Forgivable Sins (Bellandi Crime Syndicate 2)

I just hoped that Samara knew that, because there was no line that I wouldn't cross when it came to her. She consumed my every thought. Drove me crazy with the fact that I had to wait, even though I understood fully.

Soon enough, we'd move past the wounds Connor had given to my woman.

And then nothing would ever come between us.

???

I didn't waver as I strolled into Murphy’s. Men like me couldn't show weakness, not even when we stormed into enemy territory. Tiernan wasn't an enemy yet, but if he won the war happening over Adrian's trafficking ring, he would be. Matteo didn't tolerate that shit in his city, and it would put them on opposite ends automatically.

Which meant making it clear to him that Samara was off limits, had a time stamp on it. He needed to understand before we came to blows, or his word would mean nothing. Even as it stood, it would probably be temporary. Nothing was safe in times of war. Even if Matteo never went after a woman for the crimes her man committed, the others didn't show the same respect.

I imagined it would make Matteo slightly more hesitant to go to war, whereas before he'd had nothing to lose, now he had a pretty wife and daughter.

But Matteo didn't lose the wars he started, and Tiernan Murphy was nothing but a shit stain compared to the men Matteo had seen dead and buried for defying hi

s will.

"Angelino!" Tiernan said jovially, standing and smiling at me as I strolled up to the booth at the back of the pub where he conducted his business and made his deals. His copper hair almost reminded me of Samara’s but had a lightness to it that hers lacked because of her Hebrew mother.

I had to wonder if her shithead father looked anything like Tiernan, given that he'd been Irish. I was grateful that he'd left, because if it hadn't been for that then Samara and her family never would have moved to Chicago, but I saw the wounds it left Samara with. Yavin said that she and her father had been practically inseparable before he left and never came home, taking the family's savings with him.

"Murphy," I greeted, standing before his table. He motioned to the chair on the other side of the table, and I slid into it and made myself comfortable.

"What brings you to my neck of the woods?"

"Connor Walsh," I said abruptly.

"Ah, he owes me a great deal of money. I know his wife is a friend of yours, which is why I thought he may be trustworthy to lend to given he had a trust fund on top of it. I've delayed hurting him out of respect, but—"

"Samara is no longer his wife, and I do not give the first shit what you do with Connor if you find him first, though I would love to participate," Murphy's brows raised, his slightly wrinkled face twisting as he worried his lip.

"I didn't realize the divorce went through. I knew Walsh fought her on it, and who can blame him, am I right? A piece like that—"

"Samara is my wife." I cut him off with a glare. "As such, I take it you understand that means she is under Bellandi protection, as she herself is a Bellandi now. If you go anywhere near her, we will consider it a declaration of war."

He held up his hands as if he was innocent, looking at his buddies who surrounded him in amusement. "I wouldn't dream of touching the wife of a Bellandi. Congratulations on your marriage then. I'll handle my problems with Walsh personally, I assure you. Now that I understand the situation clearly."

"Good," I said, sighing in relief. While I hadn't expected him to argue the point, one never knew what a power-hungry man like Murphy would do in his pursuit of more power. "How's Aoife?"

"Her father is as strict as ever. Won't let me marry her until she's 21." He rolled his eyes in reference to his future father-in-law. Aoife's father ran the Irish syndicate on the opposite side of the city, and despite Matteo having overall power in the city, he tolerated Liam O'Connell's presence out of respect for the other man. They conducted their business very similarly, transitioning to more legal pursuits slowly and only partaking in the criminal aspects when they could endeavor to ensure that innocents were not hurt unnecessarily. Aoife had no love for Murphy but had been betrothed to him at a young age as he was the son of her father's top enforcer.

She was young, raised in the life and knew her place. With no sons of his own, Liam had no choice but to pass everything down to his daughter's husband, and I often felt that his delaying on the marriage between Murphy and Aoife was because he knew he wasn't the right match for her and needed an excuse to find a way out of it.

We'd see if he found one, and what happened when he split his organization in half to benefit his daughter. I didn't think Liam realized how many of his men flocked to Murphy's way of doing things. At any rate, the Irish were none of my business.

"You are over twice her age. Perhaps he thinks she should be able to live a little before settling into the life you'll no doubt expect. Could you imagine being married at her age?"

"So long as she's virginal when we marry, it matters little to me," he shrugged, ever the misogynist. He was far from virginal, having gotten around in his forty years of life. Aoife seemed like a sweet girl, and I hoped Liam found a way out of the betrothal for her sake.

"Well, I'll let you get back to business," I said, standing when someone strolled into the pub and looked straight at Murphy.

"I appreciate you coming to clear things up, Angelino. Take care of your beautiful wife. I hope she gives you all the beautiful children men like us require." I grimaced as I smiled but nodded and turned on my heel.

Being around Tiernan Murphy always made me feel like I needed a shower. Samara's name on his lips only made me want to shower her off too, even if she hadn't been near him.

Ugh.

Twenty-One