Mafia Princess

AMELIA

I don't care what you say, there's no chance I'll marry him! My voice trembled with rage as I faced my father for the first time in my life. I'd be lying if my knees hadn't trembled under my false bravado.

"Calm down," Kyle , my father, told me. Anger was nothing more than an annoying gnat he could swat away. You don't have a choice.

My brothers prowled around the edge of the room, all looking for ways to avoid my eyes. None of you are going to defend me? Harry? Marcos? Not even you, Chase?

Fear shook my chest as they continued to ignore my pleas for help. Shit, my father should have informed them long before he gave me the news.

He killed Mom. His men killed Kyle Jr. How do you expect me to become his wife? It's fucking sick.' Mac shuddered, but none of them came to my aid. "It's sick!"

'I won't lose any more sons to his bullets. You've always known you'd marry for the good of the family.' Dad ran a hand over his chin and looked as rotten as I did. He didn't want this either.

"I thought you meant a rich mobster my age. William's older than you. You'd lose me to save them?" It hurt. Pain gripped my stomach and made my intestines churn like a pit of snakes.

"I'm trying to save all of you, would you rather it was Mery?".

Tears welled up in my eyes as I stared at my father. What a fucking question, me or my little sister? I didn't want either of us to end up under that sick bastard. No.

I don't have a choice. We need his restraints. We've fought long enough and someone needs to bury the hatchet to stop the killing.' My father sighed as he leaned heavily on his ornate mahogany desk.

Why does it have to be me, I had never fit the mob princess mold. Sure I liked the trappings of our wealth, the indoor pool, the vacations, being able to have whatever I wanted, but the pressure of the lifestyle had never appealed to me. I didn't know if others felt the same way or just ignored it, but I hated it. If it hadn't been for my family, I would have started from scratch somewhere a million miles away from grim old Glasgow and our crime-ridden lifestyle. For me, we were living in a gilded cage on a steaming dung heap. What about love? Freedom? Happiness? I wasn't going to have any of that and would trade every penny, every designer dress and even our family mansion to be happy. No one cared.

" You're my oldest daughter and you're the one he loves." Dad's voice caught in his throat, the hatred of decades was still there despite the supposed agreement.

What if I say no?

You don't have a choice.

"You can't force me to sign a marriage certificate or say the vows."

"I'm sure that won't be a problem for William . He knows enough people in the system for them to approve whatever he wants . It's not all bad, Amelia . With the wedding will come a new era of peace between us and the Harrisons . And you will be the wife of the most powerful man in Scotland . Think of the opportunities that will open up for you. You will want for nothing."

"If I survive that long . You know what happened to his wife, not to mention the string of women he's abused over the years. You can't paint this as a fairy tale to soften your guilt. He'll hurt me, he'll rape me, he might kill me - and then what, will Mery be next?"

Dad flinched at my words as my brothers shifted uncomfortably. No one denied it, for we all knew it was the truth. He had beaten his wife so badly and had mentally wrecked her for years. She had run away and left his two children with him. They were older now, of an age similar to ours, but they had spent the last decade without her. She had loved them with all her soul, but even that wasn't enough to keep her from fleeing William's wrath .

And I would be next.

Dad plucked up his courage, stood up straight and glared at me. He usually got angry when he didn't have a good answer.

"The deal is done, Amelia . You'll marry him and that's that."

And just like that. He left the room wrapped in a storm of rage as I collapsed on one of the dark green couches. Tears flowed in torrents as hope spilled out all around me. My whole life was screwed up. Shattered before I'd even done anything. Twenty-eight years old and I'd never loved anyone, never had a job, never gone out on my own without someone following me to protect me. A little bird going from one cage to another much more terrible one.

Harry slid in beside me and pulled me into his arms as Chase and Marcos joined us. They held tissues in one fist and a glass of water in the other.

"Why didn't you help me," I accused, my vision blurring under the sea of tears.

"We tried, Amelia . We've been trying for days. It won't budge." Harry wiped away a tear and pulled away to look into my eyes.

Chase's whole body vibrated with rage, always the hotheaded brother. "I should find him and put a bullet in his head."

"You should," I said.

"No. You can't." Harry had become much more serious since our older brother had fallen in a shootout and had had to take over command of the Kensington Syndicate . The responsibility weighed heavily on him, having to take on a role that was never meant for him.

"It would only result in your death or an even bigger war between us. Things are too unstable. I don't like it, but we have to try to make peace before all the criminal organizations in Scotland implode. This is just the tip of the tower of cards. Underneath are a series of deals and agreements that limit the bloodshed. If we go in hard, it will all fall."

"Why me?"

"William always loved Mom, but she chose Dad. You're too much like Mom at your age, and he's a sick bastard. This way punishes dad in a way that will hurt him more" .

"I think it will hurt me more."

I lay back on the bed, the heavy curtains blocking the light that bothered me from outside. Groaning, I pulled the comforter over my head and went back into hiding. There was no room in my world for light at that moment. As the minutes passed, the air under the comforter became hot and suffocating, but I was still buried. Maybe I could suffocate. At least I wouldn't have to marry William .

The door opened and closed with a click, but I remained impassive, ignoring it completely. A weight beside me made the bed shift beneath me before light fingers found my hair and gently stroked it.

"You can't stay here forever," Mery said , muffled by the comforter.

"Yes I can."

"Your room stinks. It's disgusting."

"What's the point," I said when she pulled the blankets aside enough to let me see her face, her expression soft as she pushed my greasy hair away from my eyes.

"You can't let them win. Come on, I've never seen you like this. Everyone's worried about you. It's been days, Amelia."

"Good. They should be worried. There's no way I'm marrying him."

Mery lay down beside me and slipped her arm around my waist, hugging me close, assuming the role of big sister instead of the usual family girl.

"I wish I could help you," she whispered against the comforter.

"I know, what can I do?"

"Could you run away?"