Page 100 of Unlock My Heart

“I’d be agreeable to that, but only if we created an alliance; an ongoing working and personal relationship,” he counters.

“Meaning?”

“Marriage alliance.”

Those two words send a chill down my spine. “Sorry, Kirksey, even if I wasn’t a married man, you’re not my type,” I joke, shrugging away the unease from my shoulders.

“Fuck off,” he snaps. “I’m talking about your sister.”

My eyes narrow to slits. “Al’s seventeen.”

“No shit? When she’s eighteen, then.”

Over my dead fucking body. And once I’m out of prison, over his.

“Deal.”

We shake on Kirksey’s death warrant, and I get to work issuing Angelo’s.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Sienna

The Present

With supplies lined up on my worktable, I’m excited to tackle my first class project: a custom lace creation of my choosing.

Pencil glides over paper as I sketch my croquis, and before I know what my hand is doing, that morbid funeral garb I created when I was eighteen is staring back at me.

Excitement leaks from me like a flat tire as I toss the pencil. The last time I created this sketch, I nearly died.

But if I’m being honest, it is sort of a cool vibe. Gothic meets Victorian mourning gown. Ooh, and if I add black combat boots and a white bridal veil, it’s Gothic wedding/meets Victorian funeral.

I retrieve the pencil, drawing those touches before I fill everything in with color pencils. Examining the finished sketch, I try to talk myself out of this idea, but it’s taken root. A wedding and a funeral. Aren’t they one and the same?

They are now.

“Knock knock.” Saint appears. “Sorry to interrupt. This is for you.” He crosses the room, handing me a letter. “You also forgot your rings.” He places them in my hand, and I swiftly drop them in the trash.

“I didn’t forget anything, Clark.” Wearing those rings is more than a symbol; it’s a foothold for Fabien to weasel his way back into my heart.

Not on my finger. Not on my watch.

“You’re more stubborn than he is,” Saint muses.

“Thanks, I guess?”

“I’m not going to waste your time asking if you’d like to go with me to visit Mr. Calvani.” He digs the rings out of the trash before walking out.

“And I appreciate that,” I call after him.

Alone with Fabien’s letter, I plop down on the floor and stare at it. If I had any sense at all, I’d likewise toss it in the trash without a second thought.

Why am I not giving that option a second thought?

Sienna,

I’m the reason you were in that dumpster, and Michele was the one to come to your rescue. As much as I hated it, I understood why you chose him over me. But I’m finished being so damn understanding. You’re mine, and I’m not letting you get away this time. Why did I want to marry you? Let me list the reasons.