Page 5 of Ruthless God

“Lina has a point, Andre. We can’t just marry her off to the Las Vegas syndicate. The man would eat our little girl alive,” Mom said to her husband.

Andre Lombardi was Emilio Lombardi’s consigliere, the head of the Lombardi Famiglia here in Chicago. They were also cousins and extremely close, so my stepfather had a lot of say in how things went around here.

Everyone was quiet, waiting for his input. I kept my gaze on the tan tablecloth, hoping the ground would just open up and swallow me whole.

My skin suddenly felt hot, and I shifted in my seat. I told myself not to do it, but I couldn’t help when my eyes moved up, and two sets of eyes were staring intently at me. Lina’s held a malicious sort of glint in them—a familiar sight—which told me she was about to get what she wanted, usually at my expense, and Andre’s.

It was his eyes that made me the most wary.

I swallowed hard, hoping to God he wouldn’t say what I thought he was about to say.

“Luna can marry Massimo De Luca. They wanted a Lombardi daughter. Surely Luna would do, considering you even bear my last name.”

I blinked, my mouth opening, but nothing came out.

I didn’t bear Andre’s last name. I had my late father’s last name, which happened to be the same as Andre’s because my father and Andre were brothers.

My mom married my dad’s younger brother after he died when I was three.

It had been a quick marriage too. And my life had never been the same since.

I looked over at my mom, waiting for her to stand up for me the same way she had for Lina.

She took a sip of her wine and looked off to the side.

She said something when Lina—herlittle girl—was set to marry a monster, but when I turned out to be the replacement, she said nothing.

I blinked back the tears threatening to fall.

Wasn’t I her little girl as well?

What made me different from Lina?

“But wasn’t Lina already promised?” I asked, trying to reason with him.

His eyes hardened, and I wished I could take the words back. “No, a Lombardi daughter was promised. And youaremy daughter, aren’t you? Don’t you consider this to be your family?”

I looked away. “Of course,” I said quietly. We were a family when it was convenient. When I needed to make an appearance out in public. But I knew what my position in this family was all about. I knew it didn’t matter, and Mom probably wished I hadn’t been born.

“Then it’s settled,” Andre said. “Luna will marry Massimo De Luca. The wedding is set in one month.”

I walkedthrough the quiet house. It was three o’clock in the morning.

I couldn’t sleep, not after the announcement, though I was sure Mom wouldn’t be losing any sleep over this.

She wouldn’t care that I was set to marry a ruthless man, states away from where I had grown up. All she wanted was to keep Andre happy. And Lina. Her perfect little family.

I paused with my foot on the last of the staircase when I heard a sound coming from the kitchen. I was almost convinced I imagined it when I heard it again.

Quietly, I headed toward the sound, even when everything in me said to go back to my bedroom. I might not be able to go back to sleep, but at least I was somewhat safe in there.

I didn’t listen.

I stayed close to the wall as I got near the threshold leading into the kitchen and peeked inside.

My eyes widened in surprise when I saw Lina sitting on the kitchen counter, one of Andre’s guards close to her. He stood between her legs, his lips trailing over her neck. One hand was fondling her breast, and she let out a small gasp in pleasure.

I…