Game(22)

I backed away from Finn and turned to walk away.

He called my name and I stopped.

“What?” I asked.

“I built this cabin for a woman,” Finn said. “And she’s gone now. Because of me.”

With that said, Finn grabbed the axe and turned away.

I was shocked.

Had Finn just tried to open up to me?





15.


(Finn)



What the hell had I just done?

Had I really just opened up to Shayna like that? Admitted my own little world of darkness to her?

I slammed the axe down over and over. Pieces of wood splintered and shattered. I had a dream of coming out here and doing this on a cold and snowy night. Yeah, we’d get snow up here in this part of the mountain. I knew that because I f*cking researched it before buying the land and building the cabin. Because what could be more romantic than carrying firewood into the cabin as it snowed? And building a warm fire? And getting on the couch with something to drink and holding her all damn night?

I finally threw the axe. I heard it swoosh and then hit something with a snap and crack. Then there was silence, except for my breathing and the racing of my heart.

There was supposed to be a plan on the horizon. The only chance of that would be Fiore coming to terms with his family and his fate. There were other ways to set up Zander and attack him. Christ, there were so many things we could probably do that involved Shayna.

I looked back at the cabin.

But that would put her directly into trouble.

Like I cared.

I did care. Why the hell did I care?

I grabbed an armful of firewood and walked to the front of the cabin. Inside, there was a woman sitting on the couch, just like it was meant to be. And she looked at me. And she was beautiful. And she smiled.

“Do you need help?” she offered, just like she was supposed to do.

The problem was that it was the wrong f*cking woman.

“No,” I said.

I kicked the door shut. Behind me, the sunset spread across the sky as day quickly started to become night. Tonight was supposed to be the start of me and Shayna together. So I could f*ck her. So I could get her pregnant.

I built a fire and stood staring at it. I felt her behind me, staring at me.

“Finn, you can tell me…”

“No,” I said. “I shouldn’t have said what I said. Forget it. It doesn’t matter. What matters is our plan.”

“What plan?” she asked. “How can there be a plan?”

I looked back at her. “We’ve been in this life long enough. We’ve been through dark shit. We’ll think of something. We have time, like I said. Before that though, I want to know everything. No secrets.”

“I have no secrets,” Shayna said. “This is me. Right here.”

“You never told me about the engagement. Or your sister.”

“When was I supposed to? Before or after I was in the bed of your truck with a gun? Or you dragging me to see Fiore? Or tackling some guy with a gun who was there to kill you and Fiore? Or being forced into a car and a store to buy clothes? Oh, and let’s not forget the mindset after I’m told someone is going to get me pregnant. Whether I’m willing to or not.”

Shayna sucked in a breath and looked ready to burst into tears.

I just stood there and let her collect herself. I had to try and set some kind of boundaries. Yeah, right. Wasn't my hand between her legs just a little while ago?

“Can you tell me what happened with Fiore?”

“Yeah,” I said. “He’s married to a woman named Marie. A lot of Marie’s and Ann Marie’s in the family. Hard to keep track of sometimes. But Marie is a beautiful woman. As expected for a man like Fiore. They have one daughter, Mara. That’s it. One. That’s sort of a tender spot to begin with. Fiore wanted a large family. He wanted his name carried on. But Marie had some medical issues and couldn’t have another child again. So Fiore went on the prowl and found a young man named Antonio. A real street tough guy. Dressed nice, talked smooth, and could heist anyone at anytime. He wasn’t with a crew so Fiore got him. Lucky for Fiore, Antonio fell head over heels in love with Mara. And Mara the same. What started as this forced relationship quickly took a life of its own.”

“How romantic,” Shayna whispered.

“Yeah, right. Romance. Fast forward a couple years. Mara and Antonio get married. Fiore wanted it done sooner, but Marie insisted they take their time and make sure. You don’t get divorced in Fiore’s family. That’s not how it works. It’s definitely a ’til death thing. Now the guys have side things, sure. That’s just the life. Sometimes the wives do it too, but they know if they get caught, they’re dead.”

“Sounds a lot like I’ve seen,” Shayna said. “The rules are bent as needed.”

“Exactly. So Mara and Antonio get married and go on a big honeymoon. A tour of the old country. Meet the family. They usher Antonio in with open arms because of Fiore’s situation. There had been talk of Fiore having babies with another woman. Real touchy subject, but it was being considered to be acceptable. Good news was that Antonio’s great-grandfather lived in the same village as Fiore’s grandfather. They actually knew each other. Now the guy wasn’t born and raised there, but to the family, it was good enough. They were a happy family now. Which meant the next thing would be to have kids.”