2. Leo
Chapter two
Leo
FOUR MONTHS LATER
D arkness comes for you whether you want it to or not. And in my twenty-five years of experience, I’ve come to find that it’s better to embrace it than to run from it.
The gilded Alarie Estate plaque comes into view as the gold-tipped iron gates slowly slide open for me. I give a curt nod to the guards on duty and accelerate through the entrance, racing my blacked-out Ducati over the paved roads I know like the back of my hand.
The Alarie Estate is an impenetrable fortress surrounded by miles of ten-foot-high stone walls covered in ivy. A place that no one would venture to without an invitation unless they’re prepared to suffer the consequences. A place where my four siblings, my mother, and I call home, along with the many loyal soldiers and workers on our property.
It’s filled with memories. Some good. Some bad. And some I try every damn day to forget.
Rounding the corner, I drive along my mother’s property, turning onto the narrow driveaway that delves deeper into the shadowy woods before coming upon her home, situated on the water. An almost two-hundred-year-old imposing yet beautiful chateau that, over the years, has been converted into a home with all the modern-day amenities. It’s where I spent my childhood until I was ready to have my own house built on the other side of this lake.
After parking my bike beside the bottom of the stone steps, I pull off my helmet and reach inside the side case, retrieving this week’s bouquet of fresh flowers.
An assortment of pink gladioli.
Pink, well, because it’s always been Scarlett’s favorite color. Even if, now, she hides behind muted tones so as not to stand out. Not to gain any unwanted attention.
And gladioli because they symbolize strength—something she needs now more than ever.
Nudging the front door open, I step inside, looking around, ensuring the coast is clear before I head to Scarlett’s bedroom. Opening her bedroom door, I find it empty, just as I expected, knowing she has her virtual therapy session scheduled at this time in my mother’s library. I take a few steps toward the vase on her nightstand, noting the lifeless flowers wilting, waiting for their replacement. I switch out the flowers, tossing the old ones in the trash, and quickly head out of the room, ensuring no one knows I was ever here, especially Scarlett.
I suggest you keep your distance from her and give her time to heal.
The doctor’s warning from that day in the hospital months ago echoes in my head. The asshole had the nerve to tell me to stay away from her as if he or anyone else could ever tell me what to do.
And as much as I wanted to prove the bastard wrong and show him that Scarlett would be fine when I was by her side, I knew he was right. She’s going to need time. Time to heal. And time to move forward.
So, like an obedient dog, I’ve kept my distance. Only intruding into her space when I know she won’t be around or watching her from afar, never letting her see me.
And as my brother Vin keeps reminding me every damn day, it’s for the best.
Reaching the dark wooden front door, I wrap my hand around the handle, ready to leave, just as my mother’s voice calls out from down the hall.
“Oh, Leo. Perfect timing.” I drop my hand and turn, finding her smiling as she approaches me. She pushes back her shoulder-length black hair as she takes her final step toward me.
“Mother.” I lean down, placing a kiss on each of her cheeks.
“Come.” She motions for me to follow her. “We have some business to discuss.”
“If this is about the arms deal with the—”
“No. I don’t care to discuss trivial matters right now when I have something more important on my mind.”
Trivial? This deal will make the family another hundred million in profits this year, but sure, let’s call it trivial.
She opens the door to her study, walking straight toward her desk. As I step inside, spotting several familiar faces already seated around the room, I realize I’ve walked right into a goddamn trap.
“What the fuck is this?” I ask, grinding my back molars. My eyes scan the room, narrowing in on each of my traitorous siblings.
Each of them, including myself, holds a responsibility within the family—a position we don’t take for granted. It’s why we are so successful at what we do and why we’ve become one of the world’s most powerful and feared families.
The oldest is Vincenzo, aka Vin, the family leader who assumed his role seven years ago after our father’s murder. No decision is made without his final say, no business is acquired without his signature, and no killing is committed without a simple nod of his head. He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing—or, as I like to say, a beast in a three-piece suit.
Then there’s Alessandro, aka Alex, known as the brains of the family, able to hack into almost any system in the world. You’ll never find his tie crooked or a speck of dust in his home, but don’t let his intense desire for cleanliness fool you. One wrong move, and you’ll wind up on his bad side, where he’ll find great enjoyment in destroying you with just a quick click of his mouse before you even realize a bullet is heading your way.
