Chapter 10
brONX
Heat shoots straight to my cock as she straddles me, pinning my wrists like she's planning to interrogate me instead of just threatening my life again.
“Don't you fucking dare,” she snarls, face inches from mine. “Don't talk about family dinner like we're playing house.”
“We're not playing house, princess.” I could flip her onto her back in half a second, but watching her lose control is too fucking entertaining. “We are house. My house, my rules, my family dinner.”
Her grip tightens on my wrists. “I’m not going.”
“The fuck you’re not.” My voice drops to the dark tone that makes smart people nervous. “You can walk in there on my arm like a good wife, or I can carry you in over my shoulder. Your choice. But you’re going.”
“Try it and see what happens.”
“Is that a promise?” I grin up at her flushed face. “Because I'd love to see you explain to Ma why you're slung over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.”
She releases one wrist to shove her hand at my chest. “I've met your family. I played a dutiful wife at the courthouse. That's enough performance for one lifetime.”
“Sorry, princess. Family dinners come with the marital territory.”
“Fuck your territory.” She spins around, eyes blazing. “You know what? One call to my da and that intel goes out to every—”
She stops mid-sentence, the words dying in her throat. I can see the exact moment the realization hits her face.
“Realized the problem with that plan, yeah?” I ask, crossing my arms. “Hard to protect your brother when half the criminal world wants him dead.”
Her face goes pale. The fight drains out of her shoulders as the full weight of her situation crashes in on her.
“You bastard,” she whispers.
“I'm a bastard who understands leverage.” I pull out my phone and scroll through screens. “But since you seem to need a clearer understanding of your position...”
She glances at the phone, suspicion shadowing her gaze. “What are you doing?”
“Calling off Connor's protection detail.” I hold up the phone so she can see the number. “I think my family's resources would be better spent elsewhere.”
Her breath catches. “You wouldn't.”
“Try me.” My finger hovers over the call button. “One phone call and your precious brother is back to fending for himself against the Tribunal. How long do you think he'll last?”
She stares at me with pure hatred, but underneath it, fear festers like the complete helplessness of someone who's just accepted they’ve no moves left.
“I'll go to your fucking dinner,” she says through gritted teeth.
“Good choice.” I pocket the phone. “Be ready at six-thirty. Wear the black dress. The one that shows your legs.”
“Pig,” she growls. “And don't ever threaten my brother again.”
"Then don't give me a reason to."
Hours later, we pull through the estate gates at my parents’ house. Tierney's wearing the black dress I picked out, and her body stiff and tense like she's preparing for war instead of dinner.
That’s pretty accurate, knowing my family.
“Remember what I said about playing nice?” I ask as we walk up the front steps, eyeing the way the back dress clings to her rigid body. Full of rage but still totally fuckable.
“Remember what I said about breaking your nose?”
The front door opens before I can respond. Ma appears, looking elegant in a burgundy dress, her dark eyes immediately assessing the woman next to me.
“Tierney, this is my Ma… Allegra Viacava.”
“Bronx,” Ma says, offering me her cheek. Then her critical gaze cuts to Tierney. “And the new Mrs. Viacava. How lovely that you could join us.”
She doesn’t bother to hide the disdain in her voice, not that I’d expect anything more. Ma is fiercely loyal and protective, and Tierney is the reason why our family livelihood is hanging by a thread. She’s not going to waste energy with bullshit pleasantries that don’t cut like daggers.
“Thank you for having me,” Tierney replies, her voice perfectly controlled. I bite back a smile. I’d bet it’s taking every ounce of control she has to not lash out at my mother right now.
We follow Ma to the dining room, where Dad waits at the head of the table. Kingston and Livvie are to his left, Reign at the far end. Dad gives a half smile, warmer than Ma but still detached.
“So,” he says once we're seated and wine is poured, “how are you settling in, Tierney?”
“Fine, thank you.”
“Just fine?” Ma's smile has an edge to it. “I would hope marriage to my son would be more than fine.”
No one drinks yet.
Dad looks at Tierney and leans forward. “Connor is secure,” he says.
