Page 36 of The Fates We Tame

I take her hands. “Your father is furious about the delay. He needs the marriage to go ahead because it will give strength to the family and responsibilities to one of your brothers. Alessio. So, they want to get you out of here tomorrow before you have the chance to act on your suspicions.”

She looks up at me. “I’ve got nowhere to go. I don’t have my bank details. My phone was smashed in the wreck, but they got me a new one without all my old details. I’ve been so foolish and trusting. I’ve let people set up online accounts for me that I’m sure use their credit cards. I was told my wallet was lost, Papà thought someone might have stolen it, so I let him cancel all my cards. I never asked where the replacement ones were. I’ve been hiding from my life in here, and now I have no options. They have me right where they want me. Trapped.”

The waver of fear in her voice tears through me.

“You aren’t foolish. And you’re supposed to be able to trust the people you think love you. But you are right in that it’s exactly what they’ve done. They talked about how they’ve deliberately cut off your friends, finances, and home. They know you can’t hide without money. My guess is, at best, they want you amenable to marriage with a wealthy older man. At worst, they can use it to force you.”

“What would happen if I went to the police?” she asks.

The wordpolicemakes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I see a snapshot. A group of old ladies sitting on the curb. A row of bikes. The police talking to us. But the fragments are gone before I can hold on to them.

“They haven’t done anything…illegal yet. In fact, I’m sure they could make a good show of how they have done everything for you since you were injured. Worse, they might even be able to say the brain injury is making you see shit that isn’t even there.”

Her jaw opens. “Oh, God, they wouldn’t.”

I take a breath. “If we go too far down a conspiracy rabbit hole, we might never get back out. But I think it’s enough that we know they want to take you from the country to marry someone. And you don’t want to go under those circumstances, right?”

“I don’t,” she admits. “What do I do, Theo?”

I squeeze her knee gently. “Let’s play it out. They’re going to come and get you out of here tomorrow. I don’t know exactly what that means. It could be as simple as them coming to pick you up because they think you have agreed to go with them, or deciding not to pay for your treatment anymore, in which case I guess you get evicted from your room. Or it could mean with force. Your brothers are obviously connected. I’m guessing Cosa Nostra, seeing as you are Sicilian.”

How else could you be wealthy enough to fly a human being from one country to another without proper identification?

It dawns on me that I don’t know what the club’s relationship with the Cosa Nostra is today. King is deliberately keeping the current status of the club from me. If it’s precarious, they may not help Sophia at all. Worse, they might even try to use her. I try to think back to my early days with the club, but like all prospects, we got told shit. But I do remember the docks were controlled by the Mafia on the New York side.

She leans forward, and her long dark hair falls over her face. It’s cool where it touches my hand, and I can’t help but stroke it. It’s so soft. Like she is.

When she looks up at me, she looks stricken. “I searched online. About my family. There are news reports that suggest my father is a made man. They’ve never mentioned it. Not directly. You think they’ll take me from here whether I want to go or not?”

I take hold of her hand. “I don’t know what they’re capable of. And I don’t know what lengths they’ll go to so they can keep whatever promise or contract they’ve made for you.”

She takes a deep breath and looks up at me, fear etched into her features. “I hate to ask, but…can you help me?”

I sigh and squeeze her fingers. They are slender between mine. Pretty nails with a nude polish on them. “I’ll do whatever I can. I don’t know how helpful my club will be if they know who you are, though.”

“Bikers and Cosa Nostra don’t get along?”

I shake my head. “Never did. Doubt that’s changed in the past ten years.”

“So, what do I do?”

“Marry me.” The words are out of my mouth before I have time to process them.

“What?” Sophia asks.

A plan formulates in my head. It’s messy. Full of plot holes. But I think it could work. And, while it’s reckless, marrying Sophia is something I can give my mom. The knowledge thatthis girl she heard about could be my everything. We can stay together long enough for Mom to get through her treatment, and then if she gets well…

Whenshe gets well…

I can’t think of that right now. In this moment, I have to think of Sophia.

“The biggest problem is that your family wants to marry you off to someone. They can’t do that if you are already married.”

I cup the side of her neck, allowing my thumb to stroke her jaw, and she leans into it like a pussy cat. “Thank you, but I can’t let you do that.”

“Why not?”

She shrugs, her expression exasperated. “For a million reasons.”