Next is Mauro, the muscles , who hasn’t encountered anyone he can’t take down. He’s a silent slayer who mostly keeps to himself until needed. And he likes it that way.
There’s me, the hunter , the one my brothers come to when they need someone found or taken out. A deadly predator in the streets of New York who won’t stop until I’ve found my prey.
And finally, Madeleine, the baby of the family, but also the family financier . The one responsible for approving significant expenses and keeping all the books clean. But most importantly, she’s the one who takes care of the payroll for everyone living on the Alarie Estate, not to mention half the law enforcement in the state who work for us.
We all play a pivotal role.
And we all do it really fucking well.
My mother sits behind her desk, waiting for me to take the seat opposite hers.
I do, reluctantly, my eyes catching on a familiar photo on her desk of her and my father. The one taken of them on the family’s private island where they spent their anniversary every year before my father passed. So much love reflects on their faces. It almost makes me laugh knowing that over thirty years ago, no one approved of their marriage, seeing that they came from two rival families.
My father, Charles Alarie, was the eldest son of an extremely wealthy family in southern France. My mother, Cecilia Marchetti, is the youngest daughter of one of the most powerful families in Italy. They met while my mother was studying abroad, fell in love, then moved to America against their families’ wishes and created an empire in their own right.
One that no one will ever be able to conquer.
Leaning back in my chair, I look around the room at all of my siblings. “Does someone care to tell me why the fuck I’m being ambushed?”
“Scarlett,” my mother says matter-of-factly.
My fingers dig into the arms of the chair, unease flowing through me. Every time I think about what happened to her… I internally shake my head. I can’t go down that path right now.
“What about Scarlett?” I feign indifference.
“It’s been months since we found her. Since you saved her.”
I nod, remembering the whole nightmare like it was yesterday. “Yes, I’m aware.”
She clasps her hands together, placing her elbows on her desk and leaning forward, glancing around the room. “I know that you’re all doing everything you can to find the man responsible for kidnapping Scarlett, but I’m afraid it’s not enough.”
I arch a brow, peering at Vin, who shows no emotion. “And what would you propose we do?”
“Marriage.”
My eyes whip back to hers. “Marriage?” I lean forward. “Whose marriage?”
“Yours and Scarlett’s.”
My eyes widen as I look between all my family members again, waiting for them to say, “Gotcha.” As seconds tick by, I finally rise from my seat, glaring down at her. “Are you out of your mind?”
She leans back, relaxing into her chair. “I’ve put a lot of thought into this. And your brothers, sister, and I think the best plan of action is for you to marry her.”
“She’s right,” Madeleine adds. “You know she is.”
I shake my head, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Do you hear yourself?” I throw my hands in the air. “You want me to marry the poor girl after everything she went through?”
“That is exactly why we want you to marry her,” my mother says adamantly.
I accusingly point my index finger at Vin. “You agree with her? With this nonsense?”
“I do.” He runs his fingers through his thick black hair. “The man who did this to her has been spending months hiding in the shadows waiting for his moment. But we took what he thought was his, and a marriage might just be the thing to provoke him to come out and play, giving us a chance to find him.” He gives a slight shrug, his suit jacket stretching across his broad shoulders. “I know it’s not ideal circumstances, but—”
“Ideal circumstances?” My voice raises as I shake my head. They’ve all lost their minds. “I won’t do it.” I turn, striding toward the door. “I don’t know why you would think that I would be the one—”
“Because you love her.” My mother’s voice cuts through the room like a bullet piercing a piece of silk.
I freeze, my knuckles turning stark white as they clutch the chrome doorknob with an ungodly strength.
“You love her and blame yourself for what happened to her. Just like you blame yourself for what happened to your father.”
I spin on my heels. “Don’t.” I take two steps, gripping the top of the chair. “Don’t bring him into this.”
She nods in understanding. “Okay.” She looks around the room. “Madeleine, Mauro, and Alessandro, you may leave us now while we discuss details.”
The three of them stand, making their way to the door. Madeleine gives me a sheepish smile as she passes me. Mauro clasps my shoulder before walking away, and Alex stands beside me and says, “Just think about it,” before stepping out of the room and closing the door behind them.
I look out the glass French doors leading to the gardens in the backyard. “Why?” I ask, palming the back of my neck.
Mother stands, smoothing out her cream-colored dress before she takes a few steps around her desk, leaning against the wood surface. “Le Diable is still out there.”
Hearing those words is like a stab to my heart.
