Beautiful Trouble: A Dark Mafia Romance

I nodded as a couple tears rolled down my cheek. “That’s why I had to start over and that’s why my dad let me. Part of it, anyway. He knew I could make trouble for him if I ever went public with my story, and so it was easier for the old version of me to die so I could live free.”

“I’m so sorry you had to go through all that.”

“I wanted you to know before we got married. I always figured I’d have to tell someone someday, and I guess today’s the day.”

“Thank you for trusting me.” He leaned closer and kissed my cheek gently. “If you want, I can hunt down Jerry and kill him.”

I felt a cheap thrill in my gut. I’d pictured murdering that bastard a thousand times over the years, but I knew that wouldn’t solve anything.

“Thanks anyway. He’s in the past now.”

“If you ever change your mind, say the word.”

“I only want to put it behind me.”

“Then you can. And you should. You’re not that little girl anymore, Winter.”

“I know I’m not. Sometimes I feel like I am though, and I hate it.”

“You’re not powerless.” He moved closer, one hand on my hip, the other laced through my hair. “The fact that you’ve survived this far proves it. When you’re my wife, I’ll give you whatever you want, all you have to do is ask.”

“What about a divorce?”

I meant it as a joke, but he didn’t smile. “When this is all over, if you still want to leave me, I’ll let you go.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do. When things with Roman are settled, if you want to go, you can go.”

I let out a breathy laugh but he still didn’t smile. I saw the resolve in his eyes and knew he wasn’t joking—

And it broke my heart.

I wanted to be free, but I also want to follow this through. I didn’t know if that meant being with Darren forever, but the idea became less and less grotesque with every passing day. I could almost picture it, the two of us standing atop a mountain of dead bodies, ruling over whatever kingdom he managed to carve out of the wreckage. Some deranged part of my brain wanted that future.

Even if I knew it was wrong.

“I don’t know what I want anymore. Can we leave it at that?”

“We can.” He kissed my neck then let me go. “You should head to your room. Isn’t it bad luck for me to see you before the wedding?”

“That’s just on the wedding day.”

“Let’s be extra careful.”

I drifted to the door. I felt lighter, unburdened.

I told him what I needed to tell him and now we could get married.

Why did that thought scare me more?

Maybe because there was nothing else to be afraid of.

22

Winter

The house was swarming with vendors and staff.

It was organized chaos. I stepped out into the hallway that morning and three strange women instantly assaulted me.

“Hold on, hey, what the hell are you doing?”

They tugged and pushed and prodded me into a room down the hall and dumped me down into a chair in front of a massive bronze mirror. Lights shone out, making me blink rapidly.

“Hair and make-up,” the oldest woman said, a thin lady with sleek dark hair and heavy eyeliner. “I’m Kathy, these are Laney and Cindy, my girls.”

They all bore a strong resemblance.

“Uh, nice to meet you.”

Kathy got to work. I was primped, pampered, and painted. At some point, a staff member brought me coffee and a light breakfast. A note was on the corner of the tray, folded in half.

Don’t eat too much, dear. You want to look beautiful on your wedding day. Love, Charleigh.

I ripped the note in half and tossed it into the trash can. Leave it to Charleigh to make a comment about my freaking weight on the morning of my marriage.

It didn’t matter. I went with the flow of things—every detail was handled. Penny appeared a few hours into the ordeal and kept me company until I got the dress on. Kathy, her two daughters, and Penny all stood around and cooed and made noises as they fluttered around me like hungry squirrels fixing every last detail of my hair, veil, dress, bouquet, and whatever.

“Now, Winter, do I need to talk to you about your wedding night?” Penny grinned at me as we lounged in a pair of easy chairs with champagne and crackers.

I groaned. “Don’t be gross. He’s your brother.”

“I know that, but it’s important for a woman to know what to expect for her first time.” Her eyebrows shot up in exaggerated horror. “You are a virgin, aren’t you?”

“Pure as fresh snow.”

“I knew it. You have that glow.”

I rolled my eyes and she laughed.

For ten minutes, I could forget everything. Penny had that easy charm about her, and though she wasn’t Cassie—we didn’t have a shared history and a thousand inside jokes yet—I could see her becoming an extremely close friend. I felt a pang of guilt, but it wasn’t like I didn’t want Cassie to be here. It was just how things were.