Arranged love

I barge into the house and head straight to his office with my two babysitters right on my ass. I know that’s where he is. I shove open the door to find him alone sitting behind his desk on his phone. He doesn’t even bother looking up at me. I walk up to it and slam my palms down on the surface.

“I’ll have to call you back,” he says into his cell.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I demand the moment he sets it down.

His eyes go to the two idiots who I know are standing behind me. He gives them a nod, and then I hear the door shut when they let themselves out.

“Funny.” He leans back in his seat, glaring up at me. “I can ask you the same question.”

“I was talking to my mother,” I snap. “Not running away.”

“You went without protection.”

I snort and shove off his desk. “I don’t need them breathing down my neck.”

“Haven-” He stands.

“No,” I interrupt him. “I’m serious, Luca. I will not let you treat me like your father treats Mia.” His eyes narrow on me. “I won’t allow you to …”

“To what?” he growls. “Keep you safe?”

“Make me a prisoner,” I correct him.

He runs a hand over his face and lets out a sigh. “Haven, there are things going on that you don’t know about.”

“You mean the six men you slaughtered years ago and now their leader is after you for revenge?” I arch a brow. “Or how about when you left me and made me think it was for another woman?” I yell. “You could have just told me about Mia. I would have kept your secret or went with you, but you didn’t even stop to think of that as an option.”

“You were in college.”

“I dropped out anyway!”

He nods once, and his jaw clenches. “Is this how our marriage is going to go? Always bringing up the past?”

I say nothing.

“Oh? So it’s like that?”

“Yes.” I cross my arms over my chest. “It’s like that.”

He walks around his desk and pushes his body into mine. I glare up at him. “You don’t want to challenge me, Haven.”

“What are you going to do to me, Luca? Send me to my room? Take away my phone? Make my two babysitters watch my every move?”

He lifts his hand, and instinct has me flinching.

His hand pauses by my face, and I realize that he was just going to tuck some hair behind my ear, but the damage is done. I thought he was going to hit me, and he knows it.

He fists his hand, snatching it back, and places both hands in the front pocket of his slacks.

We stand in an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds before he turns, giving me his back, and sits at his desk. “You are no longer allowed to leave the house.”

“Luca-”

“You will not leave this house!” he shouts, interrupting me. “Not without the guys at your side. And you will stay the hell away from your mother.”

“Excuse me?”

“I mean it, Haven. It’s an order.”

He did not just say that. “An order. You will not …”

“Since when do you want to see her anyway?” He arches a brow. “You hated her just last week. All of a sudden, she’s your best fucking friend.”

“She’s my mother!”

He snorts. “Since when does that mean anything?”

I throw my arms up, not in the mood to have this conversation with him. Without another word, I turn around and storm out of his office.

LUCA

I left Haven back at the house to stew. All of a sudden, she wants to be best friends with her mother, and I don’t like it. I park my car behind Kingdom and run up the stairs. I had been on the phone with Bones when Haven entered my office at home. He said he needed to see me, so here I am.

“Hello, sir.” Nigel greets me.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“Is Bones upstairs?”

“He’s in the meat locker, sir.”

Hmm. Wonder who the unlucky bastard is?

“I will escort you.” He walks out from behind the desk and over to the single elevator. Using his key card, he presses the lowest level, and it begins to descend. “You have a good evening, sir,” he says as the door slides open.

I nod to him. “You too, Nigel.” Exiting the elevator, I walk down the long hallway. Coming to the end, I twist the knob and push the door open. Stepping into the cold room, I allow the heavy metal door to close behind me. I see Bones standing in the middle of the room with his hands in the pockets of his dress slacks, staring down at a man who is on his knees. A man I know well.

Marco.

“You’re out of time,” Bones tells him. “And I had to track you down. Know what that means?”

Marco just shakes his head.

“Means I get to break your hands.”

“No. No. You said if I didn’t sign the paper, you would break my hands, but I signed it.” His eyes go from Bones to mine. They plead with me as if he thinks I came to save him.

I don’t.

“I guess that makes you a thief and me a liar,” Bones states.

“Wait. Wait. I can get your money.”

“Obviously, you couldn’t, or you would have.”

“What can I do?” he begs wide-eyed.

“There’s nothing you can do now. You’re out of time.” Bones steps up to him, grabs his right hand, and bends it back. The sound of bones breaking bounces off the concrete walls.

Marco screams out in agony, throwing his head back. “It was only five grand,” he cries, now cradling his broken wrist.

Bones places his hands back in the pockets of his slacks. “I would have broken it for five dollars,” he states. “It’s the principle. Now I’ll give you three days to pay it, or I’ll break the other one. Understand?”