Marcus’ gaze shifts over the red mark that his father left across my face, and I find myself freezing like one of the many statues scattered around the property. Anger swirls in the depths of his eyes, and it’s clear that the idea of his father’s brutal hit doesn’t sit well with him, but where does he draw the line? Is it okay for him and his brothers to hurt me, but no one else?
“Why did you do it?” I question, more than aware of Levi stopping up ahead to listen in on our conversation. “He was going to kill me, but you stopped him. It doesn’t make any sense. Isn’t that what you guys have wanted all along? Your endgame is to see me in a shallow grave, so what’s the point of delaying the inevitable? You’ve gifted me that black blade and now saved my life. I just … I don’t understand.”
Marcus’ hand drops away and that rare flicker of emotion falls away with it, bringing back the callous and cruel version of himself that I’m quickly becoming far too familiar with. For a moment, I fear that my comments have flipped that switch inside of him, but his silence speaks volumes.
My gaze flicks to Levi as he hovers in the entrance of the living room, his stare aimed right back at me. “That’s not your intention, is it?” I question, my eyes widening with the realization. “You never wanted to kill me. You plan to keep me around.”
Marcus’ jaw clenches, his eyes hardening like stone, and I realize that this is so much more than just a ‘treat ‘em mean, keep ‘em keen’ kind of relationship. They stalked me for three months before making their move, they knew everything about me, they did their freaking homework. Why would guys like this dedicate their time to something like that, only to turn around and end my life? That’s not what they want from me.
“When you said welcome to the family, you weren’t just trying to fuck with my head. You really meant it,” I say to Marcus. “What am I supposed to be to you guys? Am I supposed to be some kind of replacement for the last chick? Some whore you’re all going to pass between yourselves to pass the time? All the threats and games, all the fear I’ve felt since the day you assholes took me, it’s all been for nothing. You were never going to hurt me.”
“No,” Levi confirms, striding back down the hall toward me. “It’s not our intention to end your life, but don’t be so naive to assume that accidents won’t happen. You saw the brutality of our world last night, and the cruelty of our father. We won’t always be there to protect you, nor do I feel that you’ve earned that protection. You’re here to play a part, but push us too far, and we’ll be more than happy to put you in the ground and find someone else to fill the spot.”
My stare lingers on his. “And what exactly is the spot that I’m supposed to be filling?”
His eyes narrow. “I guess that all depends on you.”
Without another word, both Levi and Marcus continue back toward the living room and I cautiously trail behind them, my head a complete mess from all the bombs that have been dropped today. First, it’s Roman’s relationship with the dead pregnant chick, then Marcus’ weird fascination with me which somehow morphed into the boys overthrowing their father. Though, I don’t blame them. After meeting the guy for myself, I’d be doing exactly the same thing. But the latest revelations are messing with my head.
They don’t intend to kill me.
This whole time, I’ve been under the impression that one step out of place would have seen me to a shallow grave. Hell, the brothers already have my death certificate signed and dated with news of my murder floating around the streets. The intention from the beginning is that I would never see my old life again, but I assumed that I wouldn’t be able to see much of this new one either.
So, what the hell do they want with me? It sure as hell explains why I’ve been able to get away with my snappy attitude and why they bothered to put me on birth control. If I was just a toy, Giovanni wouldn’t have had any interest in me either. Something more is going on here, and it grinds on my nerves that I don’t have the answers I need.
I follow the brothers into the living room to find Roman sitting back on a three-seater couch, his feet propped up on a coffee table with a brand new bottle of bourbon in his hand. He’s completely zoned out, staring out the front window as his big-ass wolf lays next to him, his enormous head resting in Roman’s lap.