Page 26 of Hook

Smyth’s eyes widen. “You are?”

“Yes, to Gwendolyne Tesoro.”

He spits out a gulp of beer, splattering me with it.

“What the fuck?” I say, wiping it off my face.

“I could say the same thing. Jovani Tesoro will murder you.”

I know that Jovani will be an issue, but I’ll come to that bridge later. “He can try.”

“I thought you wanted her to piss Piero off and fuck her, not make her your God damn wife.”

“Stealing her and marrying her, so that he can’t have her, is the ultimate way to piss him off.”

Smyth sighs, clearly realizing that he can’t persuade me to reconsider. Once I’ve made a decision, there’s no changing it. “When are your nuptials taking place?”

“Not decided yet, but it won’t be too long.”

His eyes narrow. “And what is your end game?”

“You know my end game. Take everything from Piero.”

“Right, yeah, but marrying the girl?” His nose wrinkles in disgust.

“Have you seen her, Smyth? Or are you as blind as you are stupid?”

His jaw clenches. “Yes, I’ve seen her. She’s beautiful, for sure, but—”

I start forward and grab his throat. “Have you been looking at what is mine?” I ask, feeling a possessive rage unfurling in my veins.

His eyes are so wide they look like they’re going to pop out of the sockets. “No,” he rasps out.

I release his throat. “Keep your eyes off her, do you understand? She’s mine.”

Smyth rubs at his throat. “I’m not interested in her, sir.”

I always forget that Smyth prefers male company to female. “Fuck, sorry. Of course you aren’t.” I clap him on the shoulder. “I often forget.”

There’s an odd expression in his eyes that I can’t quite place. “No worries,” he says, grabbing his scotch and knocking the entirety back.

“You’ll be my best man, of course,” I say.

He smiles, but it looks forced. “Of course.” His eyes dart toward two of the staff who are gazing over here with doe eyes. “So, does that mean you’re going to leave the girls alone from now on?”

I nod. “Yes, I’m a one woman man now.” I pause. “At least until I get bored.” I wink at him and hold my glass up in a toast. “To marriage.”

* * *

I’ve checkedthe CCTV at the bar, but there are too many of my men that use that fucking office. It means I need to find someone to do covert digging who has no ties to my organization. Hence, the reason I’m standing outside of fucking hillbilly shack in the hills. I didn’t know there were shit holes like this here, but it’s apparently the home of one of the best private detectives in the state.

“Hello?” I shout, noticing the door is ajar.

The door slowly creaks open, revealing a tall and slender figure wearing an ill-fitting suit standing in the doorway.

“Yes, can I help you?”

“We spoke on the phone,” I say, rubbing a hand across the back of my neck. “Cillian.”

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