Bound by Hatred (Born in Blood Mafia Chronicles 3)

“Aria?” I whispered, my heart pounding in my chest. She didn’t seem to hear me.

“Take her drink. But don’t drink,” Cesare told me. I picked up the glass, too shaken to be annoyed by his patronizing tone.

We made our way to the back and then down into a basement. Aria’s legs barely supported her. I stayed beside her the entire time. When we stepped into a sort of office, my eyes settled on Matteo who lounged in a chair. His gaze zoomed in on me before taking in the rest of the scene. He pushed to his feet. “What’s going on?”

“Probably roofies,” Romero said.

Roofies? I narrowed my eyes at the asshole who’d drugged my sister. I wanted to hurt him, but the expression on Matteo’s face made it clear that I would get my wish. His eyes held a promise to me. I knew it was sick, but somehow this made me want to kiss him even more.

Something was so wrong with me.

***

Aria and I were sent away before Luca and Matteo started dealing with the bastard, and Romero led us out the backdoor toward an SUV. My heart clenched when I settled on the backseat with Aria’s head on my lap. She was so helpless. I stroked her hair as I listened to her rambling. The idea that someone wanted to hurt her scared the shit out of me. This was probably the first time that I was glad for our bodyguards. Without them that sick fuck would have kidnapped Aria and raped her. But I knew he’d get what he deserved, and I was oddly okay with it. I hated the mob and what it stood for, but right now I couldn’t bring myself to feel bad for Aria’s attacker. Maybe this was a sign of how much this life had shaped me, a sign of how messed up I was. I couldn’t get the look on Matteo’s face out of my head. That flicker of excitement as he pulled out his knife before Aria and I left the room. He and Luca were both monsters. I wasn’t sure yet who was the more dangerous of the two. But the worst thing was that part of me felt attracted to Matteo’s monstrous side.

***Almost one month had passed since I’d last seen Matteo. Somehow his words about owning me still wouldn’t leave my mind. Every time I relived our kiss, I brought them to the forefront of my brain to let my anger wash away any kind of longing my body felt. The only reason why I even still remembered that stupid kiss was because things at home were so bad. I was constantly fighting with Father, most of the time about my habit of saying what I thought, just like today. “I don’t give a damn what’s expected of me.”

Mother shushed me, her eyes shock-wide, but I was beyond listening. If Father told me one more time that I should behave myself like a decent lady, I’d lose my shit. “Why is it so difficult to get into your head? I don’t want to be a lady, definitely don’t want to be a good little wife to some mob asshole some day. I’d rather cut my own throat than end like that.”

I saw it coming but didn’t even try to avoid it. Father’s palm hit my face. It was one of his lighter slaps, which usually wasn’t a good sign. He hit hard when he had no words to break my spirits. If he went easy on me, I wouldn’t like what he had to say. He gripped my shoulders hard until I met his gaze. “Then maybe you should go looking for a sharp knife, Gianna, because Vitiello and I decided to marry you off to his son Matteo.”

My mouth fell open. “What?”

“You must have made quite an impression because he asked his Father to make this arrangement.”

“You can’t do that!”

“I can. And it wasn’t my idea. Matteo seemed very adamant about marrying you.”

“That bastard.”

Father’s grip tightened and I winced. Lily only stared with huge blue eyes. She and Aria had only occasionally experienced Father’s rougher side. He usually reserved his slaps and cruelness for me, the bad daughter. “This is exactly the reason why I’m glad to have you out of our territory. If I married you off to one of our soldiers, I’d have to punish one of our own for beating you to death for your insolence, but if Matteo Vitiello tortures some sense into you, I’ll be off the hook because I can’t risk war with New York.”

I swallowed my hurt. I knew Father liked me least, and it wasn’t as if I needed his approval or affection, but his words stung anyway. Mother, of course, didn’t say anything, only stared down at her plate while folding and unfolding her stupid napkin. Lily’s eyes were brimming with tears but she knew better than to open her mouth when Father was in a mood. She and Aria had always been better at self-preservation than me.

“When did you make the decision?” I asked firmly, trying to mask my feelings.

“Matteo and his father approached me right after Aria’s wedding.”

And suddenly I knew when Matteo had decided to marry me: when I’d told him the morning after our kiss that I would never marry him. The arrogant asshole couldn’t take the hit to his pride. He was marrying me to prove a point: that he got whatever he wanted, that he had the power while I was a marionette in the hands of the mafia. “I won’t marry him or anyone else. I don’t care what you say. I don’t care what the Vitiellos are saying. I don’t fucking care.”

Father shook me hard until my ears started ringing. “You will do as I say, girl, or I swear I will beat you until you forget your name.”

I glared. I’d never hated anyone as much as I hated the man in front of me, and yet part of me, some hopeful, stupid, weak part loved him. “Why do you do this? It’s not necessary. We already gave them Aria to make peace. Why do you force me to marry? Why can’t you let me go to college and be happy?”