“I didn’t know you could do that.”
I shoot her a sideways glance. “We all have our secrets.”
Not even bothering to park, I pull up to the front door and cut the engine. We rush to the entrance. As soon as a housekeeper opens up to see who it is, we elbow our way inside.
“Stop! Come back here!” The woman screams as we dash up the stairs.
My heart hammers as we climb the stairs. We get to the first landing, when a man appears in the hallway. Roman De Luca’s impeccably dressed in a dark suit, his short black hair perfectlystyled. Menacing dark eyes stare us down. He’s every bit as intimidating as I imagined.
“What are you doing in my house?” he demands.
I should be afraid. Arianna and I are in a stranger’s home—a dangerous stranger. But I’m too livid to back down, or to take any type of sensible approach.
I confront him head on. “You kidnapped my cousin. I want her back.”
“Is that so?” he drawls.
“Yes. Now where is she?”
He folds his arms. “Get out of my house. You’re trespassing.”
“I’m not leaving until we see Sophia!”
“I said get out!” He snarls.
A door in the hallway suddenly opens, and Sophia flings herself at Arianna. They embrace as relief washes over me. She’s alive. Now we just need to get her away from this man.
I glare at him.
He manages to look bored, like we’re nothing but a minor inconvenience. A hiccup in his daily routine.
“What happened to you last night?” Arianna asks Sophia.
“I fell through some ice and into a lake.”
That catches my attention.
“Are you okay?” Arianna asks before I manage to utter a word.
“I’m fine. Roman rescued me.” She sneaks an appreciative glance at her rescuer.
Nowthat’sa shocking turn of events. I gaze at the brooding man with interest.
He scowls. “I’m very busy. Conclude your business and get out.”
“Give me my cousin,” I snap at him, “and we will happily leave you alone.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Can’t or won’t?” I challenge him.
He sneers at me. “Both. You wanted to see that she’s alive, and there she is. Now get out.”
Frustrated by the entire situation, I try to reason with him. “Fine. I’ll pay you for her. How much do you want?”
Men like him only understand two things: Power and money.
Chuckling, low and dangerous, he steps closer to me, but I hold my ground. Cian’s much bigger and scarier looking than this man and he doesn’t intimidate me. I’ll never cower before a man again.
