The Mafia Boss

Ch. 17: I can't watch you marry him!

There's a moment of tense silence before I speak.

"Fine. Done."

Torin intervenes. "No fucking way!"

"T, stay out of this."

"The hell I will," he thunders, stalking towards where I'm standing. "You don't need to do this."

"Yes, I do."

I level my gaze with his, silently pleading with him. He knows as well as I do that this goes beyond our control. Maeve is and always will be my main priority and I'd rather marry Aidan ten times over before letting him anywhere near her, but it's not just about Maeve anymore. It's about the countless other children currently in danger. It's about making sure they're safe.

"Imogen, please."

His quiet plea breaks my heart.

"I have to do this."

I feel terrible for putting him in this position. Torin can't speak freely in this room. Not with Frank and Finn here. If he were to offer his true thoughts on the matter, they'd have their excuse to kill him. As powerful as Torin may be, he still relies on his relationships with other bosses. I shouldn't, but I take advantage of that.

"When do we start?" I ask, eyeing Frank first before turning towards Finn.

They share a brief look before speaking in unison. "Soon."

I nod.

"Does that suit?" he asks, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Yes."

I refuse to break eye contact first and—despite knowing my place—hold out. Frank may be in a position of power, and he may use that power to bully me into a marriage I have no interest in entering. But he won't take away the one thing I've held onto all these years.

My integrity.

"Louisa will be in touch to discuss wedding arrangements."

It feels wrong hearing that.

"Anything else before we leave?" asks Frank, smirk insufferable.

"That's all," I assure.

Aidan stands and—living up to his true narcissistic ways—kisses me on the cheek. "I look forward to seeing you again, Imogen."

I turn my head away from him, truly repulsed by his insinuation. Torin practically growls, murdering him ten times over in his imagination.

"We should all get together sometime?" he suggests, looking around the room. "It'll be like old times."

Old times, my arse! We didn't like each other as kids and we sure as hell didn't hang out. Eva was always off with her older friends and Aidan—well—him killing animals was a hard pass from me.

"Sounds good," I tell him, gifting him pleasantries for the sake of keeping the peace.

He whispers something to Torin on the way out which has him curling his fists and breathing out of his nostrils. I deliberately avoid his gaze, unable to physically meet his eye in this moment.

"Look at me, Imogen."

Fuck.

"Please."

I gift him my gaze and the second I do; I wish I hadn't. His expression is distraught to say the least and I'm sure—as my reality kicks in—mine is an exact replica.

"What did you do?"

"He's trafficking children, Torin."

"I know, but we could've figured it out. You could've come to me."