Marrying the Mob Prince

CLAIRE

I wasn't here to fall in love. This was about survival.

Rylan's arrival was the rude awakening I needed. No matter how much I wanted to keep my heart my own, a man like Cainan would take it for himself, if I let him. I couldn't trust him not to break it again. And yet, it seemed inevitable. I clung to him, even as he led me to the first task. Cainan kept me sane as we strolled the parking lot. The sounds of a raucous celebration grew as we headed through a tiki torch-lined path through sand.

We passed glowing umbrellas dotting the beach. Men sat underneath them, lounging in the squashy cushions as they nursed cocktails. They whooped with delight. A few raised their drinks at us. I swung my head at Cainan. "Who are these people?"

"Spectators," he grumbled.

I gawked at a buffet table under a huge tent. "They're here for me?"

"Yes, only to watch."

"Yeah. There's a betting pool on how long you'll last," Rylan drawled, flashing his sneer in my direction. "That reminds me. I put in a decent amount of money against you, so don't let me down."

Rylan had hinted at the danger during the two-hour drive after a tedious wait in the guesthouse. It'd been a long day of guessing, waiting, and enduring Rylan's taunts. He expected me to give up after five minutes. Only Cainan's hand clutched on mine had stopped me from telling him to fuck off.

Cainan took care of it, his palm striking the middle of Rylan's chest. "Stop fucking taunting her."

Rylan laughed, his beer slopping over as he paused mid-stride. "Since when do you care?" "I've had enough."

I blinked, reeling at the emotion in his voice. He even sounded like an overprotective boyfriend, which seemed to set off Rylan's alarm bells. He glared at Cainan, suspicion dawning on his gaze. "I wonder...if you're getting attached to your slave?"

"Don't be stupid. I just want her to win."

Rylan scoffed, his attention snapping to me. "You're better off taking your chances in the jungle."

"Leave," Cainan commanded in an icy whisper. "You're making her nervous."

I was more than rattled. I could barely inhale through my clenched throat, and I'd started to gasp. Rylan's dark eyes swept me up and down. He shook his head and turned around, storming up the beach. We followed a few paces behind. It was like a fraternity party on steroids, with the beer-pong tables and women playing topless volleyball. Men in Hawaiian shirts drank from hollowed-out pineapples. Ribs roasted in a giant smoker. Music blasted from speakers wedged in the sand.

Cainan dropped my hand as we reached a raised platform where a crowd had gathered. Rylan stood beside his father, dusting his shirt. Attila sat in a lawn chair, his white hair matching his linen shirt and pants, surrounded by armed soldiers. His mouth curled as we approached, mirroring Cainan's so precisely that my heart skipped.

"Cainan. It's good to see you again."

Cainan inclined his head in the coldest greeting I'd ever seen, but Attila didn't seem to notice his son's contempt.

"And you, Miss Starling."

Die in a fire. "I can't say the same."

Cainan's hand reappeared on my shoulder in a gesture that probably seemed menacing. He squeezed hard, but it felt supportive. Like a lover's stroke.

Attila soured. "You're going to let her talk to me like that?"

I held my breath as Cainan looked down at me, impassive. "Starling knows she'll pay for her disrespect."

"Then hit her! Make the bitch shut up!"

"I will. Later." Cainan detached from my side to soothe his dad with a pat on his back, like an adult coddling a child. "But we agreed on several rules. No punishment before a task. It's unsporting and detracts from the entertainment." I had the feeling Attila changed the rules at his whim.

"Fine. Let's get on with it." Attila seized his walking stick, gripping the mahogany handle as though it was my neck. "Your task is simple. Get to the sandbar."

He gestured at a distant stretch of sand illuminated by floating buoys. I peered at it, judging the distance at half a mile. That didn't seem too bad.

Cainan's grip tensed. Color faded from his face, but it was the crashing of the waves that dropped a heavy stone in my stomach.

