“What I want to know is what the hell her mom did to her? I’ve never seen a woman look at their mom with such hatred.” Romero chuckles, “That woman should sleep with one eye open from now on.”
I frown, “If Makenna was going to kill her mom, I think she’d have done it by now.” I slide into the driver’s side and wait for Romero and Alessio to climb in. As soon as they do, I drive, needing some distance between me and Makenna.
That just makes Romero chuckle louder. “Oh, dear brother,” he tuts. “I wasn’t talking about Makenna, I doubt she can hurt anyone. I’m talking about you. When you find out what happened, you’re going to go on a rampage.”
I glare at the asshole. Why does he have to be so astute? “Fuck you.”
Both he and Alessio laugh, “Who’d have thought that Dante ‘Ice’ Bianchi is being led by a woman. One that he’s not yet fucked.”
My hands tighten around the steering wheel.
“I wonder what it’ll be like to fuck her. Will she fight? Or lay there and take it like a good girl?” Romero laughs.
I slant him a look, one that has him shutting the fuck up. My knuckles are white from the grip I have on the wheel. “One more word about my fiancée and I’ll gut you where you sit.”
“Fuck,” Alessio whispers.
Yeah, I’m deadly serious about gutting my brother, we’ve all made threats before but never meant it. Until now.
“Makenna is mine.”
Romero grins but keeps his damn mouth shut. Both he and Alessio have knowing smiles on their faces and if they continue, I’m going to wipe it off their faces.
“We’ve got your back bro,” Alessio says after a couple of minutes. “We won’t let dad get to her.”
Damn fucking straight we won’t. I know what that asshole is capable of.
“Where are we going?” Romero asks.
I grin, “I’ve a Russian to find.” My mind is filled with the images of the bruise on Makenna’s creamy skin. Some bastard put hands on her and for that he’s going to pay.
Three
Makenna
“Makenna…” The gentleness of my mother's voice has the hair on the back of my neck standing up. She’s being nice, that can only mean she wants something.
“What, Ma?” I’m tired of this bullshit, the sooner I’m away from her the sooner I’ll be able to relax. I glance in the mirror and look back at myself. The scar on my neck shining like a beacon against my tanned skin and white robe; it’s a reminder that I’m nothing more than a victim in this world of monsters.
“You won’t…” She stops and I turn to face her, she’s sitting on the sofa, “You won’t tell anyone, will you?”
I let out a bitter laugh. “Don’t worry, Ma, your secret is safe with me. I’m not stupid. If I tell them what happened, what do you think is going to happen?”
She glances down at her hands, wringing them together.
“It’ll mean war. Something I don’t want, nor does Da, hence why this farce of a marriage is happening.”
She sighs, her body slumping forward with relief, but she frowns, “You don’t like your fiancé?”
I shrug, “I don’t know him to make that assessment.”
She lets out a little laugh and it grates on me. “You’re so clinical. You’ve been around your uncle too long.”
I take a step toward her, her eyes flash with fear before she masks it. “Why do you think that is, Ma? Hmm? If this comes out, what do you think is going to happen to you?”
She folds her arms over her chest and leans back against the sofa. “I’m married to your father, Makenna, you know just as well as I do that the Irish Mafia don’t harm women.”
I roll my eyes, she’s fucking naïve. “You really believe that if Da finds out what happened, he’ll let you live? That if Killian finds out he will?”
She gasps, “Makenna, you can’t tell them.”
A knock at the door gives her the reprieve she needs. “Get out, Ma, and leave me the hell alone. Today I’m getting married and then I don’t want to fucking see you again.”
“Watch your language, Makenna, I’m still your mother.”
“You gave that right up, you’re my mother in blood only…” I shake my head, she’s a fucking bitch. “Get out. I have to get ready.”
She huffs but does as she’s told. She opens the door and finds Kinsley standing on the other side glaring at her, her silver purple bridesmaid dress hugging her curves in all the right places. She looks gorgeous. Once mom’s gone, Kinsley closes the door and locks it. “What the hell did she want?”
