Arranged love

“I’m no better than them.”

Wrapping my legs around his hips, I pull him against me, my fingers grabbing his hair. “I’m so tired of people telling me what’s good for me. When do I get to choose?”

He runs his tatted knuckles down my cheek before pushing pieces of matted hair behind my ear. “If you had an option to choose, it wouldn’t be me.”

“Dillan-”

“You haven’t had the chance to see the world, Mia. To experience what other women have. But I promise you that I will show it to you.”

The world? Right now, I’d settle for the hospital to see my brother. “And?”

“And what?”

“Then what?”

He tilts his head to the side. “Then you can choose.”

MIA

I LIE IN Dillan’s bed with a bowl of ice cream in one hand and the remote in the other, flipping through the channels. It’s been a week since I practically threw myself at him in his office. He made a phone call and had all of my stuff delivered from his house in Malibu. I already have what little there was put away in my very own closet. I was surprised when he showed me he had a his and hers. Of course it was empty-just like the rest of the house.

I’m always alone. Dillan is very rarely home. He had told me that once, but I have a feeling he’s also staying away to avoid me. Either way, I’m lonely at night. Just like I was in Italy.

I’ve become friends with the girls, but April and Emilee are home with the guys at night while Jasmine and Alexa are at the club and Kink working. They are getting ready for their grand opening soon. I’m still not allowed to go out in public, so I have to hide out here.

Deciding on a cooking show, I lean my back against the headboard and toss the remote beside me on the bed while I start to eat my ice cream just as my cell rings.

Picking it up off the nightstand, I frown when I see it’s a blocked number. Dillan told me he had saved all the numbers I needed for this new phone. But maybe it’s a private line from Kingdom, and he’s calling me from it.

Hitting answer, I smile. “Hey?”

“Hello, sis,” a familiar voice whispers.

My back stiffens. “How did you get this number?” I ask, my hands instantly shaking.

Matteo chuckles. “Do you really think that dark castle he keeps you in will save you?” I swallow nervously, looking around the dark room. The only light is from the TV. “We’re always watching you, Mia.”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“What do you want?” I ask, trying to swallow the knot that forms in my throat. I hate how right he is. No one can hide or run from my family. I’m no different.

“Tick tock,” he says vaguely.

“What does that mean?”

“It means that you’re running out of time. Make Bones-”

“I can’t.” I interrupt him. We might be having sex, but that doesn’t mean anything. He won’t love me. My brothers don’t know that I’ve told him about their plan. But even if he wasn’t aware, he still wouldn’t fall for me.

“I have an incentive for you. Check your messages.”

I pull the phone from my ear and stare at it when it vibrates, alerting me of an incoming text. I open it up and play the video. And just when I think Matteo can’t be any worse of a human, he proves me wrong.

“Make it happen, Mia. Or we’ll give you away for fucking free.” He hangs up.

BONES

I WALK INTO my house and rip off my black leather jacket, checking my watch. It’s a little after six in the morning, and I’m exhausted. Having to divide my time between Glass and Kingdom this week is wearing me thin. Titan is helping with things at Kingdom, but he’s growing irritated at the fact I won’t let him help at Glass. And that’s not adding Kink to my schedule. I may be a silent partner, but Alexa and Jasmine want my opinion on the build. Which I’m more than happy to help out with. And just yesterday, I had to make a mad dash up to Kink because Jasmine threatened to kill the plumber.

I turn the knob to my master suite slowly so I don’t wake up Mia. But stepping inside, I realize she’s not in here. I frown, walking over to the bathroom door and pushing it open as well. I hear the shower running. I go to look away but realize she’s dressed in a T-shirt of mine and a pair of cotton shorts, sitting on the floor, under the sprayer.

“Hey?” I walk over to it and pull the glass door open. “What are you doing up so early?” I’m not even going to ask why she’s wearing clothes in my shower.

She has her back against the tile, her knees pulled up to her chest, and her head down on her knees.

“Mia?” I call out her name, but she doesn’t move.

I reach out to feel the water, and it’s ice cold. “Christ,” I hiss, reaching over and turning it off. I yank the towel from the rod and open it up. “How long have you been in there?” I demand.

Still no movement or response.

I step into the shower and bend down. Wrapping the towel around her, I place my hand under her chin, forcing her to look up at me. Her eyes are red and puffy, her lips a light shade of blue, and I notice her small body shaking. “What happened?” I rub the towel along her arms, trying to warm her up.

“He called me,” she whispers.

My hands slow. “Who?”

“My brother.”

How did he get the number? “What did he want?” I’m guessing it’s not Luca because I spoke to Dr. Lane last night, and he was still in a coma.

“Sent me a video.”

Letting go of her, I step out of the shower, praying it’s not the one I’ve seen. Her phone is on the counter, and I open it up, prepared to go to her messages, but she already has it opened, and it’s paused on a video of her in a darkly lit room. “Fuck!” I hiss, turning and throwing the phone. It hits the wall and shatters the screen. Spinning back to face her, I see she’s staring at it on the floor. “I’ll get you a new one.”

“It won’t matter.” She lowers her head again to her knees. “He’s watching me.”

I storm back into the shower and grab her upper arms, yanking her to her feet. Now is not the time for her to close off or give up. I need her to tell me everything that she knows. “He said that?”

She tries to pull away from me, but I just dig my fingers into her arms more, refusing to let her go. “Please…?”

“Mia!” I snap her name. “This is serious. What did he say?”

She lifts her eyes to mine, and she sniffs. “Tick tock.”

Letting go of her, I sigh, running my hands through my hair. I know exactly what the fuck that means. They gave her a timeframe, and although she still has time, she’s not moving fast enough for them. If they have eyes on her, then they expect a show, and they’re not seeing one. “Then we give them what they want,” I state, knowing what needs to be done. Titan was right in a sense. I have to buy her some time while waiting for Luca to wake up. At this point, he’s our only hope.

“What do you mean?” she asks, her lips and shoulders shaking. I don’t miss the fact that my T-shirt she wears is wet and clinging to her body. I can see her hard nipples poking through the fabric.

“He wants a show, so we’ll give him one. We go public and make them think wedding bells are in our future.”