Page 11 of Stryker's Ruin
“For the purpose of this business arrangement, Vince’s oldest son, Johnny, who isn’t currently married, has agreed to tell the O’Kelleys I’m his bastard in order to make this contract work. In exchange for the family connection, money and a joint business deal this marriage should be very lucrative for both families.”
“He told you all of this?”
“Yes. Well, not literally. He and Moe were talking through the pros and cons of this arrangement, while I sat outside the office waiting for someone to find a place for me to stay. I wasn’t to be seen by anyone in the family.
“Their house man finally came up with the idea of putting me in the old gardener’s cabin. That’s where you picked me up.”
“You’re telling me they talked like that in front of you?”
“I’m invisible, like the other servants. Vince has never hidden his dislike and disgust. But because of my half-blood he’s stuck with me. He’s been very clear about exactly what I can and cannot expect. If he can use me somehow to make the real family better off, he will. If not, I’m no better than a servant to be trained for a menial job.”
“What kind of job was he training you for?”
“He realized I excelled at languages and math. I was to study to be an interpreter for him. He and Moe have been wanting to expand their reach. Since no one could ever know the truth of my birth, I was never to refer to him or any of the family using familial titles. I would never bear a child and further taint the lineage.
“That changed when something happened with the O’Kelley family. Now he sees the potential of tying the two families together. I’m to share any information I learn about my prospective husband’s family. Apparently, the grandson still lives in his family’s mansion but has an apartment in the city.”
“Spy for him?”
“Yes. He had a doctor verify that I’m still a virgin as soon as I arrived. At his insistence I’ve been on birth control shots since I was fourteen. I am livestock to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. That is my worth and asset to the family.”
“What about you? What do you want?”
“I want what is best for the family that gave me shelter and an education.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it.” Her fingers clench tighter as if she’s holding back. There’s spunk to my girl. They’ve tried to kill it, but she’s more of a fighter than she knows.
“It is my life. What I was born into. I have no money, no friends. Very little exposure to the real world. What can I do? He’s already told me the marriage will happen before my eighteenth birthday which is just a few days away. You don’t understand this way of life. The control they have over you. What it’s like to be all alone.”
“I understand more than you think.”
Shaking her head, she lifts trembling hands and rubs her upper arms.
I’m pushing too hard. Crossing the distance between us I wrap an arm around her and hug her to my chest, gently rubbing her back. “It’s okay. I’m here now. You aren’t alone.”
When her tension subsides, I lean back and meet her gaze. “You must be starved. Let’s go grab something to eat. You can unpack when we come back. You want the bathroom first?”
I put her suitcase on the stand in the closet then check my phone for messages. Vince sent the name of an exclusive Italian Restaurant where the two families will meet the day after tomorrow. I may not have been raised in Chicago, but I have a few connections. I reach out to an acquaintance so I can get a preview of the arrangements for the dinner.
CHAPTER 8
Ruin
After splashing cold water on my face, I study myself in the mirror. I’ve said too much today. I could get Ettore killed.
For two years she was my friend, my hope. Her husband was terribly ill, so she took the guardian job for the money to save his life. I know she planned to change her name and relocate as soon as I left. We must never speak again, she’d warned.
A strong woman in her fifties. She’d been raised and educated in the United States, traveled extensively before she married and knew much about the world. She told me that at eighteen I could emancipate myself. We focused my education in a way that would help me get a job using my language skills and financial understanding if I could just escape.
We’d talk about different scenarios where I could get out from under Vince and have a life of my own. If I could just get past my birthday. She worried that he would try to use me in an arranged marriage for financial gain. She was right. I am just a bargaining chip.
She tried to console me before we parted. Perhaps my husband would be a loving good man.
Drying my face, I fold the towel and put it back where it was. I didn’t tell Stryker what Vince said about the asshole they were marrying me off too. I was the ‘in’ they needed to ultimately take out and destroy the other family. They only needed me to make the peace for a little while before they took over.
There’s a brush in the drawer. I run it through my hair and study myself in the mirror. If only…. If only I could get Stryker to help me escape. But surely that would get him killed. He’s like Ettore, kind, thoughtful and honest with me. I will not put him in danger.
Stryker is leaning against the breakfast bar with a juice bottle in his hand. He glances my way and smiles. He’s taken off his suit jacket and tie. His shirt hangs loose around his hips, the top two buttons undone. He looks more relaxed. He straightens and hands me a bottle as well. “How are you feeling? Are you tired or are you up for a little sightseeing?”