Page 127 of Stolen Temptation

Leo sits at the head of the table, like the king he believes himself to be. Maksim sits across from me. His brother…Nikolai Petrov, I think he said, reclines in the chair to his left while their mother sits on his right. The lackey they brought along doesn’t take a seat, positioning himself instead against the wall behind the Petrov family. A bodyguard on duty.

What can I do but sit there in silence, listening as Leo and Maksim discuss the details of bridging our two crime families together. The mother speaks, too, praising her son and cooly asking Leo for clarifications. The small part of my mind that isn’t spinning wildly wonders if she’s got some influence in the mob, like the twins.

I’m so out of it, so turned around by disbelief, anguish, and fear, that I only catch a handful of the conversation around me.

An alliance… Weapons shipments…

Obliterating their enemies…

Slowly, my eyes drift to Maksim, who’s talking loudly with half-eaten food in his mouth.

Doesn’t take a psychoanalyst to see he’s a self-centered, egotistical man. He and Leo seem to get along great, despite sharing some of the same nasty personality traits.

It kind of sounds like Maksim is convinced that once he and I are married, he’ll be able to single-handedly rule New York City. I don’t know what Leo has promised him, but he almost certainly lied. That’s my bet.

Leo can’t offer that kind of power to anyone.

How could he? Our family hasn’t been anywherenearthe top of the food chain in the past decade, possibly longer.

Many years ago, my mother told me how the family had fallen since she joined them. The turmoil between Matteo and Enzo destabilized things a lot, and after Matteo’s murder, the entire family business almost folded.

Matteo was the family genius. Without him, people were lost.

Enzo was a pale shadow.

And Leo?

He’s a joke.

If he’s promising Maksim that he can rule New York City if he marries me, then he’s essentially promising that the Petrov bratva will have no problem overpowering the Irish Kings. How in the world could he promise that?

“Once we combine our families, there will be a new order in the city. One whereweare on top,” Maksim decrees with a bright smile, like the anticipation of violence excites him.

It probably does.

“Do you really think so?” The question tumbles from my lips before I can stop myself. Every eye at the table falls on me. “Do you really think we’ll be able to topple the Gallagher empire so easily?”

There’s not a hint of mocking in my voice.

I’m entirely sincere.

Maksim’s idealistic view on how our future will play out…sounds delusional to me, though, to be fair, my whole life feels like a delusion right now.

I just want to know whether I have a shred of sanity left inside me.

My intended’s buoyant grin flattens into a straight line. Then, he slams one of his mammoth mitts across my face before I ever see his arm move.

The force of his slap nearly knocks me off my chair.

Pain blossoms in sharp, blinding color from my jaw all the way up to my forehead. Stinging, blistering heat. My cheek starts to swell, throbbing to its own rhythm.

Tears burn my eyes, but screw him. I’d rather he slap me again than let him see me cry.

Several moments pass before the blurriness subsides and reveals Maksim’s cold glare.

“We are to be married soon, so it’s best you learn now.” Maksim’s sharp words are like shattered glass. “You areneverto talk back andneverto question me.”

Maksim pushes up from the table and strides to the door, his security man following close behind him.