Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Cormac
“I’ll only take my dad to where Arianna is,” I announce. “I don’t trust you to not kill me.” This is directed at Marco.
Marco and Antonio exchange a look. “I don’t trust you to not screw us over. You could escape your father the first chance you get.”
“Cormac, you will take me to Arianna,” Patrick says. “This will cement trust. And then you two will get married. It’s the only way.”
“I never agreed to this,” Antonio growls. Marco puts his hand on his brother’s shoulder but Antonio shakes it off. “This is why I never wanted Arianna a part of this world. It’s dangerous. It uses women. Sacrifices them.”
“I am sorry,” Marco says to his brother. “I don’t want this either but this is the only way to prevent more death. If Cormac dies, then my wife will hate me.”
“So my daughter is just a lamb to slaughter then?”
“Yes,” Patrick says with no emotion in his voice. “It’s not fair. My son fucked up. But I have to fight for him.”
Antonio surges forward. “And I have to fight for my daughter.”
Patrick gazes back at him. “You have no contacts. You left the mafia a long time ago. I have power in this city. You will not win. It will only get you and your wife killed. It will only get your daughter killed. This is the way to prevent that from happening. You have to agree with this or you put your daughter’s life on the line.
I will make sure my son marries her. I will make sure she’s safe. And then everyone can live.”
“Cormac hates us though,” Marco says. “I’m shocked he’d agree so easily to this.” He turns to me. “You don’t want to marry an Italian.”
“Fuck no,” I spit out. “But I’m dead if I don’t.” The truth is: I never expected to get caught. I messed up when I got drunk. It’s all because Arianna got in my head. If she hadn’t then my plan would still be working in my favor. Now, because of her, I’m going to have to marry her.
“I thought you would be willing to die before you married an Italian.”
I hesitate. In the past, yes, I would have. But now… now I think of Arianna and her innocent eyes. Of how she brought something out in me when she danced. How beautiful it was. How I wanted to see her dance again and again for the rest of my life.
Marco huffs when I don’t give him an answer.
“He will take me to Arianna,” Patrick states. “And they will get married.”
“Arianna will come back home with me,” Antonio says.
“So you can run away with her?” Patrick shakes his head. “No. You will try to hide her. She will stay with Marco and Ciara. She’ll be safe there but I know Marco will do what’s right. Yes?”
After a moment, Marco nods. “If this is the way to save everyone, then so be it.”
Antonio glares at his brother before storming out of the room. Marco only stares at the floor.
My dad turns to me. “Patrick, take me to Arianna.”
Arianna
I hear footsteps and male voices again. My body tenses. Are Josh and Sam back to try and torture me some more?
But when the door opens, all I see is Cormac and a different man behind him. A man that looks a lot like an older version of Cormac.
“Here she is,” Cormac says.
The man slowly steps into the room with his hands raised. “Arianna? I’m Patrick. Cormac’s father.”
I cling to the blanket around my shoulders. Even though I’m clothed, I still feel on display. “Are you here to hurt me too?”
Patrick sighs. “No. I’m here to save you. Cormac is going to let you go.”
It takes me a moment to realize what he just said. “You’re… letting me go?”
Cormac looks me right in the eye with an intensity I don’t understand. “Yes. You’re no longer my prisoner.”
“So I’m… safe?”
Patrick nods. “Yes. You’re safe. You’ll be reunited with your parents. You won’t have to worry about being hurt by Cormac. I promise you that.”
“Is this for real? Or are you playing a cruel trick on me?”
“This is for real, Arianna. Now, come with us. We’ll take you to your uncle’s house.”
I frown. “My uncle? Why not take me to my parents’ house?”
Cormac and Patrick exchange a look that I don’t like. “Because you’ll be living with your uncle for the time being. Until your wedding.”
An intense, hot spike of energy zips up my spine. “My… wedding?”
“Cormac was caught by your father and uncle. It was the only way I could save you and him. It’s the only way to prevent more death. You have to marry Cormac for peace to come about.”
“I… what?”
“She didn’t grow up in the mafia,” Cormac explains. “She doesn’t know anything about this part of our world.”
“Arranged marriages are common in the mafia. In fact, my daughter was in an arranged marriage with your uncle.”
“The sister Cormac wants to save?” I ask.
Patrick sighs. “My daughter doesn’t need saving. Your uncle treats her well.”
“So then why did you kidnap me?” I ask Cormac.
His eyes flick down to the floor, like he’s too ashamed to even look at me.
“Why did he kidnap me?” I demand.
“Because my son hates the Italian mafia and wanted to do anything he could to save his sister. But Ciara didn’t need saving.
It was Cormac who needed saving and this is the way I’m going to do it.
You will marry him. He promised to not hurt you.
This way you can still see your parents.
You can still have your life back. But you will be married to him and it will prevent you and your family from dying. ”
“I don’t understand.”
