18. Knox
KNOX
“ S he needs justice,” I said the words under my breath, but they all heard me. We were in the kitchen getting ready for a family meeting. Another day, another dollar or some shit.
“At least it makes sense when we’d see her limping or when she didn’t leave the penthouse for days on end. He had to hide not just her but his little dirty secrets,” Talon said.
Ronan was flipping a blade open and closed, and I was playing with my lighter. Unsettled energy.
“Jett, where is she? You had the clothes delivered this morning, are you sure they were the right sizes?” Talon asked.
Jett was aloof like always. I swear something in his brain had been damaged from his father’s beatings.
I remembered how we got revenge on him. There was nothing like a little bit of torture to get your feet wet.
But the way he agreed to whatever we wanted to frame him for?
Shit. I knew Jett still kept a photo on his phone that he’d taken, the only evidence that still remained.
“Yes, Knoxy-pooh. I know they are the right sizes. I had the personal shopper pick out enough shit for the next few weeks plus some extra stuff. She’s been trying shit on all afternoon. My room looks like a beauty pageant came and died.”
I rubbed at my face like that was going to make her appear down here.
“I’ll go get her,” Talon volunteered and before anyone could stop him, he was off toward Jett’s room.
“You know she needs her own room right?”
Jett almost looked hurt when I said the obvious.
“But she’s fine in my room. You can come snuggle if you miss her.”
I rolled my eyes, but a little bit that made me want to laugh. I held it in.
“One step at a time. First she needs to get down here or we are going to be late and Barone is going to have my head, freeing up my room for her,” Ronan said as he studied the knife.
“You can take it up with the personal shopper, we gotta go, princess.” We heard Talon’s voice before he came around the corner carrying Margaux, who looked pissed off.
“Alright. Got her, let’s go. Oh and, Jett, Margaux has a complaint about the lace and silk underwear or corsets or whatever the fuck. I told her we were going to enjoy taking it all off later anyway.”
We all heard the thump as she slapped him on his back, but he just kept walking toward the SUV.
“Put me down; I can walk. I need to go punch Jett.”
“Come on, princess, Jett’s had a long night. He had you in his bed all night. Leave him be.”
We could all hear the argument, and Jett was smug as fuck.
“What did you have the shopper pick out?” I asked. Like I didn’t have a good fucking idea.
He held up his phone and flashed me some of the items he’d liked. I had to wipe the drool off my mouth.
“Uh. Yeah. Okay. I don’t see why she’d have any complaints about those.” I spoke far too fast.
“Well, you should see what the shopper sent over. I mean, I tried to be a gentleman. A girl’s got to have underwear and bras.
I won’t lie, I thought about how easy the bras would be to take off and shit when I gave her my tastes.
But then, it was not my fault if she didn’t like the stuff.
I didn’t tell the shopper to send over sexy, or well, sexier shit. ”
He flipped through and got to his log in for the store and the receipt. Complete with pictures. We continued to follow while he showed me images.
“I take it no fashion show later?” I asked.
Ronan smacked both of our heads.
“We have bigger things to worry about than what she will and won’t wear. She has clothes. She can bitch about it later. If we’re late, we’re all getting matching bruises,” Ronan said and pushed us ahead.
By the time we all got to the garage and the SUV, she’d stopped fighting. Talon buckled her in.
I looked her over. Not bad. Barone wouldn’t have any issues with how she looked today. Not quite Saint Mary conservative, but the personal shopper had kept her questionable choices to Margaux’s underwear.
“Nice dress, angel.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. The dress was pale yellow and had shorter sleeves. The neckline? Just low enough I got to enjoy her assets during the temper tantrum.
“Thanks. Jett said dress cute. What does that even mean? Whatever. Why am I dressing cute for you idiots anyway? We’ve already established I’m the part-time whore around here.”
We all froze in our places, Ronan forgetting to even start the car.
“Not what’s happening,” I said.
Jett sidled up to her. “Pretty girl. We’d never let a whore in our bed. And besides, you’re full-time.”
I saw it coming and didn’t even stop it. She slapped him extra hard, enough that the crack even made Ronan wince.
“I deserved that.” Jett rubbed at his jaw.
Ronan settled into his seat and we all got into place. No reason to be late over hurt feelings.
“You’re my fiancé. Remember?”
I elbowed Ronan and he sighed but grabbed out the ring box from his suit coat.
Jett snatched it out of his hand before Ronan could turn around.
“Mary us, Margaux.”
At least she was quiet as her eyes flicked this way and that.
Ronan, ever the romantic, reached back and grabbed her hand, making her look at him.
“It’s that or the alternative. You return to your uncle and my father puts you back on the kill list.”
I didn’t miss the way she swallowed.
“Kill list? What the hell did I ever do to him? Wait, have we ever established who your father is?”
I shrugged and turned around from the passenger seat to watch the shit show that was my boys.
“Barone. Angelino Barone. CEO of Barone construction among other well-known subsidiaries and businesses.”
Her look was unchanged, so I went for obvious, although how sheltered was this little girl?
“The Barone family. One of the Vegas underground mafia families.”
This got her attention.
“My parents wanted me to marry into the mafia? What is this, circa 1920?”
I couldn’t hide my amusement anymore. I fucking laughed out loud and maybe that was more shocking to my brothers than her lack of fear. Didn’t care.
I laughed and turned back around, swallowing anymore uncontrolled amusement.
The kid was genuinely unaware and somehow that was refreshing. Still didn’t mean I was team Margaux all the way just yet though.
