“What.The.Actual.Fuck?”Livi roars.“What century do we live in?Oh, he’s soooo going down.What the hell is he thinking?Using her as a fucking pawn in a business deal the way those mafia fuckers...fuck...really?I thought the arranged marriage shit only happened in books and movies.”
“It’s why she came to me,” I tell her.
She bobs her head in understanding.
“Holland had his twisted reasons, doesn’t make shit right, though.”I release a deep sigh.“There’s more, but it’s not my story to tell.I know I can’t protect her, and she damn well doesn’t need it, but she came to me.”
“She did,” Thorsten rumbles.“And I will honor your request as long as I can to put her in a good light during this investigation.Though, if we link her to any murders, we might not have a choice but to bring her down as well.”
I nod, and yet my gut turns at the thought of Lu getting locked up for life.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
–LUELLA –
“Luella,” my father bellows after me when I stomp in the direction of my wing as soon as we arrive at the mansion.“At least let Santino check your wound.”
I whirl around and curl my hands into fists to stop myself from releasing a hiss due to the pain on my side.Strange.I’ve faced lots of injuries and somehow with my emotions going haywire this injury feels much worse.
“Dad, all due respect and shit, but fuck the hell off.”His eyes go wide from my outburst.“I can handle myself.So, maybe you should focus on finding out why we’re targeted today.And don’t give me shit about it being retaliation for me killing a Gideon, because they wouldn’t have been able to pin that on me.”
Whirling around, I continue to stride to my own space.The mansion I’ve called home for all my life feels different these past few days.As soon as I’m in my bedroom, I close the door, strip out of my clothes, and take a shower.The warm water cocoons me, and it’s a bit tricky to keep my side away from the studs of soapy shit when I wash my hair and the rest of my body.
Feeling somewhat like myself instead of the burning fury overwhelming me, I dry off and clean the wound.Completely drained I let myself drop into bed and reach for the pillow Macsen slept on the nights he was here.
Inhaling deep, I let his scent calm me.I wish he was here to snuggle close to his body.To feel his arms wrap around me and mentally take me away to offer the kind of serenity only he evokes inside me.
I close my eyes and let myself drift off to sleep.Three hours later I am pulled from my sleep by the sound of my phone ringing.Groaning, I drag myself up and search for my purse, ignoring the pull of the wound on my side.The phone goes silent once I have it in my hand, but the ringing quickly picks up again.
Macsen’s name is on the screen, and I answer with a groggy, “Hey.”
“Where are you?”he asks with a tight voice.
“In bed,” I murmur and snuggle back into his pillow.
“Stay there, I’m coming over.”
