Ryder's Claim (Mafia Heirs 2)

Outside, the earth is damp with last night's rainfall, and my steps are heavy. I don't see Ryder right away, but then I spot a figure at the beginning of the maze. My heartbeat quickens and I mentally reprimand myself. I shouldn't be getting so excited about seeing him... and yet I can't help it, and I'm done fighting my feelings for the man I can't have.

"Good morning," I say softly as I approach him. Ryder's back is turned to me as he crouches close to the ground, busy doing something I can't see. "What's going on?"

"Come here," he calls out over his shoulder. "I have something for you."

I furrow my brows but do as he asks nevertheless, lifting my skirt so I don't dirty my expensive dress in the mud. I could afford a thousand of them now, but old habits die hard.

When I round his figure and see what's on the ground before him, I nearly shriek with delight, and my eyes start to water with tears I didn't know I had left.

"Ryder, you didn't..." I whisper. But the proof of what he's done is right there.

The tabby cat I found in the villa is somehow here, and so are her three kittens. They've grown up quite a bit, but they seem just as sweet and gentle as they were when I first saw them in our gardens. I crouch next to Ryder and gently pet the cats. The kittens seem fearful but the mother is happy and begins purring the moment my palm makes contact with her soft fur.

"You mentioned your papa not letting you keep them, but they're more than welcome here," Ryder tells me with a firm grin. "They can have a new home in the barn, and you can feed them every day. I even convinced Father to let you take one of them to your room and keep it there."

"You did?" I wipe the tears off my face. I'm getting so emotional. But this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me and it's made me feel so incredibly special. "I can't believe you did this for me."

"It was important to you, wasn't it?"

I nod, feeling more tears slide down my cheeks. "I wanted to protect them. When I mentioned them to Papa, I had a feeling he would have them shot..."

"Well, luckily I got there in time." Ryder pets the kittens too, making me laugh with delight. "So, which one will be the lucky one that gets to come home with you?"

As much as I want to take them all back to my room, I know I can only pick one. Two of the kittens are rowdy, already playing with each other. They seem confident and strong. But the other one, a tiny white-and-tiger-striped gray one, seems like the runt of the litter, clinging to the back and fearfully watching me.

"This one," I whisper, pointing to the scared kitten. "It needs me the most."

Ryder picks it up and hands it to me with a broad grin. "It's a boy. What will you call him?"

"Tiger," I smile. "And I will teach him to be one."

10

Ryder

It's the eve of Nicoletta's eighteenth birthday. The day has been lingering in my mind, patiently reminding me from today on, I can touch her... if I were so inclined. And yet I'm still battling with my inner demons – the ones that whisper in my ear, telling me she's not mine to touch. Nicoletta Carlucci belongs to my brother Adrian and I should be doing everything in my power to stay away from her... but can I?

Tonight, the family will celebrate together. Gustavo Carlucci isn't here but he'll be arriving a few days late to celebrate with his daughter. I'm already dreading the dinner we'll all be sitting down to. I know all my brothers, my father and Marzia will be there, which means it will be a tense affair. So as much as I crave Nicoletta's company, I'm not looking forward to what tonight will bring.

Seven p.m. rolls around quicker than I would have liked. I inspect my reflection in the mirror in my bedroom. I'm unlike Adrian – my skin is not covered in ink like his. I'm taller, but I'm also leaner than Adrian. He looks like a man, but with me, you can still see those boyish edges I've been trying to escape my entire life.

Frustrated with what I see in the mirror, I groan and button my suit. Tonight will be difficult and I don't think any of us are ready.

By the time I arrive at the dining room, everyone but Adrian and Marzia is already there. I furrow my brows and tighten my lips. My brother is being beyond fucking disrespectful to his future wife, gallivanting with the captive right before her eyes. But something tells me Nicoletta doesn't mind so much. Since I walked into the dining room, all her gazes have been aimed at me.