Tierney’s fingers rest lightly around the stem of her glass. I watch her pulse flicker in her throat before she answers. “Good, since that was the agreement.”
Her voice is steady. But her shoulders are tight and squared, like she’s bracing herself for what comes next. And knowing my family, this dinner ain’t gonna be a cake walk for her.
Kingston takes a sip of his wine. “Your father understood the terms of our agreement.”
She slants him a look. “He did.”
Dad sets his napkin on his lap.
“You destabilized our position with the Tribunal,” he says. “You breached a protected vault and forced this family into a negotiation we did not initiate.”
Tierney’s jaw flexes. “I was trying to protect my brother.”
It’s the first time tonight her voice softens. Ma doesn’t seem to give a shit.
“You gambled with my sons’ lives,” she says, her eyes narrowing.
Tierney doesn’t look at me. She holds Ma’s angry gaze, her chin lifting with the defiance I’ve come to know very well.
“I would do it again,” she says.
“Let’s talk about how you hacked into that vault. You were clearly trained,” Reign says, eyes sharp. “That wasn’t amateur work.”
Tierney’s gaze flicks to him. “Training keeps you alive. Or haven’t you gotten that memo?”
I swallow a chuckle. She really loves to poke the fucking bear. And I can’t deny that I crave that ferocity.
Ma’s eyes narrow. “You fully understood the consequences before you walked into that vault?”
“Yes, Allegra,” she replies. “I understood.”
“And you went in anyway.”
Tierney sits up straighter.
“I had no choice. I needed to protect my brother. He’s not part of this life. He wouldn’t be able to defend himself against those enemies. He’s a student, not an enforcer.” Tierney looks around the table at my brothers. “And I’m sure you would all do the same for each other if necessary.”
Kingston folds his hands on the table. “So let’s be clear. According to our arrangement, the files you removed remain private in exchange for Connor’s protection through marriage to Bronx.”
She nods once. “That’s my understanding.”
“And if those files surface?” Kingston asks calmly.
Her hand tightens around the wineglass, her knuckles whitening.
“They won’t.”
“How do we know that for sure?” Ma presses.
Tierney finally turns her head slightly toward me.
“Because my brother is safe and under your protection. That’s all the reason I and my da need to comply with the terms of this arrangement.”
Her voice is strong but the truth of her words hang like a thick chain around her neck. It’s loose now, but everybody knows what happens if the conditions of the arrangement are breached.
That chain will be yanked tight enough to choke the life out of her.
“You caused damage,” Ma bites out. Dad pats her arm in an attempt to settle her down, like he doesn’t know the woman he married. “You created exposure.”
“I corrected it,” Tierney replies. “By entering into this sham marriage.”
Dad’s gaze sharpens. “You think this marriage is a correction?”
She meets his eyes and lifts an eyebrow. “I think it’s leverage, at the very least.”
An uncomfortable silence stretches out over the table. I stay quiet, just observing. This dinner isn’t about me. It’s about letting my family see the daughter-in-law they gained in exchange for protection – of our interests as well as theirs.
Livvie breaks the tension gently. “Ireland must feel far away.”
Tierney doesn’t look at her, just continues to stare at the table. “Distance is relative.”
“And the man you left behind?” Ma asks.
“Ma,” I say, a warning edge to my voice. Does the fucking ex need to invade every damn conversation?
Ma’s eyebrows fly up. “What? I’m just trying to see where her true loyalties lie. Do you really want her pining for someone she left behind?”
Tierney clears her throat. “He is not a topic for discussion. We broke up before I came here.”
I feel something dark slide under my ribs at the thought of another man touching her. Damien. It’s irrational. I know it is. But it burns anyway.
Ma doesn’t take the hint to move on. “We need to be aware of any potential threats. In this family, past attachments become relevant.”
Tierney whips her head toward Ma, gaze sharpening. “Then I suggest this family adjust quickly. And he’s not a threat. He’s not like…us.”
Reign catches my eye and smirks.
I shouldn’t enjoy this.
But I do. I love her fire, the way it rages, the way it shocks. She doesn’t back down, doesn’t cower, doesn’t show any signs of weakness in the face of adversity, meaning Ma. It’s hot as fuck.
