Shit, I remember that day. We were fifteen and were meeting up with these girls we met in town out there. Félix had gotten the bitch down on her knees when we heard Olivia muttering to herself about not seeing us anywhere and how she got lost.
“Not fuckin’ funny. I swear she cock blocked me more than I can count back then,” Félix grumbles, running a hand over his face, letting out a deep breath of annoyance. “Sometimes being the head of the family is more of a headache than I want to deal with.”
“Yeah, but in the long run, it’s worth it. You know Mia doesn’t make it easy for anyone either,” Leo says, leaning back in his chair.
“Mia is a character all unto herself,” I chuckle. I know his sister well. She stays at my house when she wants to go to the beach. According to her, she enjoys the peace she gets when she’s away from her family. Every one of them is extremely protective of her after what happened to her where she ended up with a scar marring her face.
“Think what you want. Just count your blessings Olivia isn’t like her,” I grunt in response to Leo’s remark.
“I’ll speak to my sister and get everything situated. We’ll have it straight before the St. Patrick’s Day dinner we’re having,” Félix remarks, nodding.
I jerk my chin up, shuffle the cards in front of me, and deal them out while thinking about the dinner Madelaine suggested we have.
Chapter Two
Olivia
Sitting in the sunroom, I lean against the floral chaise and flip another page in The Maidens by Alex Michaelides. It’s an enthralling story about a group therapist who becomes fixated on the group that lures in young college women. I’m not too far into the novel, but I saw it on Barnes and Noble’s most anticipated reads page, and I immediately pre-ordered it. It came to my door a couple days ago and today is the first time I’ve had a bit of time to read the story.
I’m halfway down the page when the door leading into the backyard comes flying open. It hits against the wall, and Félix heads toward me with flaring nostrils. His face is bright red, almost the same color as a tomato, and the vein in the middle of his forehead is throbbing. Fuck, I’m about to be the person who’s taking the brunt of his wrath.
I straighten up in my seat and start to close my book, but my brother rips it from my hand and throws it at the wall. “What in the hell is wrong with you?!” Félix screams in my face like a drill sergeant would to a cadet.
Clearing my throat, I give him an answer I know he doesn’t want. “There are far too many things to list, dear brother. Care to elaborate on what all of this is about?” I ask, waving my hand up and down as I assess him with my eyes.
He inhales deeply, and I watch as he clenches his jaw in even more anger. “Don’t play these types of games with me, Olivia. You aren’t Sabine, and to be honest, you can’t pull them off even if you tried. You’ve been ignoring Finn, as if it’ll make a fucking difference. You’re going to marry the man within the year and you’re what, playing childish games? Do you realize what you’re doing, or do you not care about the repercussions we could all face if this wedding doesn’t happen?” Félix shouts in my face, and I jump to my feet. I’m working on being a lot stronger and part of finding my own strength is standing up to my brother when he comes at me so harshly.
“I’m well aware. You’re the one who broke your promise, remember? So, I’ll live my life how I want to until I’m shackled down. Just . . . just leave me alone, Félix. Haven’t you done enough already?” My own anger comes pouring out of me and I can’t hold back, not one bit.
I take a step back and shake my head, furious at my brother. Even now, I can’t help but feel this way. I know he’s doing what he thought was right, but in the end, he’s doing something that shouldn’t even be happening in this day and age.
“Félix!” Madelaine’s voice rings from outside and she ends up coming inside the sunroom. Within a moment, she realizes there’s something going on between my brother and me.
“You’re lucky. Do you understand me? You’re lucky that Finn is the man you’re marrying. It could’ve been someone worse, someone foul, someone like our fucking father, but it isn’t.”
“So you admit it then? You planned on doing this all along,” I scoff, shaking my head at Félix while I try to keep my composure.
“No! Fuck,” Félix hisses and throws his hands up in the air.
“Félix, you should leave. I think Olivia and I need to have a chat woman to woman,” Madelaine pipes up. Immediately, my brother keeps his calm and nods, respecting what his future wife is asking of him. I wait until Félix leaves and heads back out through the door before I say anything to Madelaine.