I sit down and grab the champagne glass that’s on the table. “She wanted to make sure I’d keep my mouth shut.”
Kinsley’s eyes flash, she’s the only person that knows what happened and I trust her more than I trust anyone in this world. Kinsley will take my secret to the grave, just as I will hers. “She’s a bitch, Kenna. I wish you’d change your mind and tell your dad what happened.”
I raise my brow, “Take your own advice and tell Ace.”
She shakes her head, her long brown hair cascading down her back. “I can’t, you know that.”
I nod, “I do, and you know I can’t tell my da, it’ll cause a fucking war.”
She looks at me and I see the sorrow deep in her eyes. It’s the worst thing about her knowing what happened, the look in her eyes whenever she thinks about it. I feel like I’m twelve and lying in a pool of my own blood, again.
“Shall we get you dressed?” Her voice is soft but full of support. I take another sip of champagne and get to my feet. My hair and makeup are done, all that’s left is to put on my dress. “Your dress is beautiful, Kenna; you’re going to look stunning.”
I give her a smile, beauty is something I don’t consider, not with the scar that I have. Growing up, boys would always say I was pretty, shame about the scar. Girls would make fun of it; laugh and point. I got a thick skin fast, but the shit they said, it stuck. The words Makenna and beauty don’t belong in the same sentence.
She helps me get into my dress, it’s tight fitting but as soon as I tried it on, I knew it was the one for me. It’s got lace covering my neck so it hides my scar, it’s backless and sleeveless. It hugs my hips and flows down to the ground. Beauty isn’t me, but this is as close as I’ll ever get. I don’t think I’ve ever felt as sexy as I do right now wearing this dress.
Kinsley lets out a low whistle. “Damn, Kenna, Dante is going to lose his damn mind when he sees you.”
At the mention of Dante my heart beats faster, there’s something about that man that makes my knees go weak. I’ve never been one to swoon over a guy, until Dante. Whenever he touches me, my body trembles in ways that it shouldn’t. I should be afraid of him. I’ve heard the stories about the Famiglia made men and the way they treat their wives and daughters, and yet whenever I look into Dante’s eyes, I find a sense of peace I haven’t had in a long time. To me, that’s the ultimate danger. I learned that trust isn’t something I should give, with the exception of Kinsley, I don’t even trust my brothers. To them, the family comes first and I’ll always be second. I understand that, I’ve known that my entire life. It’s our way of life and that’s the reason I can’t trust them. I know if they ever knew that, they’d be hurt.
“Kenna?” Kinsley asks softly, pulling me from my thoughts. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I reply, not sure what else I can say. I’m marrying a man I know very little about, his father is someone I hate, and I’m leaving my family behind to live with said husband.
She pulls me into her arms and I go willingly, “Promise me that you’ll still come visit. That we’ll still be the same. Promise me.” She chokes on her words.
“Oh, Kins, of course I will. Me and you, we’re not changing.” If Dante thinks he can forbid me from seeing her, he’s sorely mistaken.
She gasps for air and I lead her to the sofa; I should have realized she was worried. For Kinsley and I, we’re practically sisters. Even when I went to
live with Killian, Kinsley was there, always at my side. Hell she even came to Ireland to stay with me during the summers. If Dante doesn’t allow Kinsley and I to be friends, I’ll run away. For Kinsley, it would be her worst nightmare. For me, it would be the ultimate heartbreak, I’d be giving up everything I love, for her.
“It’s going to be okay, Kinsley.”
She shakes her head unable to breathe. Shit.
There’s a knock at the door and I quickly open it knowing I need to help Kins. I see Finn standing there with a huge smile on his face. “Finn,” I whisper and his smile drops, he peers past me to see Kinsley in the midst of a panic attack. “I need your help.”
He looks at me, his eyes soft. “What do you need?”
I take a deep breath, “I need you to get Dante to come here.” He opens his mouth to protest but I stop him. “Please, Finn.”
He nods once and turns, I close the door and go back to Kinsley; her face is red and her eyes glassy as she tries to suck in air but she’s panicking too much.
