Page 10 of Forced Mafia Bride
I scoffed.Funny little thing.“My presence in this place doesn’t come cheap. And fifty thousand dollars is cheap. Quit beating about the bush.”
Her silence was sudden, neither brooding nor final, and her eyes carried that longing I’d seen barely half an hour ago. She teased the tip of her hair between perfectly manicured fingernails and bounced the ball of her foot on the tiled floor.
“Nikolai.” My name rolled off her tongue like a sultry tune and sounded unbelievably better than the last time I’d heard it. “I want you to kidnap me.”
My eyes narrowed.
This was the first time I’d gotten that kind of offer. Why would a woman willingly want to be kidnapped? The idea was as crazy as it was serious.
I filled one of the glasses before handing it to her. Her fingers curled around the stem while I searched her eyes for a hint of sarcasm, or humor, or something that would indicate a trap.
I found…nothing.
She was as open as a blank canvas.
That meant there were two things involved; she was either a good actor, or she was telling the truth. She wanted me to abduct her.
Cautiously, I filled up my own glass, returned the bottle, and lifted the wine to my lips. The wine tasted genuinely good, but her motive made no sense.
“Why?”
She threw her head back, emptied her full glass in one gulp, then hissed and stretched for a refill. “Why?” Her scoff was bitter.
“You are already acquainted with my half-brother, Ronan, but what you might not know is his blazing desire to make sure I have a miserable life. He wants to destroy me by every means possible. First, he took everything my father left for me, except this house. Because…because I begged like a child that night and offered to do the house cleaning for a month.”
Her lips parted, and red wine sloshed in her mouth. Darting out to swipe on spilled contents at the corners of her mouth was her veryinvitingtongue. I forced my eyes away to focus on her sob story.
“That month was one of the hardest of my life. He managed to make even the simplest chore a hellish punishment. As you can see, I survived.” She offered a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “But this time, I’m not sure. If I …if I get married to Tristan Gomez, I would find no strength to endure even a single day being married to him. I just can’t …I can’t do it. And I can’t run away. Ronan would find me wherever I hid. That is the reason I sought you out. I need someone more powerful to oppose this, to stop his plans.”
Her third glass went down her throat, and before she reached for the bottle again, I blocked her with my hand,grabbing her wrist. The green in her eyes was as sharp as daggers, and I was impressed with her ability to hold down that volume of consumed alcohol.
“What do I get in return?”
Her eyes touched my hand, which was wrapped around her wrist, and I let go. She adjusted on the seat with a careless shrug off her shoulder.
“I can be your inside woman. You will have unlimited access to all the information you need, which includes verified data on confidential business dealings. I know a man like you, with so much power, already has more than enough to grant me this request with just a snap of your fingers. But we both know that knowledge is power and information is the key. Expansion will be guaranteed, and you will further outgrow Ronan. Take this as your ultimate revenge for the things he did to you in the past.”
I recognized an exclusive offer when I saw one, and what the pretty young woman handed to me was more valuable than gold on a platter. If I accepted this offer, the Irish mob was going to be plundered to dust in a matter of twenty-four hours. Everything Cedric had taken years to build would crumble and leave no specks.
But, in this line of business, there were pros and cons.
I dropped my wine glass on the centerpiece, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees and one hand under my chin.
“It’s not all roses and wine, you know? If I do as you ask and kidnap you—and that is a very bigif—are you aware of the repercussions that would follow? Your brother is a maniac. He might not give a fuck about you, but he has an image to protect. Once your brother finds out that the Bratva is behind it, an unnecessary war will break out. I don’t involve myself in frivolities. I consider it an utter waste of time.”
A disheartened gloom marred her confidence but didn’t last very long. She moved to the edge of the couch, granting me a full view to see just how frustrated and desperate she was.
“Mr. Yez—Nikolai.You don’t understand. He is in no position to start a war, and most certainly not over me. You said it yourself; he doesn’t give a fuck about me. Don’t you get it? The lack of funds is the whole reason for this sham of a marriage to Tristan. And I want out!”
“Because?”
The immediate pause was amusing, like an action paused or frozen in time. She stuttered, with her mouth opening and closing and no words forming. When she attempted to speak again, her brows twitched.
A smile tugged on my lips, proud that my question rattled her. I rose to my feet and took a step closer to her with a hand tucked into my pocket.
Rosalyn tilted her head to peer up at me, and lush red hair fell behind her back in gentle waves, the tip brushing the plush couch fabric. “I don’t…I—”
“You said you want out of the marriage with Tristan.”