I walked up the sand bluff. Below us, colossal waves arched ten, maybe twenty feet high. The tide sucked in, joining the monstrous wave that somehow kept growing. And then it curled into a massive drop that slammed into the beach with the force of a small bomb. I stumbled backward, heart pounding. Beyond the shore, violent navy water stirred like a hornet's nest. Underneath them were powerful rip currents that would drag me out to sea.

My skin tingled as I watched the ocean batter the shore.

I can't swim in that. I'll drown.

Which was what the bastard intended. Rage pulsed low in my belly as Attila clapped his hands. The crowd exploded with jeering laughter, the noise obnoxious as Cainan spoke in my ear. "Do you know how get out of a riptide?"

I swallowed hard. "You swim parallel to the beach, right?"

"Yes. If that's too difficult, let it carry you out and try again." Cainan's composure darkened as he pointed in the distance. "See those rocks? Stay away from them. They're a death sentence."

I nodded, but I couldn't quite process his words. All I could hear was the laughing...the male faces stretched in grotesque shapes of human amusement. This was a nightmare ripped from college, but so much more humiliating than a public sex tape. Worse than unwittingly sharing my body with every single fraternity was this casual cruelty. Strangers laughing as they watched me die. Would they screech and howl when I begged for help? When I drowned?

Black spots crept over my vision. My heartbeat thrashed. I couldn't breathe. I was already drowning, and I wasn't in the water yet.

I trembled violently. "I-I can't do this. I'm not brave enough."

"Bravery isn't a lack of fear. It's being scared and doing it anyway." Cainan brushed the spot over my heart with his knuckles. "You can do this. Just look within."

A rock lodged in my throat as I searched for the courage that'd make me dive into that insane storm. I'd never done anything like this before. This was crazy. My heart hammered as I glanced at Attila, who'd sank into a chair to watch the spectacle. His glare burned through me. Something in that man's cruel amusement set me off. This was the man who'd ruined so many lives. Who thought nothing of enslaving countless women. Rage leapt in my chest, consuming my fear. I had to win. If only to prove to this garbage human being that I was stronger than him.

Tearing my gaze from him, I stripped to my bikini. I tossed the sundress at Cainan, who caught it.

"Don't disappoint me, Starling."

His smile glowed with pride as I strode to the shore. I probably looked a lot braver than I felt, but it was terrifying to walk from safety into the swirling blackness. I stared out into the sea. Boats navigated the treacherous waters. Then a roar shook through the sand. The noise from the party disappeared. A massive wave smashed the shore, the tide like hands gripping my ankles. I ran forward before they toppled me. I splashed into the water, swallowed by black. The sea swelled. I kicked hard to ride the wave, but like a monster, it sucked me in its mouth and dragged me backward. I was a fish struggling to break free. Then I crashed. The ocean threw me onto the beach, flattening me, as water surged overhead. I opened my eyes underwater. Darkness. I tried to lift my head. I couldn't. The current was so strong. Only when it had receded completely was I able to move. My head broke the surface. I gasped-

A force punched my skull, nearly knocking me out. My palms sank in sand that kept flooding. I coughed up brackish water, clawing to a standing position, but I was buffeted by another wave. Taunting laughter rang in my ears. Get up, damn it.

Another wave crashed. I tried again. It tossed me back. I dove in once more, fighting for every bit of purchase, slicing through the wave before it crested. The current dragged me out in the wrong direction, but fighting it was impossible. Shit. Swimming against it was no use.

And I was getting too close to the western shore.

I tried to swim parallel, but couldn't break free of the current. Each swell yanked me closer to the sharp rocks. Too late. I couldn't avoid them. Shit! I propelled my arms madly, but a surge of water caught me in its embrace. It slammed me onto a jagged rock. Then it was gone, taking its gravity with it. I clung for dear life, screaming. My legs slipped on the wet rock as I found a foothold. If I fell, my body would shatter on the rocks. The sea battered my body as though angry that I'd narrowly escaped death. My head smashed into the rock. My vision exploded with stars and tilted, but I held on. Shaking, I let out a low whimper. I was stuck. Unable to get down without impaling myself. A wave gripped my body as I slid down an inch. I hugged the rock, shouting epithets.