I kneel down beside her, pulling her head to mine so that our foreheads are touching. “Kins, please,” I say softly, hoping that she’ll hear me. I need to try and get through to her. “You’re meant to be the strong one. You’re the one that keeps us together remember?” I bite my lip hoping to stop the onslaught of tears that’s threatening to spill over. “Kinsley, you are the strongest woman I know. You are my sister.”
“I’m…” she sucks in a deep breath, “scared.”
I nod, my thumbs caressing her cheeks. “I know, but don’t be.”
“I—can’t—lose—you.”
I close my eyes, the pain I feel right now is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. “Kins, you’re not going to lose me.”
“I—almost—did—once—can’t—do—it—again…”
My hands on her face tighten. “You won’t.”
“You—almost—died—they—nearly—killed—you.” Her breathing is hard, every breath she takes sounds painful.
“Kinsley, I survived that shit. We’re here. Together, we’ve overcome so fucking much. We’re fine.”
“You—don’t—know—that. He—may—forbid—us—seeing—each—other.”
I let out a small laugh, “You make us sound like lovers.”
“You’re—my—sister—Kenna—my—protector. I—need—you—please—don’t—go. Please—don’t—let—him—break—us.” She’s crying now, and it’s adding to the panic.
I suck in a sharp breath, what am I supposed to say to that? She’s right, if we’re not allowed to be there for each other, it will break us.
“I won’t.” A deep voice breaks through mine and Kinsley’s moment. I turn and see Dante, Romero, Alessio, and Finn standing in the room. All of their eyes on us, Dante’s on me, his expression hard. Romero and Alessio’s gazes bounce between Kinsley and me, whereas Finn is having a hard time keeping his emotions in check.
“You won’t?” I ask in disbelief as I stand and position myself in front of Kinsley.
He stalks toward me, “I won’t keep you and Kinsley away from each other. When you’re at the clubhouse, you’ll have three guards.”
I hear Kinsley slowly start to regain her composure, her breathing doesn’t sound as painful as it had.
I step closer to Dante, we’re almost touching. “Just like that?”
His eyes scan my face, almost if he’s searching for something. “Not just like that. Today we marry, then tomorrow, you and I talk.”
I bite my lip, I should have known that he’d have stipulations.
He lowers his head, our lips almost touching. “You’re going to tell me what happened, Makenna. I can’t help you if you don’t.” His voice is gentler than I’ve heard before but it still has a bite to it.
“No one can help me,” I confess and watch as his eyes darken. “But, thank you anyway,” I say and his features soften.
Kinsley gasps and I turn to face her, Dante’s hand goes to my waist and goosebumps break out over my body. “You’re not supposed to see her in her dress before the wedding.”
I laugh, “Kins.”
She shakes her head. “Kenna,” her lips twitching, “it’s bad luck.”
I roll my eyes, “That’s our middle name.”
She laughs and to my utter surprise, walks over to Dante and hugs him. It’s awkward as he’s got his arm on my waist but that doesn’t bother Kinsley. “Take care of her.” I hear her whisper and Dante’s hand on my waist tightens.
Finn clears his throat, “Hate to break this up, but everyone’s waiting on us.”
Kinsley pulls away from us and gives me a smile. “You ready for this?”
I shrug, “Sure, as long as there’s vodka, I’m good.”
She laughs and I’m glad, it’s better than hearing her cry. “Why is it that Irish people drink as much as they want and it’s normal?”
I smirk as I move out of Dante’s hold, “You mean, when you do it, you’re labelled an alcoholic?” She narrows her eyes, “It’s because we can handle our liquor. You, well Kins, you get on top of a bar and start stripping.”
I hear Finn’s chuckle and I turn to see him. “That was once!” She gasps in mock outrage, “Better than stealing a cop car and spending the night in jail.”
It’s my turn to laugh, “You spent the night in jail with me, or did you forget?”
Pain slashes through her face and I feel like an ass. She quickly recovers and snorts, “Hardly. Besides, it was a good night.” She slaps my ass and I narrow my eyes at her. “Your tramp stamp is something I’ll never forget.”
