Page 27 of Beautiful Sinner

“Enough,” Viktor says, getting between them. “Let’s all calm down. No one is getting married today. Grigori, you should leave.”

“Viktor.”

“Grigori. Go.”

With a huff, he shoots Connor a glare then storms out the door, which is impressive since he walks with a cane. The room is somehow even more tense after he leaves. At least Grigori was a buffer between me and Connor.

Now Connor sets his full attention onto me. “What do you say, Julia? Interested in marrying me?”

I turn to Viktor. “Can we talk about this? Alone?”

“Of course. Connor, wait here.” Viktor brings me to his office and leans against his desk. At least his stance is relaxed, which means Viktor is willing to hear me out. “Yes?”

“I don’t know Connor. I don’t want to marry him. I mean, are you even sure this is what you want? He’s Irish. You’ve never worked with the Irish before.”

“I’ve worked with Finn in the past and he’s Irish.”

“Yes but he didn’t have ties to the Irish mob at the time. Connor does. Are you trying to get in good with the Irish mob?”

He shrugs. “It wouldn’t be a bad thing. To have extra support in this war. Ideally it would have been Grigori but I know I can’t force you to marry an old man like him. I can tell you’re uncomfortable around him.”

“I’m uncomfortable around Connor too.”

“How so?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, Julia, that you barely interacted with him. How can you be uncomfortable around him?”

Because he tried to pressure me to take drugs and wouldn’t let me leave the club when I wanted to.

None of that passes my lips. “You have a point. I don’t really know him. But call it gut instinct. I’m not sure I want to marry him and I know you. Do you really want to marry me off? That’s something you’ve never considered before.”

“I know. It wasn’t something I ever wanted for you. But with this war, I have to admit, I’m starting to get desperate. I’m running low on money. I need more allies to take Dante and Erik down. They’re too fucking strong.”

“Then why not make peace with them?”

He gives me a pointed look. “You know why. We’ve been over it countless times. I’m not making peace with them.”

“Not if it means peace for me and Inessa?”

“Dante and Erik won’t go after you. We promised each other we would leave the women out of it.”

“But that promise wasn’t made by all of Dante and Erik’s men. Someone could decide to hurt us and you know it. Make peace with them.”

“I tried once before and it didn’t end well. I was disrespected. I can’t make peace with people who don’t respect me.”

I can feel my heart pounding against my ribcage so hard, it hurts. “What if you married me to someone on their side?”

He goes eerily still. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying what I’m saying. What if you married me to someone on their side? We could make a deal. Then they’d have to respect it. They would know you would never turn on them if I was married to one of their men. And they would respect you for your strength and power. It could be the best way to make peace and you know it.”

“I am not marrying you to one of their fucking guys,” he mutters, pacing around the room. “I won’t do that to you.”

“Why not? You’re considering marrying me to Connor.”

“That’s because I can build something with Connor. Anything with Dante and Erik has been burned.”