Catherine pulls away from me slightly as we make our way up the walkway. “Are you sure?” she asks. No. I’m not sure. I’m taking her to dinner at my aunt’s house, but Vince has no clue. He just needs to see her. He needs to know what she means to me so he can understand. I know she’ll be good for me.

“No one has any idea about how we got together, and what we do behind closed doors. That’s our business. Just be yourself, and everything will be fine,” I tell her with so much confidence in my voice that even I start to believe it. I take a deep breath and open the door. If they’ve accepted me, they should sure as fuck accept her.

When I open the door, I can hardly fucking breathe. I’ve never done this before. I’ve never asked for acceptance. Maybe because I never wanted it. Maybe because I never thought I could have it. But now I need it.

The guys look over at me and do a double take. Tommy looks shocked at first, and it guts me. He's quick to replace the shock with a wide smile. He's the first to get up and greet us as we make our way to the dining room.

“You brought a friend?” he asks with his eyebrows raised. I look past him at Vince and answer as Tommy pats my back. “Yeah,” I say as I bring her close to me. “Meet my girl, Catherine.”

My sweet kitten blushes a beautiful shade of red and holds her hand out for Tommy. He chuckles but accepts it, which is a good thing. He doesn’t need to have his paws all over her.

I expect a lot of things when I walk in, but I don’t expect the cheers from the women and Aunt Linda rushing over to greet Catherine.

It’s obvious that she didn’t expect that either. She holds onto my hand for dear fucking life. The sounds of the kids playing and the men laughing fills the room. But all I can see is Vince, staring at me like I’ve betrayed him. And maybe I have, but I had to do this. He needs to know she’s not going anywhere.

Vince just needs to understand. What happened wasn't her fault. That fucking prick hit her. She had to leave. He can’t expect that she wouldn’t have done otherwise. She’s strong for what she did.

I’m not going to let him take her. He’ll listen and he’ll understand. My confidence sways, but I ignore it. She’s mine.

* * *

I stand from my chair in the dining room. Vince is alone in the kitchen. The women are in the den and the men are all in here. Now’s my chance to talk to him. I push the chair back, pick up my dishes, and go to him. I need him to hear me out. The tension’s been thick between us all night. I just need him to understand. Now that he’s seen her, he has to know what she means to me.

“I don’t want a rat here. Around my familia. In my home.” He speaks to me in a hushed tone as I set my glass in the sink. It takes all my strength not to break it, not to smash him over the head with it.

“She didn’t have a choice, Vince.” He just needs to listen to me.

“You’re defending her?” I hate that he questions me at all. Someone has to defend her. She’s not a rat. She doesn’t deserve to be killed, and I won’t do it.

“He beat her. When she saw that shit, he made her life hell. She had no choice!”

“He kept her? Are you fucking serious? What’d he keep her as, Anthony? A fucking pet?” He sneers the last word and it’s the last fucking straw.

“How fucking dare you!” That fucking prick! He has no right!

“How can you do that to her when you were supposed to kill your own wife? Catherine’s not good enough to spare?” I ask, raising my voice.

“I love Elle. She’s my wife!” he screams at me. I don’t hold back any longer, I can’t. I let loose and swing as hard as I can, landing a punch on Vince’s jaw. He staggers back a few feet, cupping his chin and looking up at me with daggers, but he doesn’t make a move to counter. He stands there waiting as he rubs his jaw. He gave me a pass this time. But I won't get another.

He takes two steps and spits in the sink. “If you can tell me right now that you love her, I’ll back off. You going to marry her, Anthony?” He’s asking like it’s a dare. Like he knows me. It fucking tears me up inside that he’s right. He doesn’t know her. He doesn’t know us.

“She’s as close to a wife as I’ll ever have.” I didn’t even know how true the words were until I spoke them.

“Until you kill her.” Vince says the words just as Catherine walks into the doorway. Her mouth parts and her eyes widen as she looks between us.

“Fuck you,” I say with disdain at Vince and quickly go to her. I take Catherine by the hand and brush past my brother as he walks into the doorway.

“Whoa,” he says with shock. “You guys alright?”

“We’re leaving,” I answer with my back to him and drag her out of the house with everyone staring at us.

As the door slams shut behind us, I look at my girl, but I know she’s not okay.

My heart hammers with a fear I’ve never felt before. Although I’m gripping onto her like my life depends on it, she’s already gone. I’ve lost her.