“He has no right to treat me like flesh he owns.”
Madelaine sucks in a deep breath and nods. “He’s not trying to, Olivia. I know it doesn’t seem that way right now, but your brother is just trying to find the right way to make sure this goes through flawlessly. I may be new to this lifestyle and your entire mafia world . . . but I know that if this wedding doesn’t happen, we’re all in grave danger. You, me, Finn, every DeLancy.”
God. I hate that our fate is somehow my burden to bear. “I know,” I grumble. Just because people keep telling me I’m the one who has to do this, it doesn’t make it any better. I’m still going to marry a man I don’t care for in the least bit. A man I don’t love. A man who’s practically a complete stranger.
“It’s okay for you to be angry. I’d be angry, too, if I were in your shoes. But it’s a holiday and we should all put this anger and animosity at bay. It’s St. Patrick’s, and—” Madelaine is trying to be supportive, but she’s not in my shoes. She can’t understand what this is like at all.
I cut her off without any regrets. “But you’re not. You’re not in my position and you’ll never understand what it’s like! My father was horrible, Madelaine, and I thought after he died, I’d have some sort of control of my life. I thought Félix was going to give me that. Fuck, he promised me, but look where we’re at now. I’m being married off to Finn and I . . . and I’m losing the last bit of control I had.” Tears begin to well behind my eyes, so I shut them and force down my emotions as much as I can.
“You’re right, and I’m sorry for seeming insensitive to your experience. But, I should probably tell you that—”
Every word Madelaine says is suddenly unimportant as Finn’s frame fills the doorway my brother just exited a few moments ago. Immediately, this feels like some sort of trap and every bit of anger boils through my blood.
I march right up to him and stare into his deep chestnut-colored eyes. “I will speak to you when I feel like it, and not a moment before.”
Finn scoffs, sinks his hands into his trouser pockets, and smirks at me. “I’ll be back to pick you up at six tonight. You’d better be ready because we are going out, Olivia.” Finn smirks before walking away, and before I can even reply, he’s out of my sight.
Well, shit.
Chapter Three
Finn
I got damn tired of Olivia keeping me at a distance, so I had no problem telling her I’d be picking her up today at six, and I meant it. From the very start, I intended to wine and dine her. Show her that while my hands are stained with the blood of my enemies, I’m not the monster she might think I am. That is, I’m not a monster to the people I care about. Anyone else, well, depends on the day of the week.
Olivia isn’t someone I would ever hurt. She reminds me of the fairies my mother used to tell me about when I was a child. You know, the types of fairies in traditional Irish folklore. Hell, she reminds me of Deirdre. She’s one of the stories I remember the most, and while Deirdre isn’t a fairy, she is arguably the toughest heroine of them all. Now, when it comes to Olivia, no one can deny she’s beautiful. But, she’s not just a pretty face. She has this light surrounding her that makes me want to believe in the lore I heard so many times growing up.
My little brother, Ashton, and I would sit there and listen for hours to our mother talk and tell h
er stories. It was the best part of our day. Then she vanished after we went on a trip together, and it wasn’t until I turned thirteen that I learned the truth. Our father killed her for making her sons ‘weak’. Obviously, this was his opinion. From that day, he spent his spare time beating both my brother and me until our entire bodies were covered in bruises. He’d broken bones and caused concussions. Ashton and I have lived through it all. Only we didn’t realize the way out was so simple. All we had to do is what he asked. After years of enduring pain, you end up becoming complacent to the person who wields the power. I remember it like it was yesterday.
Closing my eyes, I can still see the fear in the strange man’s eyes. His screams ring through my ears, and I remember how my father stood behind me and watched as I did exactly what he asked. I held the gun to the man’s head, listened to him beg for his life. He told me about his family, how he had a wife and two daughters, and even how he had a child on the way. Still, it didn’t matter. My father wanted me to kill him, and so I did. At least he didn’t make me torture him first . . . God, there had been so many times that happened. He was one of the lucky ones.
