His laughter was frozen acid rain filled with spikes. ‘You really have lost your fucking mind.’
‘Maybe I have. But this is where we are right now.’ I looked each of them in the eye. ‘This is what I want, and I need you to accept it. I’ll bring her out but not a single hair on her head will be harmed. By your hand or anyone else’s. Agreed?’
My father shook his head, bewildered, as my grandfather watched me with furious eyes. ‘Give me a good reason why we should agree.’
‘Because she’s the means by which we have leverage.’
‘What, a granddaughter who’s as good as dead if she even thinks about stepping foot back in Bonafacio’s house?’ Rafa taunted.
Last fucking straw, my gaze warned him.
‘Leverage in that El Topo has known all along that it was his granddaughter who had something to do with Mama’s death, but he sat back and let Ivanovski take all the damage. Sure he lost some men, but we know that the beating Ivanovski took he’s still recovering from. How do you think he’ll react if we let slip that it was the granddaughter who did it?’
Orazio’s head tilted. ‘And you’ll do that? Burn her to that Russian fucker?’
He wanted me to say yes. I could see it in his eyes. But he also knew I couldn’t. Maddelena would never forgive me if I endangered her sister, and until I knew the full truth it wasn’t a risk I was prepared to take. ‘The threat of it will be enough,’ I said.
‘You can’t hide her forever,nupito. Bring her out here. I want to look her in the eye and hear what she’s got to say.’
My heart pounded so hard in my ears I was hard pressed to hear my footsteps on the wooden floor as I walked down the hall to my bedroom.
Fist stood at attention, his eyes holding the same flat, dead stare. If he’d overheard anything we talked about, he gave no indication.
I owed him an explanation. At some point.
Once I dealt with this powder keg rolling towards the fucking bonfire in my living room. Sucking in a breath, I pushed the door open.
Her off-white power suit screamed sexy and in control. But the saucer-wide blue eyes that met mine, holding equal parts fear and trust, slashed up my heart. Shutting the door, I caught her in my arms, tilting her face up to mine. I kissed her until a layer of tension eased out of her.
‘It’s going that bad, huh?’ she half joked, her eyes searching mine.
‘It went… about as well as I expected.’
She went a shade paler, but she managed a brisk nod. ‘So what now?’
I gripped her elbows, infusing as much strength as I could. I’d taken my stance and laid down the law, but I still couldn’t predict the final outcome of this. ‘My grandfather wants to see you.’
She swallowed audibly and her shoulders trembled beneath my hands.
‘Hey? No one is fucking touching you. You hear me?’
Her nostrils fluttered delicately. Her gentle stare said they were my family. That she wouldn’t blame me if I was blowing smoke up her ass. For that, I would probably take that ass tonight, remind her who owned her, body and soul. For now though… ‘Do you trust me?’
She nodded. More tension eased from her. ‘Yes. I do.’
My heart jumped. I held out my hand.
She took it, and we walked out to face the firing squad.
Three sets of eyes swivelled our way on our return.
A peculiar look momentarily filled my grandfather’s eyes.
It wasn’t hate, for which I was thankful. And then it occurred to me that this was the first time he was meeting the progeny of El Topo – the man who had once been his best friend – in the flesh. However he felt about that, he controlled it very quickly, his eyes hardening.
‘I hear you have something important to tell us, young lady.’
She stiffened. To her credit, she didn’t drop her head or lower her gaze. Hell, she lifted it the tiniest notch.
