Page 33

Max

A dozen red roses sit beside me as I pull into my driveway, unable to suppress my grin.

Nick accused me of being high at the hospital, saying he'd never seen me so happy.

And maybe he's right. Hailey feels like a drug designed just for me—when I'm with her, nothing else exists.

Even when we're apart, knowing she's in my home gets me through the day.

This morning, she joked about waiting in my bed for me. Blood rushes to my cock at the thought. I hope she meant it, or I might have to throw her over my shoulder and carry her there myself.

I notice some garage items moved around but think nothing of it. Maybe Hailey was looking for something, or Dad or Grandpa stopped by. I struggle through the door, balancing the vase while stepping around an excited Rosie to set the flowers on the counter .

"Hey Ro!" I run my hands through her soft fur as she licks my face. "Did you have a good day with Hailey? I missed both my girls."

I look up to find Hailey in the kitchen, staring daggers at the flowers.

She laughs in a way I've never heard from her before.

Humorless. Rage-filled. Her bright blue eyes lock onto me as I cautiously stand.

She looks fucking murderous. But I've done nothing wrong. She must be angry about something else.

"Everything okay?" I ask.

She scoffs and shakes her head. "You fucking asshole."

So she is mad at me. My face falls as I mentally scramble to figure out what could have happened today. I was looking forward to our evening, but now it looks like I'm in for an awful night.

"What happened?" I ask. Hoping and praying that she did not find out about what the Ferrara deal.

That laugh again. Then her head drops as she clutches her mouth, shaking, fighting tears.

"Hailey?"

She looks up, inhaling sharply. "Your dad came over today."

I unconsciously glare toward their house.

Of course he's involved. Knowing how he feels about her staying with me, if he upset her deliberately, I'm never going over there again.

Any stupid comment could have slipped out.

I dread the day Grandpa dies, and he's in charge, given his inability to shut up when he should.

"What did he say? "

"He told me all about your fiancée."

"My fiancée?" I spit. Of course he fucking told her about the Marco Ferrara deal. Probably deliberately to stir up drama.

"Some Sicilian woman," she says. "He mentioned the name constantly while babbling in the kitchen, but I can't remember it."

"Elena Ferrara," I say flatly.

"So it's true?" Her voice cracks.

I stare at my feet, running hands through my hair, searching for words. "There've only been talks. I haven't even met her yet."

"You decided since I was alone and desperate after escaping that cult, you could play with my heart until you marry her?"

"That's not at all—"

"It's not?! Then what are you doing?"

"The timing was horrible and I'm trying to get out of it. I swear." She opens her mouth to interrupt, so I snap. "Just let me explain! Please!"

She closes her mouth, folding her arms.

"Thank you. My family owes money to a dangerous man.

Money we don't have. This marriage proposal would ally us with a powerful family.

The Ferraras are larger, stronger, richer.

" I blurt out the next part before considering it.

"We contacted your cult after capturing Kaiser.

They wanted you. Offered enough to cover our debt.

I refused and convinced Grandpa to reject the deal.

I couldn't send you back there. So I'm sorry, I don't know what to do about this marriage, but the last thing I want is to hurt you. "

"Why didn't you tell me that while it was happening?" Her tone turns icy.

"What?"

She gestures around the room. "Any of it! I've been hiding here, unaware VOE offered you money for me and unaware you're betrothed? What the fuck, Max?"

"You were so scared. I didn't want to worry you more than necessary."

"You had no right keeping that from me." She points at me, then runs out.

I slide down the wall to the floor, not recognizing the woman leaving my kitchen.

I've seen her anxious or scared too often thanks to VOE, but her anger is different.

Worse. Rosie rests her head on my knee as I try calming down.

I know why I kept quiet. We're taught never to tell the women in our family distressing information unless absolutely necessary.

My mother and sisters know little of what happens.

I applied that logic to Hailey, but I shouldn't have.

I just wanted to avoid upsetting her, and now look what happened.

I hear hurried footsteps down the stairs and into the foyer. I stand and run to her when I see her duffel bag. "Wait!"

She rolls her eyes but stops.

"Where are you going?"

"Anywhere but here."

"Please, don't. Just stay tonight. I'll stay out of your way. It's too dangerous out there alone."

"Are you keeping me prisoner? "

"Of course not."

She walks and I instinctively grab her arm. She glares.

"Please," I say. "Just stay tonight. I'll give you one of my cars in the morning. So you don't need bus tickets or anything. Please."

I think about the men who followed us from the club. She's right—I wouldn't keep her prisoner, but I need to know she's safe.

She jerks free. "Fine. But first thing in the morning? I'm gone."

***

I step outside and start walking to my parents' place, hoping Hailey won't take my leaving as a chance to escape, but I'm too angry at my father not to confront him now. How dare he bring that up in front of her?

The cool summer night helps temper my rage as I pass houses, praying relatives don't try to say hello. Distracted, I brush against a hedge. A huge brown spider crawls up my arm—the kind that infests the bushes this time of year.