Dinner continues after that tense exchange. Everyone knows the rules of the game, now we eat.
Food is served, wine is poured, we make small talk that Tierney doesn’t participate in. Nobody is under the delusion that we’re going to be one big happy family, but the situation is what it is.
For now. And as far as Tierney knows.
The reality is that my family is only tolerating her for as long as it takes me to make her melt at my feet and give up the location of the intel.
But a small part of me doesn’t want her to melt. I want her fight, I want her to sink her teeth deep into me. It’ll make the begging so much more worthwhile later.
Tierney keeps to herself, for the most part. Livvie, who gets more than anyone at this table how difficult Tierney’s position is, tries to engage but Tierney doesn’t give more than one word answers.
To her, we’re all a threat, and she treats us as exactly that.
But I notice her tells. The way her leg bounces under the table, the slight tremor to her hand when she reaches for her glass. They’re things nobody else would notice unless they were paying close attention.
And her body language is doing something ugly and electric to me.
By the time dessert hits the table, Ma starts in again. I almost roll my eyes because Jesus, enough already.
“You understand that any threat to this family will be met with a quick response,” she says.
Tierney nods. “It’s what I’d do if I was in your position.”
“And your loyalty?” Kingston asks, steepling his fingers.
Tierney’s hard gaze slides to mine.
The look isn’t soft. It isn’t romantic.
It’s a declaration of war if our objectives end up clashing.
“My loyalty is to my brother’s safety.”
The words shouldn’t irritate me.
But they do.
Because I don’t hear husband anywhere in that answer, not that I should reasonably expect to.
I mean, it’s irrational for me to be pissed off because I already knew what her answer would be. But it makes my job that much harder unless I find a silver bullet that gives my family the upper hand.
And right now, I’ve got nothing. No cards to play.
I bring a hand to the back of my neck and rub.
So how the fuck am I gonna win this game?
The city lights blur across the windshield as I drive back to the penthouse later.
Tierney sits quietly, staring out the window, wringing her hands together.
“You did good tonight,” I say.
“I wasn’t there to impress anyone. Least of all you.”
I let out a snort. “Obviously.”
She turns her head slightly. “Your ma hates me.”
“She hates losing control.”
“And I represent that.”
“Uh, yeah, Tierney,” I say. “You did something that could destroy my family, everything we’ve built. And now you have something that can make us targets to a lot of fucking bad people.”
“We’re both fucked because of what I did, let’s face it,” she mutters. She’s silent for a minute, then says, “You enjoyed that third degree, didn’t you?”
I glance at her with a smirk. “I like seeing you with your back to a wall. I admire how you held your shit together when you really wanted to attack.”
“They don’t trust me. You know, I’m not going to do anything that’ll hurt my brother.”
“I know,” I say. “I admire your loyalty. But even though my family doesn’t trust you, they still respect you to some extent.
You’re not fragile or stupid. And you’re not as cold as you pretend to be.
You took a shitty situation and jumped in head first because of your loyalty.
You gotta respect someone who does that. ”
Her jaw tightens. “Don’t pretend you know me.”
“I know enough. Much as you hate to hear that.”
The garage door opens when I pull up to the security gate and I drive through. After backing into my spot, I turn off the engine.
For a long minute, neither of us moves.
“You threatened Connor earlier,” she says.
“I just reminded you of the stakes.”
“Don’t think you can use him against me.”
I turn my whole body toward her.
“I protect my family.”
“And I protect mine.”
The air between us tightens like a noose and when all the air feels like it’s been sucked out of the car, she pushes open her door and steps out without looking at me.
Good.
I watch her stalk toward the elevator like she’s heading into a fight she refuses to lose. A grin lifts my lips. Breaking her will be worth all the effort.
She still thinks she’s trapped.
She thinks this marriage is a cage I built around her.
She’s wrong.
I didn’t marry her to survive this war.
I married her to win it.
And if she believes I won’t burn down whatever’s left of her world to make sure my family remains untouched—
She hasn’t been paying attention.