Chapter 8
I watchedSoren eat her bowl of mac and cheese like she hadn’t eaten a meal in weeks. And I don’t think her insanely long nap was the only cause of her hunger. Her face looked sunken in around her eyes, and her wrists looked like those of a child. I didn’t know if it was her husband not making sure she ate or preventing her from eating. Maybe she didn’t like to eat at all. Maybe I didn’t want to know. Because if I found out her husband had anything to do with it, it would give me all the more reason to tear him apart limb from limb for being such a controlling douche.
But the way she was scarfing down her food, I didn’t think she was the issue. She looked like life had put her through the wringer one too many times. I’d expected her to scream when she woke up in a different place, staring at the son of the opposing side, but she didn’t even flinch.
It was like she was used to the shitty curveballs that life continued to throw her way.
After I had woken up this morning and left her bedroom, never intending to sleep there in the first place, I decided to find out everything I could about her.
I knew about her acceptance to the University of Georgia and how her father died when she was only eighteen years old. How she worked only a short time for Canella Inc before she was wed to Jude. I knew the surface level bits of her life, but I wanted so much more from her. I wanted to know what made her tick, and what made her get up every morning and carry on with the whole charade.
I know I’m supposed to be this bitter man with a dark heart, but knowing that she wasn’t upset to be here or racing to get home gutted me. But I wasn’t sure what caused me to care so much. My responsibility was to keep her here until we reached a peaceful agreement in our favor, and then she would go home.
I tried to avoid the nagging thought inside my head that betrayed everything else by saying I should fight for her, because she sure looked like she needed someone to.
I’m just not sure why the fuck that should be me. Why did my brain think that I should be the one to save her?
I don’t know what it was about her that pulled me in so deep. Was it the fight that was beginning to emerge in her dead eyes? The same kind that was in mine, that called to it like its other missing half?
It’s like I couldn’t stop wondering what had caused her to become so empty inside. She was like sunshine in human form, and someone had trapped her in the dark. I was just now getting to see those sun rays from her, and I was desperate to break down all her walls and know everything about her inside and out.
I still couldn’t explain what my infatuation with her was, but I could also do nothing to stop it, no matter how hard I fought against it. I just felt absolutely and irrevocably infatuated by her — the mystery of who Soren was entangled in my every thought, like overgrown ivy.
Soren was my enemy’s daughter. I shouldn’t have any good feelings towards her. But getting to see her up close and talk to her, I could tell she was wrapped up in something that she had no intention of ever touching with a ten-foot pole. I bet Soren Canella was an entirely different person than Soren Peirano.
“Did you want some water?” I asked, needing to break myself away from my thoughts. I tried to tell myself I was only taking care of her so the repercussions of kidnapping her were less severe. I thought that if she went back in one piece, and had no horror stories to tell her husband, that he might just let me off the hook for the whole ordeal.
But I knew nothing like that happened in our world. Nobody got off of something so easily.
“Yes, please,” she said, after gulping down another bite. “With ice please.”
“As you wish, princess.” I laughed before walking over to grab a cup from the cabinet.
She wasn’t shy even a little bit, and there was no fear in her tone. It’s like we’d been friends for years, just messing around and having a conversation. Like we did this all the time. Like she was comfortable around me. It made nausea coil in my stomach, making my appetite for my own bowl of mac and cheese to almost disappear entirely.
I placed it in front of her, and as she went to grab it, our fingertips brushed against one another. And a jolt of electricity went through me, jolting me like nothing I had ever felt before. I tried my best to not jerk my hand away and play it cool.
Must be the static in the air.
Soren took gulps of her water, oblivious to the effect she had on me. How she was naturally beautiful. How her blonde hair spilled down her back, and her green eyes changed shades effortlessly under the kitchen lights.
Why am I noticing these things about her?
I had a feeling that while Soren was staying here I was going to be raging with myself internally for a while.
But I had to just keep reminding myself that when this was all said and done, she was leaving.
And I’d never see her again.
Obsession or whatever this was be damned.
“So tell me about yourself.” I said, wanting to fill the silence.
“What do you want to know?” She replied, and a million questions flitted through my mind that I wanted to know about her.
But I needed to use her willingness to talk to my advantage and remember why she was here in the first place.
“Tell me about your husband,” I said as nicely as I could, hoping she would say something remotely helpful about him that I could use.
But it had the opposite effect that I’d hoped, and I could visibly see her clamming up without having to say a word.
“Nevermind.” I snapped before turning on my heel and walking out without another word.
There was no point in getting to know her or get close when we wouldn’t even end this situation as friends.
Or on any good terms at all.
Finn
Meet at Matthias’s in ten.
I wantedto throw my phone at the wall and shatter it into a million pieces. I was beyond tired of listening to what my father instructed, and tired of my brothers doing it for him. Finn was so loyal to him it made me sick. How anyone could want to follow someone so monstrous to his core was beyond me.
