Page 67 of Endure the Pain

The corner of his eye twitched, a tiny hint that I’d hit a nerve.

“You do, don’t you? What would you do to me, I wonder?” I tilted my head as I read every little move he made. The squeezing of his fist and the clench of his jaw. “I bet you’ll envision it tonight, when you’re alone and have your hand wrapped around your tiny cock. I don’t break easily, but I have a feeling that’s what you like. It’s what gets you off—breaking a woman’s spirit.”

His eyes narrowed before an eerie calmness took over him. “I didn’t think the breaking of spirits was something that would upset you, princess. I thought it wassomething we had in common.” He leaned back in his chair with an arrogant smile. “Heard you cut up two teenage boys piece by piece until they begged for death.”

“That’s enough,” Stefan said.

I didn’t want to look away from Sean. He thought hinting at my rape would rile me. He was mistaken.

“I run drugs in this family.Irepaired our relationship with the Colombians.Ihave a good relationship with Nicoli De Luca, our biggest buyer. None of us at this table are saints, that’s for fucking sure, but we trust each other. I don’t trust you. You look down your nose at women, therefore I would never trust you to interact with Salome. I’d pay to watch you interact with the don, though. He’d chew you up and spit you out before you even knew what was happening.” I looked to Stefan. “So tell me, Daddy, why doIneed or want his help?”

“You can’t do everything on your own. Even Conor has Rourke like Sam had Dylan,” Stefan explained.

I waved flippantly. “I have Finn.”

“Finn is an enforcer,” Stefan argued.

“Again, Salome and De Luca won't work with anyone but me,” I shot back.

“He can help you in other areas,” Stefan said, his tone turning firm.

“Shouldn’t you be taking it easy in your current condition?” Sean added.

Stefan actually grimaced and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath before opening his eyes to look at me. Something in my expression gave him caution. “Maura,” he said gently.

Only a few people knew that I was pregnant. So how had Sean found out? By Stefan’s reaction, I had an idea. “What. The. Fuck?” I bit out.

Rourke pushed his chair away from the table. “I, for one, don’t want to get caught up in the wrath my cousin is about to unleash. I think I’m going to go see what Jeana has planned for dinner. Good luck, Uncle. Sean, it was nice knowing ya.” He stood and headed for the door.

“I think I’ll join you,” Conor said and followed his son, their enforcers leaving with them.

Jamie and Louie didn’t move. Instead, they glared at Sean.

Stefan looked from Jamie to Louie to Sean. “Leave us.”

The three of them stood in unison from the table and made their way out.

“Maura?” asked Dean, who I’d forgotten was standing behind me.

I didn’t remove my eyes from Stefan. “Go.”

Once the door closed behind everyone, Stefan’s shoulders slumped a little. “Before you get yourself worked up, let me explain.”

I leaned back in my chair and waved—gesturing for him to go ahead.

“I didn’t know you were pregnant when I considered giving Sean a seat at the table. Since what happened with Sam and the Aryan attack, we’ve lost a lot of men in a short amount of time. Not to mention, by getting back at the Aryans, we’ve officially declared war. I need to restrengthen our ranks here in New Haven. At the party, I asked if anyone would be interested in moving here. Some volunteered and I assigned them to Rourke and Conor to replace the men they lost. Sean agreed to move here along with a few of his enforcers if I gave him a seat at the table. I’ve known him a long time. He may be a bastard, but he’s loyal and has made the family a lot of money in Boston. I need you to give him a chance because, now that you’re pregnant, we really do need him.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but he cut me off.

“You decided to keep this baby. That means you can’t continue on as you have been. No more risks. Have you forgotten who we are? How dangerous our lives are?”

“No. I haven’t forgotten.” I sighed. He had a point. “You should have given me a heads up about Sean.”

“I was planning on telling you last night, but you left me with a huge bloody mess to clean up in my kitchen.”

A twisted part of me wanted to smile.Angela had it coming. “What do you do with the bodies? I’ve always been curious.”

“Our family owns almost every crematorium in the New England area,” he answered.