Page 81 of Thorns of Silence

I swore I heard Amon’s teeth grind. It was music to my ears, because it meant he wasn’t indifferent to any of this. He’d do something about this whole arrangement.

“Papà, please. Grandma will never approve,” Reina begged.

“She has no say in the matter.”

I reached out to Reina as if to comfort her, but Amon grabbed my wrist, pinning me with aTouch her and I will kill youlook. I almost laughed at his predictability.

I just grinned, while Reina glared at the two of us. “No.” Reina squared her shoulders. “I’m not doing it.”

“Reina—”

“Papà, I really need to talk to you,” she hissed under her breath. “Alone.”

As the two of them walked away, she glanced over her shoulder and flipped us off.

The two sisters were more alike than I thought.

“What are you playing at, Dante?” My brother’s voice was as cold as ice, slashing through the crowded room like a whip.

“I’m not playing.”Much.“Just trying to get some shit done.”Marry Phoenix and get answers from Reina.

It was a simple plan. All Amon had to do was snatch Reina for himself.

Leaning against the wall with our hands tucked in our pockets, we watched Reina make her way back, her expression resigned.Fuck. Were Amon and Reina really not going to fight this marriage?

Suddenly my tie felt too tight, like a noose around my neck.

“You came to your senses,” I deadpanned, choosing sarcasm even though my panic was mounting and sending a cold sweat over me. If those two didn’t make their choice, I’d have to push them into it.

A frustrated sound traveled up her throat, but Reina kept it locked in.

It was Romero who answered. “She did, Dante.” A spark flickered through Amon’s dark eyes, but he remained silent. “We’ll discuss the plans tomorrow.”

I didn’t give a shit about the plans. Instead, I studied Reina. It was time to push her buttons. “We should probably set aside some time to get to know each other better, Reina.”

“Sure.” Her expression promised retribution. Possibly murder. “I’ll give you my assistant’s number.”

Romero rubbed his hands together, satisfied. “Excellent, you two work it out. I’ll let Marchetti know, and we’ll set the date.”

I rolled my eyes as he weaved through the crowd. The girl didn’t have an assistant, but apparently Romero didn’t know that. Jesus, did the man know anything about his own daughters?

I didn’t get to dwell on it. Reina faced us, glaring at Amon and me. “Now, let’s drop the pretense. What the hell do you want, Dante?”

“You, obviously.”Your sister.My eyes flickered above her head to where Phoenix was, tempting me like Aphrodite. “We’ll be a big, happy family.”

Phoenix and me. Reina and Amon.

“The Leone family’s idea of what qualifies as ‘happy’ is vastly different to ours,” she hissed, her eyes narrowed on me.

“We can meet in the middle,” I drawled, ignoring her passive-aggressive jab.

“Who knows? Maybe we’ll even fall in love.”Fuck, Amon. Do something. Punch me, throw her over your shoulder, and get going.Yet, he didn’t move. He stood like a statue, anger rolling off him in waves that could level a major city.

“Falling in love is overrated. Not that I’m talking from experience or anything.” Lovely, two stubborn idiots. At this rate, we’d never get anywhere.Except the altar.

The invisible noose around my neck tightened and I reached for my tie, tugging on it subtly.

Reina turned to leave but then changed her mind. The slap came while I worried about the shackles.