Page 52 of Tempting My Mafia Monster

Raya climbed off the bed, coming closer to reach for me, but I stepped back, holding up my hand. I wasn’t done.

“Your brother would protect you with his life. That’s what I’m doing every day. Protecting them. I can’t leave, or it will cost another of their lives. I’m the eldest. I made a promise to my parents. I’d do anything for them, even give up my freedom for theirs.”

“I know,” she whispered, pain in her eyes. “I understand. I do. But—”

“But we can’t stay here either,” I finished her sentence, watching her lips part at my admission.

“You said we.”

The corners of my lips curved, even though my chest tightened, because I still had no idea how to do it. “Yeah. We. I’m not lettin’ you go, which means I have to find a way to get us both out.”

She dived into my arms, but the moment was ruined when the steel door opened. Nolan walked in, looking apologetic for the intrusion, with two other soldiers behind him. I pushed Soraya behind me, as always, because I didn’t want any of their greedy eyes on my girl. Nolan was the soldier I tolerated most because he wasn’t a dickhead like the rest of them, but I’d still break his neck if he looked at her the wrong way, and he knew it.

“Boss wants to see you,” he said, stepping back to let the other two offer handcuffs.

“Then she’s comin’ too,” I answered as they clipped them around my wrists. Nolan didn’t even glance at Raya, only nodding as if he’d been expecting that demand.

We were shoved into a car and driven to one of Sean’s houses he used for important meetings. My legs bounced restlessly against Nolan’s and Raya’s thighs. Sean rarely invited me to meetings. I was summoned when someone’s time was up, but this felt different. Weird. I didn’t like it.

I couldn’t help but notice how Soraya’s entire body language changed the moment we climbed out of the car and the blindfold was removed. Her face paled, and she visibly shrank into herself. It was horrible to see, because she was one of the mentally strongest people I’d ever met, but I knew this was how her body survived stress. She’d been here before. And the memories weren’t good.

I lifted my bound arms around her, pulling her to me as she stared at the house beside us.

“Hey.”

She glanced up at me.

“No one touches you. No one hurts you. No one takes you from me. I’m here. Yeah?”

She gulped and nodded, turning in my arms to face forward so we could walk in together. We were led into a meeting room with a long table. Only Sean and his second, Oscar, sat at one end. I narrowed my eyes at them, immediately suspicious of the entire situation.

“Monster. Soraya. Join us. Take a seat,” Sean greeted, a serpent-like smile on his face. “Would you like a drink?”

I let Raya out from under my arms, and we both sat down. Sean was beside me at the head of the table, while Oscar sat opposite. Soraya took the other seat beside me, and I tugged it closer, ignoring Sean’s smirk at the gesture.

“No,” I replied after a moment, glancing around the room at the eight soldiers standing against the walls, guns and tasers at the ready.

“Okay.” Sean lifted his whiskey to his lips, letting the tension mount.

I felt more wired than I did before a fight. When he finally set his glass down, he looked from me to Soraya with an unreadable expression, lifting his clasped hands to his mouth. I growled as his gaze lingered on her too long.

“I have a bit of a predicament, Monster. I know I promised you could keep her, but her family wants her back. Naturally,” he began. “They are causing me a lot of problems in their pursuit to save her. But they are refusin’ to give me my niece and her husband in return. And I won’t accept any other deal. To add to the disrespect the Italians have already shown me, I’ve just got off the phone with the Bratva, and they’ve informed me of somethin’ that’s really fucked with my plans. You see, I’d promised Arianna to the Russian heir as his bride, which is why I need her. The Italians have offered Soraya in her place to form an alliance with them instead. A pretty surprisin’ offer, seeing as they never sell their women. But apparently it was Soraya’s idea.”

I inhaled deeply, then turned my head to look at Raya. She kept her hands in her lap, and her head lowered.

“You can imagine the Russians find this situation rather amusing. They like games as much as I do, and they like violence too. But they aren’t keen on starting a war over women. So guess what they’ve proposed? A winner-takes-all battle.”

I closed my eyes and shook my head, seeing where this was going.

“We each put our best fighter forward in a battle to the death. If the Italians win, Soraya returns home, marries the Bratva heir, Santino keeps my niece as his wife, and I forfeit the right to retaliate. But if we win… you get to keep her, and I form a marriage alliance with the Bratva with Arianna.”

Soraya gasped softly beside me. I glanced at her, and she shook her head, squeezing my thigh.

“Who are they putting forward?” I asked, holding Soraya’s gaze as my heart raced. I’d have to be dead for her to marry someone else.

“Santino heroically put himself forward as the defender of his wife and sister,” Sean chuckled. “Very admirable. Though he has no idea who he would be up against, obviously.”

Soraya’s eyes filled with tears as she pleaded with me not to agree to this.