Sweet and Vicious(Margarelli Brothers 1)

I knew because I’d watched him quietly fall apart after she died. The big, strong man who never showed weakness had started to crumble around the edges. Unfortunately for my brother and me, it had made him even more twisted and fucked up than before.

“You want bigger?”

“Not bigger, necessarily. She’s a tiny little thing. But something classic. Maybe antique.”

“I have estate rings out the wazoo,” Luciano said. “And then there are some that look estate, without the juju.”

“Juju?” Mikey asked with a raised eyebrow.

“The mojo from the last marriage. The stones remember.”

It made sense to me. Mikey was biting back a sarcastic retort, I could tell. But I nodded. I didn’t want any juju. Not for this.

“Hold on, I keep these in the back.”

He came back carrying a stack of flat black velvet trays. He set them down, then laid them out across the glass display case in front of me.

I knew it the moment I saw it.

“That one,” I said, pointing to a tear-shaped emerald flanked with diamonds. It was set in white gold. There was a matching wedding band, too. “It’s perfect.”

“Classy lady, huh? Most people want flash. But this here” —he held up the ring— “this is quality. Guy up the coast designs them for me. He takes top of the line stones and sets them like they used to. But he streamlines the design a little. It’s classic, but modern.”

“Just like her.”

Mikey and Luciano exchanged a look.

“You got it bad, eh?”

He winked at me. I gave him a stony look and pulled out a fat roll of hundreds.

“She deserves it,” I said as I started counting out the money. “You got anything matching? Necklace? Earrings?”

He smiled wide and held up his hands.

“Do I ever. Hold on.”

Luciano did not disappoint. He had different options from the same designer. A plain diamond bracelet and one with alternating tear-shaped emeralds and diamonds. I got both. Diamond and emerald drop earrings, and a similar pair with pearls and diamonds instead. And a necklace of diamonds with one large tear-shaped emerald in the center.

I knew she would look gorgeous in it.

I knew she wouldn’t want to accept it.

But as my wife, she wouldn’t have a choice.

I smiled grimly and bought it all.

Chapter 18

Evangeline

I stared out at the city, kneeling in the wide window seat. I closed my eyes, leaning forward so the sun shone on my face. It had been a beautiful day, from what I could tell from inside my cage.

I miss the fresh air and sunshine, I thought, pretending I was in the park near the university. It had a secluded rose garden. It seemed like no one was ever there.

It almost always felt like I had the place all to myself. Even if someone was at the other end of the concentric circles of heirloom roses, they were far away.

It was the kind of place you didn’t make a lot of noise in. Like a church. It was that special.

A vice clamped over my arm and I was yanked backward. My eyes flew open. I was staring up at a pair of very dark, very angry eyes. Despite my fear, I couldn’t help noticing how long his eyelashes were.

Tony was inches away from me.

Our chests are nearly touching, I thought randomly as he glared at me.

“What the fuck are you doing, Evie? Trying to jump?”

“What? No! I was . . .” I trailed off as I fought back tears. He was still holding my upper arm. Only now, he had both of my arms in a tight grip. Too tight. “You’re hurting me!”

He let go instantly. I rubbed my arms, stepping back. He grabbed me again.

“Careful! There are no window guards up here. I’ll have to fix that,” he said with a determined glint in those gorgeously expressive eyes.

“Bars? You are going to put . . . bars on the windows?”

“Considering you were nearly hanging out of it, yes! Do you know what happens if you fall from up here?”

I shivered, whether from his words or the fact that I had been kind of close to the edge, I wasn’t sure. But the image of my mangled body down there was in my mind now. I couldn’t shake it.

“I would die,” I whispered. I didn’t want that. Even if it meant I was trapped in here forever, I still wanted to live.

“Maybe. Probably not. You’d probably just be fucked up beyond recognition.”

Now I really did shiver. I wrapped my arms around myself.

“I wasn’t going to fall.”

“It’s not worth the risk. I’m getting them fixed.”

He turned away, pulling out his phone and barking orders into it. I bit the inside of my cheek. My prison was about to get a lot more prison-like. I watched as he latched the window shut at the top and bottom. So much for the fresh air I’d been enjoying.