Thomas pulls her back. “Get a hold of yourself,” he hisses.
Saskia shucks out of his arm. “You don’t get to tell me what to do.”
She preens in my direction, and I wonder if she has finally snapped because this is erratic, even for her. Appearances always mattered to Saskia, and she’s drawing attention to herself in a way that isn’t favorable. You can’t go around disrespecting the fiancée of a don or potentially causing any ill will between two mafia families. Thomas understands that, yet Saskia fails to understand she no longer serves a purpose. She never gave Felix a child, so any protection she enjoyed as his wife is erased with his death.
“Hey.” Pen and Esme appear at the perfect time. Sierra is close to lunging at her sister, and I really wouldn’t blame her. Saskia is way out of line. “Are you okay?” Pen asks, giving Sierra a quick hug.
“Yes,” Sierra says through gritted teeth.
“We have missed you.” Esme hugs Sierra next. “Let me see the ring,” she adds, almost wrenching Sierra’s arm from its socket as she tugs on her hand. “Oh my God,” she shrieks. “It’s gorgeous and it’s so you!” She thumps my forearm, and I bite back my irritation. “Way to go, Ben.”
This is only my second time meeting both women, but I can already tell I won’t be a big fan of Esme. Penelope is a sweetheart, but I’m still trying to work out what Sierra and Esme have in common.
“Hmph,” Saskia scoffs, glancing briefly at the ring. “I didn’t take you for a cheapskate, Ben.”
Sierra’s hands ball into fists at her side. “Ben knows I’m not some self-obsessed drama queen who needs a big flashy diamond to impress society bitches. He designed something he knew I would love, and that is worth far more than that gaudy rock on your finger.”
“Jealousy is very unbecoming on you,” Saskia retorts, folding her arms in such a way that the rings on her finger are front and center.
Sierra’s laugh is mocking. “Do you even hear yourself? You have the nerve to accuse me of jealousy when you are throwing yourself at my fiancé at your husband’s funeral. You can’t even respect Felix in death.”
I pull Sierra back as Saskia lunges at her. Thank fuck most of the mourners have already left, and it’s mostly family and close friends left.
“That’s enough, Saskia,” I snap, keeping Sierra shielded with my body as Thomas drags Saskia back. “I don’t know what delusions you’re suffering from, but they are delusions. I love Sierra, and I am marrying her in two weeks. Get that through your thick skull or you can forget about attending.”
“You think I want to come to your pathetic excuse of a wedding?” she says, her voice laced with scorn.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spy Joseph Lawson approaching with a thunderous face.
“Well, that solves a dilemma,” Sierra hisses. “Consider yourself uninvited.”
“He won’t marry you,” she says. “He—”
Lawson clamps his hand over her mouth, glaring at her as he passes her off to her mother. “Take Saskia back to the house, and call Dr. Fleming. The stress of the past few days has obviously taken its toll.” He turns to Barretta. “Please accept my apologies for my daughters’ behavior.” Lawson glowers at Sierra, as if this is all her fault, and my blood boils as my fists beg to connect with his face.
Barretta’s face is cold as he snaps a terse nod before walking away. I can tell he wants to say more, but this isn’t the time or the place.
“Mr. Barretta,” Sierra calls out after him. He stops and turns around. “I’m so very sorry for your loss, and I apologize if my behavior upset you. I didn’t mean any disrespect. Felix was always courteous to me and Rowan.”
“You don’t need to apologize,” he says, driving his point home. “You were just defending yourself.” He walks off, without saying another word, leaving tense silence behind him.
Lawson looks fit to kill someone, but I can’t work out if it’s Saskia, Sierra, or Barretta.
“Control that woman!” he snaps at me, and I level him with a dark look.
“Say that again and we have a problem.” My voice is calm though I am far from calm on the inside. It appears Lawson needs reminding of his place. I turn to Alessandro. “Take two of the men and return to the car with Sierra. We’re leaving.” There is no way I’m going back to the Lawson house now, and I already know Sierra is happy with this plan.
Esme and Pen loop their arms through Sierra’s as they walk off, followed by my men.
Leo steps up beside me while Ciro and the other soldier hang back. Lawson returns my glare with one of his own, and his lack of respect grates on my nerves. I don’t care if this imbecile is going to be my father-in-law; he doesn’t get to disrespect me like this. I glance around, ensuring there is no one else at the graveyard, before I grab him by the throat and shove him up against a tree. “You need to remember who you’re speaking to, Joseph.”
He barely breaks a sweat as I squeeze his throat, and I’m wondering how many times this has happened to him. I let him go, shoving his shoulders. “We are going to be family, but that doesn’t mean I will tolerate you disrespecting me. The same goes for Sierra and Rowan.”
“I have respect for you. A lot of it, actually,” he says, smoothing down the front of his jacket and pushing me out of his way. “You have impressed me with how far you have come, Ben, and how much you have achieved since you dated Saskia, but I won’t be pushed around by you or anyone else.”
At least now I know where Saskia gets her delusional side from.
“Why doesn’t Sierra know you wash cash for The Outfit? That her sisters are married to made men?”
“That is none of your business.”
I put myself up in his face, enjoying the fact I tower over him by at least four inches. “Sierra is my business, and she has a right to know.”
“So tell her.” He shrugs. “I’m not stopping you.”
“If you’re hiding something, I will find it. You can count on that.”
His amused grin rubs me the wrong way. If he wasn’t Sierra’s father and Rowan’s grandfather, I’d throw him in the empty grave beside Felix Barretta and bury him alive.
“You think you’re so clever, Bennett, but you’re not. With the right mentorship, you could be. Your arrogance will either be the making of you or your downfall.”
I’ve had enough of this condescending prick. If I stay here much longer, nothing will save him, so I turn around and walk away before I say, or do, something I’ll regret.
“I’d take the back roads, if I were you,” he calls out after us. “I’ve heard there are Russians rampaging through town.” His callous laughter follows me all the way from the graveyard, out past the church, sending pangs of unease slithering up my spine.
45
BEN
“How the hell did you grow up in that house and not want to murder your father in cold blood every day?” I ask, as I slide in the back seat beside Sierra.
“Who says I didn’t?” She rubs circles on the back of my hand, and it’s unbelievably soothing. “Most days it was a toss-up between who I hated more. My father or Saskia. You didn’t honestly think she plucked her attitude from thin air?”