Page 43 of Thorns of Blood

I was well en route to letting my loss, hate, and vengefulness consume me.

Could I survive like that?

The thought made me sick to my stomach.

My gaze found Giovanni’s, and I knew he saw my surrender. Every fiber in me revolted at the idea of being under another man’s thumb, but my choices were limited. For now.

“Fine,” I gritted. “I’ll marry you.”

“Not the most enthusiastic acceptance,” he drawled, “but Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

“However, it was destroyed in a day,” I pointed out.

The man rubbed his face, amusement staining it, and I wanted nothing more than to wipe it off with a punch.

It didn’t matter though. I’d find another way to escape his clutches. I suspected my chances of escape had probably reduced drastically after the stunt I pulled with my swan dive off the top deck, but I’d beaten worse odds.

He looked like he might say something else when heavy footsteps sounded, loud and angry, until they stopped right outside the door. It flew open, smashing against the wall, and a painting behind it dropped onto the floor, its glass frame scattering all over the hardwood floor.

“What is it, Romeo?” Giovanni asked him, his gaze never wavering from me. “Liana and I have just come to a rather special agreement and you’re ruining the moment.”

“You sure you’ll survive her?” his brother retorted dryly.

I scoffed.

“I can assure you, he won’t,” I answered in Giovanni’s stead. Romeo shot me a humorless look, and I rolled my eyes. “How’s your arm anyway?” I grinned, finally feeling a lightness in my chest after the last few depressing days.

He ignored me and turned to look at his brother.

“The Omertà called.”

The two men exchanged a wordless glance, and I watched as Giovanni turned his back before disappearing from the room.

“I can help, you know,” I called out, but their steps never faltered and then the door slammed. I heard muffled voices outside and knew they were probably whispering like two schoolgirls. For a second, I debated pressing my ear to the door so I could eavesdrop but then just shrugged, deciding I really didn’t care.

I slid out of bed and rifled through the drawers until I found some fresh clothes, then I made my way into the bathroom, locking the door behind me. Once showered and back in the bedroom, I found Giovanni sitting on a chair facing the open window as he typed away on his phone.

He lit up a cigarette, and the breeze blew the scent of smoke my way as I watched his tense muscles flex.

“Bad news?” I asked, making my way to the chair farthest from his. Yes, there was something beautiful and enticing about this man, but I’d learned the hard way to keep my guard up. Plus, I didn’t overly enjoy the smell of cigarettes.

“No.”

There was definitely bad news, but that was mafia life for you. If you couldn’t handle it, you could get the fuck out. There were plenty of others more than willing to take your place.

“Didn’t peg you for a smoker,” I said casually, letting whatever was bothering him slide. “I’m sure I don’t need to tell you it’s a terribly unattractive habit. And then there’s that small issue of it causing cancer.”

“Don’t tell me you’re worried for my health.”

I scoffed. “If you must kill yourself, I’d rather you pick a quick death than slow and messy.”

He didn’t seem fazed by it. “Don’t worry, wildflower. I’ll be here with you for a very long time.”

“How comforting.”

“You’ll learn to trust me, Liana, and like me. Maybe even love me.”

I swallowed. Fat chance of that. The truth was I didn’t want to trust him, or like him, and I would certainly never love him.