Page 20 of Brutal Devil

But I don’t.

“That’s the thing about the Mafia, sweetheart,” I tell her. “We don’t get to choose whether we want to be a part of it. We’re born into it, and we die in it, and there’s not a thing any one of us can do to change that. You don’t walk away. Because if you do, the minute your back is turned, there’ll be a bullet in it.”

I’m being harsh but honest. Luna needs to hear this. Needs to let the truth sink in. Needs to understand that there’s only one way to save herself and whatever time her father has left, and that’s by marrying me.

I lick the blood off my lips. “I’m starving. Dinner will be served in ten minutes.”

She stares at me like she’s seeing me for the first time. “I’m not having dinner with you.”

Her rejection shouldn’t sting, but it does. Fair enough. This is a lot for anyone to process in the span of one day.

I shrug. “Suit yourself. But if you don’t come out to eat, you’ll go to sleep hungry. And you might want to eat up because tomorrow’s a big day.”

Her brow wrinkles. “Tomorrow?”

I grin. “Our wedding day,topolina.”

With that parting shot, I turn and head out the door, closing it behind me just in time. I hear the thud of a shoe clattering against the panel, but I leave it deliberately unlocked. The scent of homemade lasagna is in the air, and I have a feeling the future Mrs. Andriani won’t be able to resist.

Chapter 7

LUNA

That smell.

God, it’s heavenly. And it won’t stop. My stomach growls in angry protest as I make what feels like my millionth pace across the room Priest left me in.

Is this how he tortures his enemies? With the promise of delicious food? It certainly seems that way.

“Some mobster,” I grumble angrily, “tormenting me with lasagna.”

It would be ridiculous if it weren’t true. I truly have no idea what the hell is going on. In the last twenty-four hours, I’ve flown across the country, discovered my father is dying from cancer, and was abducted by a maniac mobster who intends to marry me.

Tomorrow.

What the actual fuck? Have I wandered onto the set of a Lifetime movie without realizing it? Is this all just one big nightmare, and I’ll wake back up in my cozy bed in my apartment in Iowa with a sigh of relief?

The clatter of silverware beyond the door tells me that it’s neither of those options. That this is all too real and I amcurrently standing barefoot in Priest’s penthouse, hair a tangled mess, lips covered in our mingled blood, and no way out of a looming marriage from hell.

If what Priest told me is the truth, if I don’t marry him, my cousin Amedeo is going to kill my father, and then he’s going to come after me. And I was a fool to believe I could outrun the stain of this world. It will follow me forever.

I find myself at the door, testing it to see if it’s locked.

The knob moves freely. I hold my breath, thinking that maybe I can get the hell out of here before he catches me. But when I open the bedroom door, all that changes. Because at the end of the hall, I can see the dining room, where candles are burning on a massive table and there’s a huge, covered casserole dish. Undoubtedly the source of the delicious, mouthwatering aroma. There’s a bottle of wine too, uncorked and ready to pour. Crystal stemware is placed by the plates.

It looks inviting and homey and as if it were curated specifically for a glossy magazine. The kind that makes you feel woefully insufficient when you’re lucky if you’re dining on paper plates instead of eating greasy takeout with your bare hands.

I’m moving like a sleepwalker, or maybe more like someone who hasn’t eaten since the yogurt parfait I grabbed at the airport this morning when I got off the flight from Iowa. I feel dazed. Confused. Who kidnaps someone and then serves them a candlelit dinner?

“Bella. You’ve decided to join me for dinner after all.”

The amused masculine drawl has me turning to find Priest sauntering my way, arrogant, tall, and hot as hell. His sleeves are rolled up to his elbows now, showing off what I’m instantly convinced was the inspiration for the phraseforearm porn, complete with black ink snaking upward.

Shit. I was supposed to be finding a way out of here, and instead, I’ve been drooling over the place settings and this man’s muscular arms.Get it together, Luna.

He flashes me a small smile I can’t define. “I was just telling Maria that you were in need of some rest after your journey here.”

I gape at him. Rest after my journey here, like I’ve arrived at his penthouse of my own free will? And wait. He has someone else here? A woman? Someone who might help me out of this nightmare?