Vicious Secrets: An Arranged Marriage Mafia Romance (Arranged Devotion Book 1) by Kit Shepard

Author:Kit Shepard [Shepard, Kit]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2023-06-27T16:00:00+00:00

Siro

Despite Fabi’s presence, the drive to my parents’ mansion is quiet. It’s rare not to hear him and Robyn chattering about her hobbies or bickering with each other over something trivial and entertaining. I expected a backseat of increasingly petty taunts over loose knitting stitches or preferred energy drink flavors—not a window staring contest.

The “world’s best big brother” bodyguard doesn’t look like his usual self. His gelled brown hair is parted with finger-width grooves. His fingers alternate between twitching on his thigh and tapping against his phone. His gaze is more focused on our surroundings than on Robyn and me. It’s hard to tell whose nerves Fabi’s feeding off of.

Asking a spouse’s bodyguard to attend an all-hands meeting at the Boss’ mansion isn’t unusual. Giving him a spare car key and asking him to watch for a signal to take the wife home early is unheard of.

Fabi isn’t thrilled that I refused to find a way to get Robyn out of tonight’s events. Continually explaining to him Robyn’s not in inherent danger didn’t appease him. I’m not worried for her safety. I’m worried about her witnessing me putting an Underboss or two in their place and her terror from my actions subsequently destroying the fragments of romance we’ve built these past two months.

“Full house, Boss?” Fabi asks as I turn down the private road that doubles as a driveway.

“Yes. All sixteen Underbosses.”

“No Capos?” Robyn asks. The glittering of her earrings catches the corner of my eye as she tilts her head to one side.

Does she know I bought those for her? For the first month, I slipped a new piece of jewelry in the drawer or exchanged the few pieces she bought for herself with higher-carat equivalents. The studs in her ears doubled in size overnight. She didn’t seem to notice, so I stopped. And, like a fool, I moved on to sneaking other gifts and expecting different results instead of communicating with my wife.

“None. The Underbosses who swear allegiance to me tonight will pass on their oaths to their own Capos and Soldiers,” I say as I park the car.

Her mouth opens and closes as her gaze goes distant. Seeming to accept my statement despite it confusing her, Robyn gets out of the car. My gut twists. Either she doesn’t understand our hierarchy, or she picked up on my hint of rifts amongst the made men.

Fabi’s eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror for a blink as he fixes his hair.

“Anyone who does not swear tonight will not walk away quietly,” I say under my breath. “Forget me. Protect Robyn. Do not let her fall back into Oscar Cesaro’s hands. Understood?”

“Understood.”

After thirty-two years of preparing for this title, I refuse to allow anyone to take it from me.

Robyn looks between us as we exit the car but doesn’t question the delay. Fabi walks behind us as we climb the front steps. I make a last-minute decision to wrap my arm around Robyn’s waist before we enter. My wife is a Queen—their Queen, and I want to make it clear she’s not a trophy, a statue, or a hanger-on.

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