Page 66 of Betrayed By Sin

A chill slithers down my spine. “I already know that.”

“No, you don’t.”His voice issharper now, edged with something raw.“This isn’t just about business, Magnolia. It’s about you.”

I swallow hard, my pulsepounding in my ears.

“Then tell me.”

Sin exhales, dragging a hand down his face, like he’s trying tohold himself together.Like saying the words out loud will make them real. “They’re setting you up for a deal that they thinkwill keep you safe, but will be permanent. No escape. No way out.”

Dread curls inside me, wrapping around my ribs like a vice. “What kind of deal?”

Hissilenceis my answer before he even speaks.

When he finally does, his voice isquiet but devastating. “You know the party that’s happening tomorrow?”

I recall mom asking Cameron if it should still happen, Cam insisting we need the unity. The workers buzzing around decorating. “Yeah, I’m sure you’re invited since we’re all working together now.” I roll my eyes.

“The party is for you.” He grits his teeth, “It’s a wedding, Magnolia.”

I take a step back,shaking my head, my thoughts spiraling.“No,”I whisper.“No, they wouldn’t.”

“They would.”Sin’s eyes darken, his jaw locking tight.“And they are.”

A sharplaugh bubbles out of me, but it’s bitter, hollow.

“That’s ridiculous. They wouldn’t force me into a marriage.”

“They don’t see it as forcing you.”His voice cuts through my panic like a blade.“To them, this is securing your place. Securing their power. They think they’re doing what’s best for you.”

I shake my head harder,the air feeling too thin.“No. No, my mother wouldn’t…”

“She would if it meant keeping you safe.”

“From the Russians?”

Sin hesitates.

And in thattiny second of hesitation,I know.

I knowwhatever he’s about to say is going to break me.

When he finally speaks, his voice islow, steady, brutal.

“From me. Because when you marry who they chose for you, I won’t be able to be within a city from you.”

The night feels colder.

Likethe ground has been ripped out from under me.

“What?”My voice is barely above a whisper.

His jawtightens, his entire body coiled with tension.

“As long as I’m in the picture, you’ll never fully belong to them. That’s what they think.”

He exhales sharply, his nostrils flaring.

“Cameron wants you to be untouchable, Magnolia. And the only way to do that is by making sure you belong to someone else.”