"Shut up, Vitale," Blackwood snaps.
"Think about it, Olivia. Michael's already dead. Who killed him? Not me. I was at the festival this afternoon with a hundred witnesses. Blackwood sent you here knowing exactly what you'd find."
Blackwood's face hardens. "Agent Ricci, I gave you an order."
"You're smarter than this," I continue, speaking only to Olivia. "Why would I kill an undercover agent in my own warehouse? Why would I stick around afterward? Nothing about this makes sense unless it's a setup."
I can see her mind working, connecting the dots we've been tracking for weeks.
"He killed Michael just like he probably had Mrs. Ferraza killed. Just like he orchestrated Rocco's kidnapping. Just like he may have been involved in your father's death."
Blackwood's eyes narrow dangerously. "One more word and I'll shoot you where you stand."
I'm not afraid to die. I've lived with that possibility since I was born into this life.
But I'd rather not.
Not when I've finally found something, more accurately someone, worth living for.
"Olivia," I say her name softly. "I'm not asking you to believe I'm innocent of everything. But this? This isn't me. You know it isn't."
The warehouse falls silent. No one moves.
Blackwood's face twists into something ugly, his mask slipping for the first time. "Agent Ricci, I'm not going to tell you again."His voice drops lower, becoming almost intimate. "Think about what's at stake here. Think about your future."
I watch Olivia's face, trying to read what's happening behind those beautiful eyes.
"Your child deserves better than this, Olivia," Blackwood says.
Child? She has a child?
"That's right," Blackwood continues in a gloating tone, watching my reaction with satisfaction. "You didn't know? Our Agent Ricci is carrying your bastard. Imagine that poor kid's life. Father in prison or dead, mother disgraced, and the Vitale legacy hanging over its head forever."
My mind races to put the pieces in place. Not a child. A baby. She’s carrying my baby.
I look at Olivia, whose face has gone pale. The confirmation is written in her eyes.
"Vitale blood is a curse," Blackwood presses. "You know what happens to children in these families, Olivia. They become monsters or victims. Is that what you want?"
My throat tightens with emotion I can't afford to show. A baby I’ve created with her.
Something I didn’t know I wanted, and now I want nothing else.
Just her and the baby.
But then it dawns on me that she didn’t tell me. I think of the doctor's appointment my men said she went to the other day. She had to know then.
Instead of telling me, she blocked me from calling her.
She doesn’t want me in her or the baby’s life.
And what better way to insure that than to kill me.
I straighten my shoulders, looking directly into her eyes. "If you believe our child would be better off without me, then pull that trigger yourself. Don't let Blackwood do your dirty work."
Her head jerks, like she’s shocked I’d say such a thing.
I step forward, closing the distance until the barrel of her gun presses against my chest. "If you want me gone, do it now. But know that whatever happens, I love you both."