I give a shake of my head, clearing my agonizing thoughts of the past. My father’s dead now, even if his wishes are still being upheld by the contract in place. Ashton might think I won’t follow through and marry a DeLancy, but I can’t wait to prove him wrong. I’d never let him get the seat. He’s too corrupt, too dark, too much like our father. Hell, and he’s desperately aiming to take my place. It wouldn’t be so bad relinquishing control of the business to him if he weren’t so fucking insane.
All of this is my father’s doing. He tortured Ashton in the most nefarious of ways. Not only did he play mind games with my brother, but he abused him physically. Or rather, not him. My father’s whores would tie him down in the dungeon and rape him. After the fact, our father would fuck them in front of my brother to show him ‘how a real man’ did it, and then he’d kill the women in front of Ashton, letting the blood pour over his naked body. I only know this because Ashton confided in me when we were young. But back then, he was different. He wasn’t as deranged as he is today. He couldn’t have been more than thirteen when all this was happening. I shake my head, knowing this is why he lost all sense of emotions. He’s become a vindictive asshole who holds no remorse, no matter what he’s done. One of my friends once told me that Ashton needed to be put in the ground to save others from his narcissistic ways. I would’ve agreed with them if it weren’t for the fact I still remember the good parts of him, even if they haven’t seen the light of day in years.
Sighing, I pull my phone out of my pocket and look at the time. I need to finish getting ready and get to the DeLancy house where Olivia lives. I have my private helicopter coming to pick us up and take us down to Corpus Christi, where I’ve set up quite the treat for her. Most of the time I live in Corpus Christi, whenever I’m not away on business.
I pull my dress shirt off the hanger and put it on, leaving the top button undone. I don’t wear ties unless I’m on official business. They’re suffocating, and throughout my life, I’ve had enough of that shit. I roll my sleeves up to my elbows, tuck the shirt into my dress jeans, and fasten the belt around my waist.
Putting my watch on, I slip my cellphone into my pocket, grab my keys to the car I keep here in New Orleans. Looking out of my bedroom window at my house I bought in Port Sulphur, I look out onto the Mississippi River and the marshlands. It’s more of a home away from home type of place for me. I rent it out a few times a year to other folks, but mainly it stays vacant and gets cleaned once a week to keep dust at bay. Hell, this isn’t the type of shit people in my position generally choose to live in, but I like it. I’m not the Miami type of guy. I’d choose silence and peace over rowdy crowds if push ever came to shove.
Leaving the house, I head to my car to make the hour drive to get Olivia. I use the drive to finish up business with Dean O’Connell. Where I’m the head boss of the Southwest here in America, he’s the boss of the East Coast. We have a shipment of guns he’s sending my way using a business arrangement he made with the Devil’s Riot MC. It doesn’t bother me since two of the members are Dean’s cousins, and another is married to their sister.
I pull up in front of Olivia’s house just as I hang up with Dean and hope she’s home. For all I know, she could’ve snuck out a window. Hell, she wouldn’t be the first woman in the house to do it. Félix told me earlier when I spoke with him she’d be there with her bodyguard and no one else. He was taking Madelaine out for dinner and dancing. My friend has gone soft since meeting his woman. Then again, he’d still slit a motherfucker’s throat if they were to ever even look at Madelaine wrong.
Opening my door, I climb out and straighten my shirt. I didn’t bother getting her flowers, she wouldn’t even be worried about them anyway. Besides, what I have planned will be far more special than some flowers that die within days.
I make my way to the door and knock. I don’t have to wait long before she opens the door, looking absolutely beautiful in her dress. It’s simple. Simple black elegance that is, it wraps around her body and comes only a couple inches below her peachy ass. The heels that adorn her feet make my head go straight in the gutter. They must be four or five inches tall, and I damn sure bet they’d feel great digging into my back while I pound her sweet flower.
“You look beyond beautiful, Lómhara,” I whisper, calling her precious, because that’s what I’ve always seen her as. She’s precious to me and always has been.