I ignored them, wanting to get going, but I heard Jett ask her again.
“Marry Ronan and you get all of us. We’ll protect you.”
I tried to glance in the mirror on the sun visor and caught the small nod.
“Okay. But it’s not like a real wedding or anything right?”
Ronan chuckled, but the malice lacing the sound wasn’t good.
“You’ll do whatever Barone says. That means a grand wedding to flaunt the family. Oh and, Margaux, he’ll be expecting a grand kid from us sooner rather than later.”
Ronan turned back around and I turned to watch him.
“Ronan, you have some explaining to do.”
I sighed.
“Margaux, let Jett put the ring on. It’s that or you won’t even be allowed in the Barone mansion. You can ask us all the questions later.”
“Behave, Margaux. This is not the time or the place to disagree with anything we say to you.”
She tried to tug free of Ronan’s hold on her.
“You need his protection, trust me,” I said, leaning in closer.
I didn’t miss the subtle way Ronan’s jaw muscle flexed. He was already pissed off and annoyed we were here, but she wasn’t helping.
“Could have left her at home,” I whispered.
We stood at the door and waited for the butler to answer.
“Left who home? You are a prickly ass, aren’t you?” Margaux asked, but she shut up the second the door opened.
“Welcome, young Master Barone. Mr. Salvo, Mr. Valenti, and Mr. DiAngelo. Forgive me, but we weren’t aware you would be bringing a guest.”
I didn’t know how long the butler had been serving the Barone household, but it was longer than Ronan had lived with the family officially. In all those years, a woman had never made it this far with him, or any of us.
“Tell my father I’ve brought my fiancée to meet him.”
The guy nodded and said, “I will let sir know you are here.”
Talon leaned closer to me.
“She was already an approved fiancée, right?”
I nodded, but I was going off of our fearless leader’s words.
I would assume he knew who he was betrothed to.
All the effort in the world to get revenge while fixing some stupid shit with being undercut and fucked over, and somehow she was standing here in the heart of the Barone family.
Interesting choice, brother. I hope he knew what he was doing.
We stood waiting for only a few seconds before Margaux’s hand snaked around my forearm. I looked at Ronan, where he still securely held her other arm.
“You do have some self-preservation instinct, don’t you, angel?”
She looked up at me and gone was the girl that seemed to know how to push all our damn buttons. No, this was that meek little scared mouse we saw time and time again trailing behind her uncle.
“Well, well. Fiancée? Unexpected.”
The head of the family stood at the top of the stairs where all our gazes instantly went. Would he be in a good mood or a bad mood? Hard to say how this afternoon would go.
“Sorry, Barone, for the surprise. But I thought you’d be happy to know that Margaux Harrington accepted my proposal, even after I explained to her how you arranged the marriage with her parents.”
Fuck. I looked away. I couldn’t watch. My heart seemed to tick down the seconds until the man laughed.
I took a deep breath for the first time since stepping into this place.
“My boy. I’m glad you finally saw the wisdom in my choice.”
Barone walked down the stairs in a slow, controlled manner, like he did almost everything. He knew how to set the stage in any room he went into.
“I have business to discuss with you boys, but I guess we have to get a wedding date nailed down as well. The sooner the better. Margaux Harrington, welcome to the family.”
She wasn’t letting go of me anymore than she was letting go of Ronan.
“Angel, let go. You two need to follow first.”
She looked at her hand, her fingers digging into my skin.
“Oh. Right. Sorry.” Her voice was low, and I doubted that Lino Barone had heard anything.
He led the way into the formal dining room. The only place we ever ate when we were invited.
“Sometimes I just can’t decide if being buried alive would be more exciting than these little family get togethers,” Jett whispered to Talon and me.
He wasn’t wrong.
Barone had his seat at the head of the table.
His wife, regardless of mistresses, had a place at the table, and no one was ever allowed to touch her seat.
Next to her were the legitimate children, and across the way?
Us, or any illegitimate children. No one else came to family dinners.
Cousins, extended family. Ronan was the only reason we even were invited. That, and we were useful.
We all sat, and a new spot was set for Margaux.
Barone stood at the head of the table waiting for everyone to arrive.
“So that idiot of an uncle of yours finally decided to honor your father’s agreement?” Barone asked.
Margaux looked at Ronan and then at his dad.
“No. I recently found out about the agreement though, and I want to honor his last wish. My trust was set up the way it was based on my dad’s specific plan for me. I am here to fulfill that agreement.”
That was a pleasant surprise for an answer. I didn’t believe for one second it was exactly how she felt. I would suspect the reason her uncle was making it nearly impossible for her to marry Ronan was something in the trust that he wanted.
“Smart girl. Your father helped the family out of a few binds over the past few years of his life and was able to help with a few problems. I owed him a favor, but the man was smart. He found something else I wanted, and the only way for me to access it was a marriage. Ronan, the loyal son that he is, agreed. Although,” Barone paused, “I am surprised that he’s initiating the alliance on his own. Maybe you’re finally growing up.”
I watched Ronan, but he was stoic and blank like always.
“Thank you, Father. I would hate for whatever it is that you wanted from the marriage to fall into the wrong hands.” Ronan didn’t move a muscle. He didn’t turn away from his father, just met the man eye to eye.
“Good, good. Well, I suppose then that the wedding has been delayed long enough. Margaux, I hope you’ll understand if your wedding is small. It will be held next week, in our family's church, of course. Did Ronan tell you that an heir is expected? Nothing is more trustworthy than blood.”
This wasn’t news to us. If happy marriages were the goal, none of us would be here.