But that didn’t stop me from jumping into my car and doing exactly what was asked of me by my brother. I stewed the entire time that I drove to my father’s, running over impossible scenarios about getting out of this life but not finding any that seemed plausible. There was no way one just left the Mafia scene behind. My father would never willingly let me walk away from the business, so even trying seemed futile.
Another text came through while I was driving, but this one came from an unknown number, and I couldn’t help but laugh as my car read it to me.
UNKNOWN
Where the fuck is my wife?
I did what any sane person would and deleted the message without giving that pathetic excuse of a man a response.
I hope he saw that my read receipts were on and choked on his anger.
As usual, I was the last to arrive at this impromptu meeting, if the cars in the driveway were anything to go off of.
“Thanks for gracing us with your presence.” Finn teased as I walked in, and I said nothing as I threw my middle finger at him, which was a message enough in itself.
“It’s not my fault you told me last minute about being here.” I mumbled my response, taking my seat at the table after filling a glass with brandy. I never knew what to expect for these meetings, but I’d rather be safe than sorry and have alcohol in my system. A stiff drink made the good news better, but numbed me to any bad news.
“I’ve asked you all here tonight to discuss the repercussions of our little decision to take the Mafia princess from her castle,” my father started, interlocking his fingers and placing his hands in front of him on the table. Vanessa, Sawyer’s wife, and my mother were sitting on the couch to listen but not to partake in the conversation.
“What repercussions?” I asked wearily. It had been almost two weeks since I had brought Soren to my home and I hadn’t expected Lilah and Jude to act so suddenly. I knew it wasn’t that they actually cared for her, but what she represented instead.
Money.
“Some of Vincent Peirano’s men were seen by one of our warehouses, and the following night it was set ablaze,” Matthias explained. “I’d say that’s a message that they’re not particularly happy about losing their investment and are resorting to low blows in terms of the turf war as well.”
“So what’s the plan, then? Return her already?” Mav asked, and I was surprised he was paying attention to the situation in front of him.
“No, you fool,” Matthias practically spat. “We don’t give in just because there’s a bump in the road. That’s what they want us to do, and I refuse. I want that land, and that poor girl is better away from them in the meantime, while all of this is taking place.”
Hearing my father show sympathy to Soren shocked me, and I looked at my brothers with wide eyes, and saw they were just as surprised as I was. I could even see my mother in my peripheral vision taking a special interest in the conversation.
What was it about Soren that had us all feeling a change of heart, and how do I make it stop?
It had beenweeks since my late night meal with Soren. She’d stayed in her room since then, not even coming out for meals. She didn’t even touch the trays that were left outside her door. I wasn’t entirely sure why, but I knew better than to question it. She was a prisoner in all aspects that mattered, and I was surprised she’d been so open with me the first night. Maybe she was tired, and it got the best of her.
Now, after sleep and a good meal, she had come to her senses and realized how fucked she was in this situation and that she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one side, she had a douche husband who liked to hit her around, and on the other, she had the son of a Mafia King who she had no reason to trust. She probably thought I’d get violent too because of who I was and the family that I belonged to.
But today I had a plan to help her feel more comfortable, and not spend so much time in her room. I had a deep and secret love for books. I had built my collection up over several years, and I wanted to share it with Soren. I wanted to give her a part of my soul in turn for her trust that while she was here that no harm would come to her.
I had a feeling she’d enjoy it.
I made my way upstairs with a plate of chicken breast, mashed potatoes, and green beans. All courtesy of my beloved cook, Muro, who’d been employed by my family for many years.
I made my way steadily up the stairs, making sure I didn’t drop the plate in my hands. I held it in one hand and knocked gently with the other.
“Soren?” I asked, keeping my tone even, hoping she’d answer and not continue to shut me out.
To my surprise, I heard the lock of her door slowly turn, and she opened it up just a sliver so I could see just a small piece of her face. The dark circles under her eyes were still visible, her cheeks still as sunken in as they had been. She could be getting more sleep, but without eating, she wouldn’t begin to feel better.
“I brought you some food, and I had something to show you,” I said, keeping my voice neutral. I didn’t want her to underestimate the monster that lived just under the surface of my skin. If I unleashed the monster within and it caused me to lose myself, once and for all, I would never be able to go back to who I was.
It’s why I wanted so desperately out of this life. I needed to get out to keep the small bit of sanity left. Without a word, Soren opened the door further, grabbed the plate before I could think, and slammed the door shut.
“Knew you couldn’t stay hungry for long,” I muttered, before turning on my heel and making my way back towards the stairs, plopping down on the top step. I knew that when she was ready, she’d come out. Her eating was just a small step in the right direction.
The fact that we were going in the right direction at all was good enough for me.