“Thank you, I’m ready to go when you are,” she mutters with a slight blush to her cheeks. Her bodyguard takes a step forward from his spot in the shadows, acting like he’ll be coming with us.
That won’t be happening. I hold a hand up to stop him in his tracks as Olivia closes the door and steps up next to me. “You won’t be coming with us.”
“Where she goes, I go,” he growls, narrowing his eyes.
“Not this time she doesn’t. Olivia is my fiancée, and when she’s with me I keep her safe, not some bodyguard who needs to learn his place. You know who the hell I am. I’m sure you know Félix wouldn’t appreciate you giving me problems,” I snap.
The bodyguard thins his lips, not pleased in the least bit. He switches his gaze from me to Olivia. “If you need me, call.”
“Thank you, Mason, I’ll . . . I think I’ll be fine with Finn,” she says, eyeing me up and down. She takes a step closer to me, but I’m considering this as a win. Given her attitude yesterday, any progress is good progress.
“Come on, we’ll be late if we don’t head out,” I inform her and guide her to the passenger side of my car. I open the door and offer to hold her hand as she slips inside. She doesn’t take it, but at least the offer was there. No matter if she accepts my affections or not, at least she knows I’m offering them.
I close the passenger door and head to the other side of the car, and slide in behind the steering wheel. The car’s still running, I didn’t want to take the chance of it being hot when she got inside. I pull away from the curb and head for the landing strip where the helicopter awaits.
Neither of us speak until I pull into a parking spot.
“Where are we going?” she asks, confused, and I don’t miss the small amount of fear in her voice.
“It’s a surprise. I promise it will all be okay. Your brothers know where you’re going, and I think it’s best you know I’ll have you home late tonight,” I say, attempting to reassure her however I can.
“Okay.” She nods.
Nodding, I turn the motor off, pull the key from the ignition and get out. I walk around the back of the car and get to her side before she can get out, but she beats me to it. I should’ve known. Olivia takes a few steps ahead of me and then waits for me to come by her side. We both walk alongside each other and I guide her to the helicopter. “Have you ever been in one?”
“No, but I’ve been on planes,” she states.
“I promise this’ll be fun,
” I chuckle and help her into one of the seats and take the one next to her.
When we’re both seated, buckled, and ready to go, the pilot switches on the rotors and we’re off. We’re flying for about ten minutes when a gust of wind causes things to get a little rough, and Olivia’s hand smacks down onto mine. She has a white-knuckled grip on my hand.
“It’s okay. I make this trip all the time,” I murmur through the mic into her ear. Throughout the entire ride it takes us to get to the landing strip in Corpus Christi, I talk to Olivia about minuscule things while I point out the lights of the city.
After we land, I help her out of the helicopter and guide her over to the car I had arranged to wait for us. My driver opens the door for us, and I help her into the back seat, then climb in behind her. Adam, my driver, closes the door behind me. He’s worked for me from the time I took over the business for my father. Before that, he was a kid on the street who was stealing just to have food in his stomach. I took him in and gave him a job, a place to live, and a purpose to want to live.
“So, where are we going now?” Olivia asks.
“It’s a surprise. It’s our first date, I wanted to be alone with you without any interruptions,” I murmur, turning in the seat to meet her gaze. I lift a hand to run it along her cheek, but she immediately shivers and pulls back from my touch. I take my hand away, worried she fears me somehow, for some reason, and clear my throat. “I want you to know how special I find you and I don’t see this as . . . solely a business arrangement between our families.”
Olivia’s breath hitches, and I give her a smile that shows her I’m serious about everything.
Adam comes to a stop, and I know we’ve made it to our destination. I offer her my hand, and she surprises me because she accepts, taking my hand in hers. I’m not missing the way she’s gnawing on her bottom lip, though. I step out and help Olivia follow suit. I turn her around to see her surprise and the way she gasps has me grinning from ear to ear.
Deprave (DeLancy Crime Family Book 2) Page 2