“It’s not a tramp stamp when it’s on my ass, Kins.”
“Who the fuck tattooed your ass?”
“What the fuck?”
Dante and Finn say in unison.
Kinsley laughs and I glare at her. “Fuck, will you both calm the hell down.”
“No, I want to know what fucking asshole put his hands on you and tattooed your ass,” Finn demands and Kinsley’s eyes widen, he’s not as aggressive around Kinsley as he is now.
“Why?”
“Because I’m going to kill him,” Dante snarls.
I can’t contain the burst of laughter that escapes me.
“Makenna, this isn’t funny,” Finn growls.
“What’s not funny?” Da asks as he strolls into the room, Patrick and Cian hot on his heels.
“Makenna let some asshole tattoo her ass.”
“What the fuck?” Patrick snaps and I resist the urge to roll my eyes.
“Shit,” Kinsley whispers.
“You all need to calm the hell down.” I tell them glaring at them all, Da however is standing in the doorway with a smile on his face.
“Tell us, Kenna,” Cian pleads with me.
“Makenna’s right, you all need to calm down. What the hell did I raise? A pack of wild animals?”
Finn turns his gaze to our father, his features cool and calm but I can see him internally battling with his anger.
“Christ. It was Kinsley,” Da tells them. “You know what those two are fucking like when they’ve been on the tear. They do stupid shit, hell getting a tattoo wasn’t even the worst shit they did that night. They thought it would be funny to get a tattoo and I told them both that they weren’t allowed to have anyone tattoo them. So they decided it would be funnier if they tattooed each other. So Kinsley gave Kenna a tatt and Kenna gave Kinsley one. Now do you want to calm the fuck down and relax? Today is supposed to be a joyous occasion, we finally managed to get someone to marry your sister.”
“Hey!” I cry out. “I’m a fucking catch!” Da grins and my brothers laugh. “It’s these fucking idiots you have to worry about. None of them know how to keep their cocks in their pants. No woman is going to want to marry their crotch infested asses.”
“Leave me the hell out of this. I did nothing wrong!” Cian says holding up his hands.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I say sarcastically. “I forgot who it was that I walked in on whi
le they were fucking two whores.”
“You should have knocked.” He growls.
“It was in the fucking pool at seven in the damn morning!”
Da smacks him around the head, “What did I tell you about those fucking whores?”
“Okay, it’s time for you all to leave. Makenna needs to finish getting ready and Dante needs to be at the altar waiting for her.”
Everyone except Dante leaves and I turn to him, butterflies swarm in my stomach as I wait for him to say what he wants. He turns to Kinsley, “Can you give us a minute?”
She bites her lip and gives him a tight nod, before turning to leave.
“Are you okay?” he asks closing the distance between us.
I look at him in shock, he’s showing concern for me, that’s something I didn’t think he’d do, ever. “I’m okay,” I tell him gently and I’m rewarded as he gives me a stunningly soft smile.
He’s so close, I could reach out and touch him, I’m itching to do it. His eyes soften as he looks at me. “That was fucking intense, Makenna.”
I do what I’ve been itching to do and place my hand on his chest, his heart beat is slow and steady and it settles me. “Kenna, my family call me Kenna.”
He searches my face and nods. “Kenna.” It rolls off his tongue and I let it wash over me. Loving how he says it. “It was intense, she’s your girl, are you okay?”
I bite my lip to stop my tears from falling, I feel his strong heartbeat and let it settle me again. “I’m okay, she’s not been like that in a while and seeing her like that hurt. But I’m okay, and thanks to you, she’s going to be.”
He’s quiet for a moment, “I meant what I said, tomorrow, we’re talking.”
I nod, “I know and I think I knew this day would come. Not tonight though, Dante, let’s just enjoy today and then tomorrow, we’ll deal with the ugly stuff.”
His head lowers so that our lips are barely touching, “You’re ugly stuff is going to be mine, the sooner you realize that I’m going to protect you from anything and everything that poses any harm to you, the better we’ll both be.”
Bloody Union Page 3