“Cormac needs to marry you so he can live. But your father isn’t happy about that. If he goes after Cormac, I will kill him and then you could die. I am doing what I must to save my son. And in turn, you will need to marry him to save your life and that of your parents.”
My chest is squeezed tight in panic. It hurts to even breathe. “But that’s not fair.”
“I know.” Patrick’s eyes seem kind but there’s a coldness to them.
He’s doing what he must to save his son, even if it means hurting my family.
“You have to marry Cormac to prevent more death from happening. It’s the only way.
Cormac has promised to not hurt you because if he does, then I gave my permission to your uncle to kill him. ”
Cormac flinches at that but still doesn’t say a word.
“So you will be safe,” Patrick continues.
“But I have to marry the man who kidnaped me,” I whisper.
“Yes. To save everyone, you need to do this, Arianna. If you don’t, then most likely your father will try and go after my son and your father will die. Think of that.”
The last thing I can do is let my family be killed. Not when my father clearly left this life behind to protect me. Yet, this life came calling anyway.
There’s really no choice. “I have to save my family,” I answer.
Patrick nods. “Good. You will live with your uncle. I don’t trust your father to not try and hide you.
Your uncle will keep you safe. And then you and Cormac will marry.
And there will be peace. But you two need to work at it.
I don’t want to see my son dead and I don’t want to see an innocent woman die either.
Now, Arianna. Are you ready to go home?”
I sit in the back seat of Patrick’s car, untied this time, watching the backs of Patrick and Cormac in the front seats. This is really happening. I have to marry a man who kidnapped me.
My life has changed drastically within the past couple of days.
Patrick pulls up to a house I don’t know. A large mansion in the New York suburbs. “Your uncle’s house. Cormac, walk Arianna to the door. Show you can do this. Show you can make peace.”
I can see Cormac grit his teeth but he doesn’t say a word as he gets out of the car. He doesn’t want this any more than I do. How are we going to make this work? How am I going to survive this?
Cormac and I walk to the front door.
“Wait,” I say before he knocks. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“Why do you care?”
“Because we’ll be married.”
“You really want this to happen?” he asks.
“No. But I have to save my family. So I’ll do what I must. And your father said you can’t hurt me without consequences. So tell me what you’re thinking. We’re in this together now.”
“Do I still frighten you?”
His question takes me off guard. “Yes,” I say without hesitation. “I’m scared you’ll still cut off my fingers.”
“There’s your answer.” He turns to the door but I speak before he can knock.
“But you didn’t cut off my finger. You saved me from Josh. Why did you do that? Why didn’t you hurt me when you had the chance?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“But it does matter. I was your prisoner and within an hour, I find out I am to be your wife. It does matter. Why didn’t you hurt me?”
“Because of your eyes.”
I blink. “What?”
He finally looks me in the eye and the intensity there steals my breath away. “Your innocent eyes. They kept haunting me. Telling me I was doing something wrong. I’m a stubborn man. When I get an idea in my head, I never walk away from it. But… with you, I looked into your eyes and I…”
“You what?”
“I realized I was wrong,” he admits.
“Oh.”
He huffs, smiling a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.
“Yes. Wrong. I was wrong to kidnap you. You were innocent. I realized that. You had no part in any of this. And it made me feel… bad. It was your eyes. They got to me. And now, here you are, agreeing to marry me to save your family. Whereas I’m marrying you to save myself.
I’m dead otherwise. You’re a selfless person.
I haven’t met that many people who are. It’s… surprising.”
“Well… I don’t know what to say.”
“See? It doesn’t matter. We’re forced to be together.
I’m forced to marry into the Italian mafia.
The one thing I’ve hated more than anything in this world.
And you’re just some innocent, selfless girl who’s agreeing to it to save her family.
There’s nothing to talk about. We’ll marry.
And we’ll live separate lives. It will be the easiest. And I will have to push down my anger for your uncle every day.
You’ll be a constant reminder of him for me.
That’s life. It fucking sucks sometimes. ”
His complete honesty shocks me but it also endears me to him. It shows that Cormac does have feelings. Fears. Worries. Passions. That he’s not a cold, unfeeling monster. He’s just a man on a mission and did the wrong thing who now has to pay the price.
“Thank you,” I finally say.
His eyes widen. “What are you thanking me for?”
“For not hurting me. And for being honest about how you feel. It makes you less scary,” I admit. “Neither one of us wants this. I feel like I’m going to pass out from everything. But… we have to do this. So thank you for not hurting me.”
Cormac is silent for a long moment before he nods. “You’re welcome. Though, you shouldn’t be thanking me. I shouldn’t have kidnapped you in the first place.”
His admission rocks me to my core but he knocks on the door before I can say anything else. My uncle opens the door, inviting me inside.
Inviting me into my new life. One where me and Cormac will be married.