Stepbrother's Debt(42)
She closed the door, giving them a chance to finish up. Kicking off her heels, she took a seat and waited for them all.
They were silent on their way inside.
“Can you cook?” Jake asked, taking a seat beside her.
“I hope so, otherwise you’re going to have to be liars today,” she said, teasing.
Donnie sat at the head of the table, and she’d taken the seat beside him. Luiz sat at the other end, and Tonio sat opposite her and Jake.
“I didn’t know if there was any special protocol for eating,” she said. “You guys have so many traditions, I can’t remember them all.”
They dived into their food, and she smiled, her cheeks heating at their enthusiasm. She’d known she could cook but not that well.
After food was finished, she packed away the leftovers for all three men to take with them. Once the kitchen was clean, she made her way up to her bedroom. Staring at the large, imposing bed, she couldn’t help but wonder how many other women had been here before her.
She jumped as Donnie’s hand wrapped around her. “What has you thinking rather than climbing on that bed?”
“I was just wondering how many other women have been here before me.”
“No one. This is my space, and I’ve not brought any other woman here.”
“Seriously, you don’t have to lie to me.”
“I’m not lying. I’m telling you the truth. I’ve not had any woman here. Never wanted to bring anyone else back here.” He kissed her neck. “I always knew I’d bring my wife here to live.”
She closed her eyes, resting against him. “What’s going on with the woman you went to see today?”
“It’s bad, baby. She didn’t have a choice in becoming my father’s mistress. Her name’s Charlene, and she was trafficked, with the intention of being sold. Anthony took a shining to her, and she’s been here ever since.”
“Charlene, that’s her name?”
“Yes, she’s a sweet woman, at least, beneath all the fear, I imagine she is.”
He pulled away and started to unbutton his shirt. Paige stared at him, crossing her legs as arousal spiked within her.
“What’s going on, Donnie?” she asked.
Donnie released a sigh, but he didn’t pretend not to understand what she meant. “You’ll be at risk if I tell you.”
She shrugged. “We’re married because of my father. I’m always going to be at risk. At least this time I’ll have a choice. I want to know everything that’s going on in your life. We’re young, and yet, it feels like we’ve been alive for centuries already.”
Wrapping her arms around herself, she stayed in the same place, while Donnie pulled his shirt out of his pants, exposing more of his rock hard body. She wouldn’t be distracted until she knew what was going on.
“The Family has changed a lot over the last five years. I’ve seen a difference, and so have Jake, Luiz, and Tonio. We want to change it for the good.”
“How can you change something for the good? You’re not ready to take over. Your own fathers won’t let you take their place.” Donnie gave her look. “You’re going to kill your father?”
“Luiz, Tonio, and I, have all been planning this for over four years. We’ve discovered an unsettlement within The Family. They no longer like the ruling of my father, along with Luiz’s and Tonio’s, and wish for it to be over.”
“You’re going to kill them.”
He nodded.
“Can you do it?” This was his father. She couldn’t kill her own mother, but what Donnie was talking about was a hostile takeover.
“I can do it. There has never been any love between my father and me. He’s the reason my mother killed herself and the reason my little brother died. Tonio and Luiz, they all have reasons for wanting to take their fathers’ places.”
She rubbed at her temple. “You’re only twenty-one.”
“And I have the reputation and skill of a man twice my age, Paige.”
“This will mean you’ll be completely owned by The Family. There won’t be any getting away from it.”
“Do you really think there’s any getting away from it now?” he asked. “They’ll hunt you all down and kill you before they allowed you to be free.”
“What does Jake get out of this?” Paige asked, trying to make sense of it all.
“His father will move up the ranks. At the moment he’s only allowed to remain a soldier. Jake will take his place at my, Tonio, and Luiz’s side. There will be no more forced marriages or arranged marriages. We will keep out Family safe, and bring us into the modern world.”