"Had enough?"

I barely registered the voice before I saw Rylan in a boat. Somehow he'd made it out here. The ocean tossed the boat violently. Rylan grabbed the wheel for balance. Behind him, several more boats approached with revelers. There was no way in hell anyone could swim in that...but Attila had said, "Get to the sandbar." He'd never specified how.

"Get down."

"It's too dangerous!"

"The water isn't shallow over there." Rylan pointed at a spot with swirling navy water several feet to my left. "Jump."

Did I trust him? I gritted my teeth and launched myself, preparing for my bones to break. I shot into a deep pool, clearing the rocks. Rylan tossed a life preserver and I looped it around my head. Then I seized a loose piece of rock. My heart thundered as he hauled me overboard. I collapsed onto the deck, sputtering.

I needed this boat. I had no idea what might happen if I didn't complete the task. Failure wasn't an option.

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Rylan returned to the helm of the boat and took the wheel. Another strong wave battered the boat, and he almost lost his balance. I stood with the rock in my hand. I swung at his face.

The rock cracked against his head. He staggered, blood streaming his cheek. I rushed forward. My palms slammed into his chest. He stumbled. His legs hit the edge, and he bounced over the side.

A pang of guilt stabbed my chest as he emerged from the water, wiping hair from his eyes. "What the fuck?"

I threw a lifejacket in his direction. Then I snatched the wheel and jerked the boat toward the sandbar. I gunned the motor to full throttle. Rylan flailed in the water, screaming, as I zipped past him. I slowed the boat as I reached the sandbar, circling it twice before I returned to shore. I cut the engine and jumped out.

The crowd cheered as I trudged up the beach. Among the rabble of partygoers was Cainan, who shoved people aside in his haste to reach me. He wrapped a towel around my shoulders and pounded my back. "Well done!"

Attila's frown stood out from the bemused men. He shrugged, his mouth curling into a nasty grin. "I suppose anyone could've stolen a boat."

"Did you enjoy the show?" I shouted, aiming my wrath at Cainan's dad. "Must've been hilarious to watch me almost drown while you motherfuckers sipped mai tais."

I ripped away from Cainan, grabbed a chunk of wet sand, and flung it at Attila, splattering his linen pants with mud. The men surrounding us hooted with laughter, and Attila slowly smiled. "Get this bitch out of my face." "Right you are, Father."

Cainan threw me over his shoulder and stalked out of the party, giving everybody the appearance that he would flog me. But as soon as we reached the parking lot, he let me down gently.

"Claire, that was brilliant." His big smile warmed me from the inside out. "I've never been prouder of you."

My cheeks flushed with pleasure. "Did you send Rylan after me?"

"He was complaining about not being able to see anything, so I suggested he take a boat. You handled yourself beautifully. You made both of them look like fools." His shaking hands tightened the towel around me and fussed over my hair, grimacing. "You're bleeding."

"I-it doesn't really hurt," I hissed, teeth chattering from cold. "The waves knocked my head on the rock. That was wild. I wasn't sure I'd make it until I saw the boat. All in all, though...not bad. What was it like for you?"

"Like something out of a horror movie." Cainan rummaged through a first-aid kit he removed from the car and blotted the wound with gauze. "It was...terrifying." "You were scared?"

He nodded with a taut jerk. His frown dipped with raw fury. "I hated every second of watching you risk your life for me."

I was too afraid to breathe. Exhaling might blow away Cainan's vulnerability. I threaded my fingers through his auburn curls and his movement stopped. He leaned into my touch. Then he grabbed me, wrenching me against his chest. He wrapped me in a bear-like hug and released a tight breath. The tension on his face melted. He squeezed me as though to shove me into his heart, where I'd be safe. Then he kissed my head, sparking a fire under my shivering skin. Tears of pleasure found their way to my eyes.

We didn't have a future. We might not even live to escape.

But if I didn't go back with him, it would end in heartbreak.