Oh, boy, that was the wrong thing to say.
Out comes the gun again. “You’re right,” she sneers, “but then again, I don’t have to killyouto get my point across. Isn’t that right, Kelley?”
Shielding Kelley with my body, I stare Allegra down. “I don’t know what your damage is, and frankly, I don’t care. I want nothing to do with you or Lorenzo, or this damn family. Is that clear? I just want to go home.”
“And I’ve told you, that isn’t happening.”
“We’ll see about that.” Iwillget out of here.
“Bonnie,” Kelley says quietly, “maybe here is the best place.” I whip round to stare daggers at my friend’s utterly ridiculous statement. “I—if there is someone out there who wants to hurt you, maybe staying hereisthe best option,” she rushes to add.
“If it were up to me,” Allegra interjects, “I would leave you to fend for yourself. But it’s not, and the Don wants you here, safe. Accept it and adapt, Ms Moorside.”
Accept and adapt. Right, sure, no problem.
Ha!
6
Allegra
Thereisn’tmuchthatshocks me. I’ve seen far too much in my life for things to knock me off balance. Today, however, I am shocked—and angry. I’ve given everything to Lorenzo—all my trust and loyalty—and yet he hasn’t afforded me the same courtesy. Keeping such information from me, after I’ve shared everything with him, is a betrayal in my eyes; one I never thought possible from him.
I sat there as he tried to explain away his reasons for keeping me in the dark, but none of them suffice. I’ve stolen and taken beatings. I’ve killed for him. I’ve done it all because he is the closest thing I have to a father. But he isn’t my father, he’s Bonnie Moorside’s.
He knows I’m angry. But that didn’t stop him from asking a favour of me; a favour I had zero inclination to take on. But then he looked at me in that proud parent way and I wilted. Lorenzo is my only family, and even though I am furious, I can’t deny him his request. It’s why I am here, outside Kelley’s room, readying myself to go in and talk with Bonnie.
It doesn’t go to plan though becauseof courseshe’s plotting to run away andof coursewe exchange heated words. There is something about the wool-clad woman that both infuriates and excites me. She looks so weak, but her streak of fire is never far from igniting. I can see the fear in her eyes, even though she’s too proud to let it show elsewhere. Well, I see her fear, and that is what I’ll use to keep her in line.
Lorenzo asked me to look after her. Keep her safe. Try to teach her to defend herself. It’s a laughable task because we both know Bonnie wants nothing to do with me or him. As she shouted at me seconds ago, she just wants to go home.
I wonder if she realises I’d love to go home, too. Back to Sicily, where none of this exists. I want to be in the villa looking out over our vineyard, taking care of important business, not babysitting a woman who is going to do everything in her power to make my life hell.
I’ve told Bonnie to accept and adjust. That’s advice I need to take myself, because I know I won’t go against Lorenzo’s wishes. I’ll do my job even though it will be taxing, and frankly, below me. I guess the Don’s plan to step back and retire is also on hold. I can’t watch his daughter twenty-four seven and run the business. It’s a clusterfuck all around, in my opinion. One giant step back for me and him.
A part of me wishes I’d argued with him instead of sitting there silently. I should have told him to look after the damn woman himself. It’s what he deserves. His actions have turned our world upside down—ripped the curtain back on a truth Bonnie clearly didn’t want to know. Me either, for that matter.
She stands with hands on hips, glaring at me. “What about my dads?”
“What about them?” I keep my tone level, hoping to seem unaffected by her. I’m pissed at myself that her existence even registers on my radar, let alone irks me.
“They’re in danger too. We need to get them…bring them here!”
“Not my problem.” God, I wish that were true. But I can see what’s about to transpire. Bonnie will throw a fit and the Don will cower to her. Bonnie makes him weak. I can see it in his eyes. He wants to be the father she never knew; the father he craved to be. Now I know why he took me under his wing. I was a cheap replacement for the daughter he had to give away.
“How can you be so cold?” she replies incredulously. “What if this were your family?”
I want to sneer at her and tell her my family is gone, but I have some shred of self-control left. She doesn’t deserve my life story.
“I’ll talk to Don Ferrante.” It’s the only thing I can think of saying. I purposely call him by his title. To call him Lorenzo in front of her feels too intimate. It’s a part of our lives she doesn’t deserve. Bonnie might be his bastard child, but she’s a stranger not worthy of our respect or loyalty. That’s earned through sweat and blood. Bonnie has shed neither for this family.
“Thank you,” she says with a little less venom.
“Don’t thank me. I couldn’t care less what happens to you or your family. I do what the Don asks. Nothing more. You are not in charge here, Ms Moorside. Remember that.”
I internally wince at the lie. I don’t want to give a shit about her. I want to mean what I said about being happy to leave her to fend for herself or being more than willing to kill her, but I don’t, and it makes me even angrier at the entire situation.
I place my gun back in its holster. Bonnie is staring at me strangely and I hate that it makes me self-conscious. Casting a quick glance at my chest, I make sure there isn’t a button open or a stain on my shirt. I see nothing. Flicking my eyes up, I see what she was looking at. Interesting. It seems Ms Moorside is a fan of my cleavage. The smirk is instantaneous, and she knows I’ve caught her looking.
