shift into business mode, ready to exchange polite niceties while we play a dangerous dance of maneuvering around the situation.

He’s there when I open the door, him and two men that look obviously like the stuffed-shirt security type. I don’t begrudge him his choice; in fact, it was smart of him. It wouldn’t help if things went to shit, but it might save him some time to get away while they die.

But this isn’t that kind of meeting. We aren’t here to exchange tense words; he’s a guest. I greet him, let him in, and shut the door behind him.

“Welcome,” I say. “Let’s get down to business.”

He’s polite through the meeting, discussing business details as if they aren’t part of an agreement to sell his daughter as collateral. It’s not a pretty setup, but it was unavoidable. There’s not much someone from the normal world can offer someone in the mafia, someone part of the underworld of the city. I have power in darkness that he can never achieve.

But Ezra will legitimize us, and his assistance could be invaluable. With him on our side, we’d have even more access to the world that everyone else knows.

We all benefit from this deal. And it wasn’t as if I had any romance or need for a relationship when Ezra came into the picture.

It wouldn’t matter if I did anyway. My place as head of the family means that this is my responsibility. I can’t shrink from it.

I’ve known since I was a boy what my role is in the family. And they need me to uphold them now more than ever.

“That just leaves the wedding,” Ezra says, and the change in his expression is immediate.

I wonder if his daughter feels the same.

There’s a real joy in Ezra’s eyes. Even if his daughter might not be excited, he obviously is. I don’t know if he’s genuinely happy for her, or if this is some disgustingly misplaced glee at being rid of his child. Either way, he doesn’t shrink from the arrangement.

“The church has already been booked,” I reply, trying to keep my voice neutral. Even more than the business part of this arrangement, talking about the marriage feels like a minefield.

This is the man’s only daughter that he is selling into marriage. It’s a big loss to take, a big risk to hand her over to a man from the underworld who is a complete stranger. Who could do anything.

But Ezra seems to trust us, trustme. I don’t know if he’s stupid or just perceptive enough to know I would never be violent toward a woman that may not even want to be my wife, a woman tied to a contract just as much as I am.

Ezra nods curtly. “I’ve booked the rest for her. She’s found her dress, unless there are any requirements or objections I have yet to hear.”

“Not at all,” I say smoothly. “This is her wedding, after all.”

I don’t care about a wedding ceremony, but it’s expected of the family, so it has to be done. The Assembly will want to see it to make sure the marriage is legitimate and out in the open. Ezra’s business associates will want to see it happen. Everyone will benefit from being invited, sipping someone else’s wine and eating wedding food.

For some reason, more than ever before, all I can think of is how much I hate this plan. But I owe it to my family to go through with it. I owe it to them to lead from the front, to take on the burdens that are hardest to bear.

I could be facing a loveless marriage with a woman who feels like a prisoner for the rest of our lives. But I’ll do it in a heartbeat because it is asked of me, just the way I need to.

I barely listen to the rest of the conversation. Aiden is handling the venue anyway, and Connor is managing security. I’d do it all myself if I could, but I know I have to focus on the ceremony.

Everything has been laid out. It’s no longer plans and negotiations, feeling each other out. The deal is set. It’s happening.

“That’s all then,” Ezra finally says, and he sounds pleased. It’s all I can hope for right now.

I nod sharply and escort him to the door. “We’ll be in touch. Thank you for meeting with us.”

When I shut the door, it feels like closing a book. I know things have changed now. My path is set. There’s no backing out now.

---