The monster responsible for taking Scarlett is still alive, and every day that goes by without finding him is another day that I’ve failed her.
“Scarlett lives on the Alarie Estate again, which means she is under our protection,” she says. “And I cannot think of a better way to make that message loud and clear to the world than by officially making her one of us. And the only way we can do that is by marriage, of course.”
I stare at the floor, shaking my head, before tilting my chin toward my brother. “Why not Vin? He’s the oldest. The leader of this family. It would send a more significant message.”
Vin shakes his head, rubbing his hand over his dark stubble. “Would you want to break the poor girl’s heart even more by marrying her off to someone other than yourself when she’s only ever had eyes for you, brother?”
God, I hate it when he’s right.
The thought of another man looking at Scarlett sets my mind on murder. I don’t even want to think about what I would do if another man were to marry her.
Vin leans back in his chair, resting his hands behind his head, a sinister smile appearing. “Besides, no one is tying this down.”
My mother glares at the ceiling. “Lord, give me patience today.” She studies me, taking a few steps until she’s right in front of me. “It has to be you.” Her small hand rests against my cheek. “Out of all of my sons, you are the one who will show her the most patience.” Her lips curve up. “As a boy, do you remember watching the sunset? You children would all race to the top of the hill to catch fireflies, and then you’d find a spot, throw down blankets, and lie there waiting. And once the sun finally set, your siblings would get bored and restless, eventually leaving. But not you. You would lie there until complete darkness took over. Eventually, the stars would shine above you, mesmerizing you. You waited because you knew something beautiful would happen and didn’t want to miss a single second of it.” She lets out a breath. “You thrive in the dark. You always have. And right now, that girl needs someone to help her survive in it… She needs you.”
I step away, staring out the window, observing the slight breeze dancing through the trees. “I’m not equipped to help her. I’ll probably only make things worse for her.”
“You won’t.”
“How do you know that? How can you be so sure?”
“Because you—”
“Don’t say it!” I let out a defeated sigh, knowing this is a war I’ll never win. Not when my mother is so set in her ways. “If we do this, it’s merely a marriage for her protection. That’s all.”
She nods. “I’ve been working with the family lawyers and have had a contract drawn up that includes a clause allowing either of you to get out of the marriage by means of a divorce only after her kidnapper is found.”
I run an exasperated hand over my face. Of course, she’s already been plotting every detail as if this marriage is actually happening. She knew I would never be able to say no to her. I look over my shoulder when I ask, “How do we even know Scarlett will be okay with this?”
Her smile widens. “Because she already agreed.”
Scarlett agreed.
A spot in the center of my chest tightens, a pulse increasing where my heart should be. This feeling is foreign. Strange. And something I haven’t felt in seven years. Not since I saw her father’s car driving off our property with her in the back seat. The image of her bright blue eyes silently pleading with me to do something as tears fell down her porcelain cheeks has been engraved in my memory, and I will never be able to forget it.
Like a damn fool, I did nothing. Lost in a dangerous haze of grief, I watched the car until it disappeared from view and did not one fucking thing.
I convinced myself that Scarlett was better off away from here.
Away from this dark life.
Away from me.
Where she would be safe.
But I was wrong.
And I’ll never be able to forgive myself for it.
I stare at the ground, my mind conflicted with what to do.
My family wants me to marry Scarlett. They think it’s what’s best for her, but they’re wrong.
And that’s because not one of them knows our secret.
They don’t know the history that Scarlett and I share, the feelings we previously held for one another, or the moment that changed everything between us. I rub at my chest, my heart rate increasing as I remember everything about that night like it was yesterday.
The good and the bad.
Except touching Scarlett is one thing I’ll never be able to do again. And I’ll have to be okay with that. Because there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her.
But I’m also not a fool. And I know that no good will come out of this marriage.
And it’s my own fault.
Because over the past seven years, while Scarlett has been gone, I’ve changed, allowing darkness to consume me. And Scarlett, well, she has always been a ray of sunshine—a beacon of hope. And I refuse to be the one who dims her light.
But I can’t ignore the question thundering in my head, demanding an answer.
How will I be able to protect her if she’s not mine?
The answer is obvious.
I can’t.
Giving up, I drop my hands to my sides and look between them. “When is this happening?”
Vin leans his elbows on his knees, his fingers playing with the family ring on his finger. His deep blue eyes greet mine as he says, “Tomorrow.”