Page 60 of The Temptation

A sick feeling settles in the pit of my stomach as I hesitate, knowing this move may be enough to end me. My thumb hovers over the call button, but that doesn’t seem to stop me from eventually pressing it.

I know I’m not thinking straight, and this may not even be a possibility. It’s a reckless and impulsive move, especially after everything that happened with Dante yesterday, but the thought of going through with it brings me a strange kind of peace.

Is it going to stop Salvatori from trying to take her from me? Probably not, but at this stage, I’m desperate and willing to try anything.

“Father Flannery,” I say the moment he answers my call. “It’s Romeo.”

“Romeo,” he says in that thick Irish accent I’ve come to find oddly comforting over the years. “It’s late to be getting a call from you. Is everything alright, son?”

Son.

I remember being caught off guard the first time hecalled me that when I was a kid, but he has turned out to be the closest thing I’ve ever had to a father figure.

Sure, I had my uncle but his wife never got along with my mum, so there was always this low-level tension whenever I was around. It made things feel strained, like I was never entirely welcome in their home.

“I have a bit of a problem, and you’re the only person who may be able to help.”

This may be a marriage of convenience, not love, but I still want to get it right. And that’s what messes with my head the most, because if it’s just a way to protect her, why does it matter so much to me how it all plays out?

I pull out my phone when it buzzes in my pocket and look down at the screen.

Dom: I’m here.

Me: I’m ready to leave. Come to the front door, I’ll be out in a minute.

Dom or Dominic ‘Dead End’ Rizzo, as he is appropriately named, is a relatively new recruit to the team. He’s only been with us for a few years now, but he’s working his way up the ladder pretty quickly.

He has become one of our best enforcers, with good reason. He’s built like a brick shit house. He’s a six-foot-four wall of muscle, and to put it bluntly, he’s a scary-looking motherfucker.

He’s also a bit of a loose cannon, but there was no way I was going to let Sergio come here to babysit Lucia while I was gone. Not after the comments he made about her the day he dropped off the Kindle.

When I enter the main room, I find Lucia curled up on the lounge reading, and my heart rate kicks up a notch as I take her in.

It’s hard to believe in a matter of days she could be my wife. Well, on paper anyway. I’m still not sure if this is the right move, especially since I’m doing it behind Dante’s back. But I’m in too deep now, and I’ve got no intention of backing out.

The only thing that could stop this wedding from going forward is Lucia. I’m not sure what I’ll do if she says no to my proposal. I push those thoughts out of my mind as I advance further into the room.

Killer is lying beside her. The spoilt little fucker has been living his best life here, but he’s going to need to go out the back until I return. I can’t risk him attacking one of my men.

Although Lucia seems to have that dog wrapped around her little finger, I’m not sure she’d be able to handle him if he went into protective mode.

“Hey,” I say, approaching her.

A smile curves her plump lips as her eyes move from the screen to me. “Hey.”

“I’m going to head out for a while; I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone.”

That gets me her undivided attention as she quickly sits up.

“You’re leaving? Where are you going? Can I come with you?” Her questions come at a rapid pace.

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because I said so.”

“Is it because of Dante? Because if it is?—”