Chapter Seven #2
Sam threw his hands up. “Where is he then? If he’s here, he didn’t even have the balls to bid for you in this auction.
” He spun around, creating a dramatic atmosphere and making himself the centre of attention.
“I’ll happily kick his ass and show you what a real man is…
” He produced a flick knife from his sleeve and brandished it about, breaking one of our sacred laws.
“Fuck this,” I muttered, setting my glass on the table to my right.
I stuck my hands into my pockets as I stepped forward.
“I would reassess what you’re doing,” I said, leisurely creating a path toward Olivia. Every eye in the room watched me, some taking a step back.
This was the reaction when an alpha male controlled a room. Not a single man would lift their hand against me, instead they all watched me warily.
“What the fuck do you want?” Sam hissed. “We’re waiting for the errant Romeo to make an appearance so I can show him the fabric of a real man.”
My eyebrows rose at his mistake. Men rarely spoke to me in this tone, and those who did tended to find themselves buried under cement or taking a bath in acid. Olivia took a step toward me without me saying a word.
“Rules state you cannot bring a weapon into one of our gatherings,” I said, feeling Olivia’s heat at my side, her slender hand clutching my arm.
Roberto’s eyes narrowed at the gesture, his back straightening as he assessed the situation.
“Only minions follow the rules,” Sam snapped, high on his power trip. “I am my own man.”
“Our laws are sacrosanct,” I replied. “By breaking them, you forfeit any protection that would have been offered to you.”
“I’m about to join one of the most powerful families in North America, I don’t need your advice.” Sam pointed his knife at Olivia. “Get yourself ready, I’ll take my bride to go.”
“Olivia is an adult.” I said, my voice deceptively calm. “This isn’t the nineteenth century when women had no say in their future.”
I could see Roberto try to grasp control of the situation again, his lips pursing for a moment. “Gentlemen, I think we should discuss this.”
“We shook on the deal,” Sam almost shouted. “The money will be in your account tonight, no returns or refunds, you made that very clear.”
I glanced down at Olivia, noticing the bruises that the jewels at her throat could not hide. Without thinking, I gently grasped her chin and tilted her head, my thumb touching one of the bruises.
“Which one of you damaged her?” I said in a low tone that vibrated around the room with my deadly intent.
Silence descended like a shroud, cloaking everyone in an ominous atmosphere. Sam seemed to finally realise his mistake, his attention moving to Olivia’s hand through my arm.
“Are you fucking serious?” Sam demanded, grabbing Olivia’s other arm and dragging her toward him.
Instinct took over, the monster inside me raising his head. Sam pointed the knife toward Olivia, but he was too late and his actions sloppy. I didn’t need a knife to neutralise an opponent, I’d been trained since I could walk to defend myself.
Olivia struggled, and my hand circled Sam’s wrist, snapping the bone in a swift, fluid movement.
I retrieved the flick knife, spinning it between my fingers before I rapidly stuck it into his right eye and removed the eye from the socket.
We were not allowed to kill in this place, but he had broken the rules, and punishment was acceptable.
He was lucky I didn’t accidentally break his scrawny neck.
“You should learn not to touch what doesn’t belong to you,” I said, closing the knife back into its holder and dropping it on the floor.
Roberto cleared his throat. “I made it very clear how I was going to choose a husband for Olivia.”
“My understanding is that you are not the head of your family,” I replied, and Roberto blinked once. He liked to pretend he made the decisions, but his father had never officially handed over the keys to his kingdom. “Correct?”
“I still have control of our family,” Olivia’s father appeared from the crowd. “I have no plans to retire just yet, but Roberto deals with the daily running of our company.”
“This is not a daily affair in your company,” I replied. “This is the life of your daughter.”
Armand rubbed his hands together slowly, his hawk-like gaze moving from his daughter, and then to the scene around her. “I don’t recollect having a conversation with you about my daughter.”
A half-smile crossed my lips. “We both know I don’t ask permission when I want something.” I left the rest unsaid as everyone witnessing this knew I was at the top of the food chain.
“Max and I have been friends for many years,” Olivia said, her hand tightening on my arm. “He was there for me after Dale’s tragic accident.”
Sam continued to make an annoying wailing in the background as he held his undamaged hand over where his eye had been a few moments ago. He should consider himself lucky I hadn’t ordered Jake to take him to one of our holding cells. I would have shown him how I felt about being disrespected.
Enzo tended to be the peacemaker of our group. I noticed him nodding to the waiters to drag Sam away. We had doctors on speed dial to deal with incidents like this. It was unfortunate he would survive.
“Papa, we discussed what was happening here tonight,” Roberto pleaded with his father. “You agreed for me to seek a husband for Olivia.”
Armand continued to stare at me, and I could almost see the cogs turning in his head as a slow smile emerged on his face. “Who am I to stand in the way of a young couple in love?”
I doubted he believed in love any more than I did. Armand could see the benefits of aligning himself with my family, and was weighting up the pros and cons in his head. He had only survived this long because he was an intelligent man, something that his son hadn’t inherited.
Olivia pressed herself against my side, and a strange, protective emotion crept through my veins. She was pale, her eyes huge, and her body trembling. Her show of bravado earlier was wearing off.
“This is indeed a joyous occasion,” Dad announced, stepping over the pool of blood Sam had left on the floor.
“I was just saying to Maximus the other day that it was time for him to settle down.” He patted me on the shoulder, taking over the situation in his usual style that tended to get him what he wanted by fathering everyone.
Roberto looked like someone had stuck a bitter lemon into his mouth, and shoved a spike up his ass at the same time. Armand grinned at Dad, holding his hand out to him.
“We have been friends a long time, Giovanni, and I am honoured that we will become family.” Armand grabbed Dad’s hand and pumped it enthusiastically.
I stared down at Olivia, wondering what the fuck had happened, and how I had gone from a happy bachelor to an engaged man.