"Fuck!" I scream and slap at it, trying to flick off its brown guts. I hate those things.

My parents' house is dark. Maybe they're sleeping. I don't care. All I can think about is everything I want to scream at my father for ruining things with Hailey.

The door's locked. I fumble with my keys in the dark, hands shaking with rage. I drop them before finding the right one, then slam the door behind me. The only light comes from the kitchen at the far end. My angry breathing echoes as I decide what to do. It's ten—they might be in bed.

A figure appears in my peripheral vision.

Sofia relaxes when she recognizes me, taking a sip of her protein shake. "You scared me. What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to Dad. Is he up?"

She nods. "Everyone's watching a scary movie in the basement. You know how I feel about those. Had to sit out." She tucks her brown hair behind her ear. "We missed you at dinner. Everything okay?"

I grind my teeth. I'd forgotten about dinner. I was with Nick longer than expected, and Hailey consumed my thoughts all day. "Yes. No. Just... I need to talk to him. See you later."

I move past her toward the basement. A woman shrieks, then gargles what I assume is her own blood.

Entering the theater room confirms my guess. The actress finishes dying on screen while my family stares ahead. Mom's eyes are squeezed shut, but she's smiling while Bianca and Dad seem to be handling it better.

"Hey," I say.

Mom screams, making the others jump and turn.

They all laugh, and I join briefly before remembering why I came. My expression hardens.

"What are you doing here?" Dad asks. "You skip dinner, then scare the shit out of us by sneaking up like that? "

"Sorry." I shrug, glancing at the screen. "But I need to talk to you."

His face falls.

"Should we pause it?" Bianca asks.

"No, I've seen this one," Dad says.

We leave the girls and head to his office. He closes the door, gesturing to the leather couch while settling behind his messy mahogany desk. He rests his chin on his hand. "Something happen today?"

I clench my fists, staring at my hands. I had the perfect speech crafted in my head during the walk over. And now? Fucking nothing.

"You told Hailey I was betrothed?"

"Yeah," he shrugs.

"Well, she's real pissed off about that and wants to leave."

"Great! Now we won't worry about those freaks retaliating for not giving her back."

My blood boils as I clench my jaw.

"Oh, fuck," he mutters. "You said it was casual. I'm guessing that was a lie?"

I nod. He's toying with me. He knows I lied, and this is his punishment.

"Look," he swallows. "I feel bad about barging in and scaring her. I didn't mean to mention the marriage proposal. It just came out, so I'm sorry. "

"You scared her?"

He laughs. "She was hiding with a knife. If I was more distracted, you'd be standing over my hospital bed. Or worse."

She hadn't told me this. God, what a horrible day for her. I should have canceled with Nick.

"I don't want you coming over unannounced anymore."

"I won't," he says. "I genuinely feel bad about scaring her. Should have texted first."

I seethe. I know his game—acting reasonable while knowingly ruining my life. He's played it before, but never anything like this.

"Let me be clear. I don't want you at my home ever. Even if she leaves because of this." I pause, fists clenched, knowing that's her plan. "I don't want to see you any more than I have to."

He rolls his eyes. "Max."

"What?" I hiss.

He meets my eyes. "Even without Elena Ferrara, you knew you'd be matched with someone. No one marries outsiders. That's how we stay strong. And this girl isn't just an outsider, she's a liability. Why did you let yourself get to this point?"

"None of that matters! I should have been the one to tell her. Not you. She's been through so much..."

"Remember that homecoming date?" He cuts me off, eyebrows raised.

I groan, knowing where this leads. "Yeah."

"You were crazy about her for what, three weeks until she kissed some band kid?" He chuckles. "You beat that kid senseless. Women really bring out the violence in you—not toward them, but... you know what I mean. Anyway, try forgetting her. In a year, you won't remember her name."

"I was a kid then. Hailey means more than that to me," I snap, standing. I can't take this.

"Sit. Please."

I drop down, glaring.

"I uh," he winces. "It's common in our work to have outside relationships. I've been faithful to your mother, but some men keep girlfriends in apartments and..."

"No, stop." I stand again. Like Hailey would accept that. She might shoot me for suggesting it.

And I wouldn't blame her.

"Before you go," Dad says. "We're depending on you. We're dead otherwise. After Mike's betrayal, we'll never recover with Alexei. We're facing war, Max."

"I know."

I'm done—not satisfied, but I can't face him longer. Despite my anger, he has a point. I knew I'd marry a woman from a connected family eventually, yet I fell for Hailey, anyway. In love. I can't believe how fast it happened. I wipe away angry tears as I rush out.

Maybe I could convince her to run away. But that would leave my family vulnerable. I couldn't live with their deaths on my conscience.

I already betrayed them once. Nine years ago with Jack .

But I couldn't live with something happening to Hailey either. She's only been here briefly, but life without her would be dull, colorless, meaningless.

I collapse in front of my dog at home, utterly lost. Her innocent face comforts me like I've made her day just by returning. Thinking about this house without Hailey brings me dread. If it weren’t for Rosie, I don’t know how I’d cope.