Without waiting for his response, I stride through the corridors, my heart pounding so hard I think it might break through my ribs.By the time I reach the entrance, I’m shaking with adrenaline and the terrifying realization that I just issued an ultimatum to one of the most powerful men in the Syndicate.
A staffer brings my car around, a sleek silver Mercedes I’ve purchased with money I earned from legitimate Syndicate operations.I slide behind the wheel and pull out of the circular driveway.
I’m halfway back to the main gates when I realize I’ve left my clutch somewhere at the house.
As I make a U-turn, I retrace my steps in my mind from the moment I set foot inside the house to the instant I got to the dining room.
“Of course!”I murmur, slapping my forehead.I deposited my clutch on an accent table right outside Dad’s study, intending to retrieve it on my way out.
Here’s to hoping I can manage to grab it back undetected before I head back to Shelby’s apartment.
No, before I go back home, I correct myself.
Wearing a silly grin, so typical on newlyweds’ faces, I park the car again and get out, leaving the engine running.
This should be quick.
I enter the house on tiptoes, not because I fear another confrontation, but because I’m too emotionally drained for that.As it always happens after a confrontation with my dad, I need time to regroup, to strengthen myself.The image of Shelby’s smiling face pops up in my mind, and my anxiety subsides.Fuck, I’ve just realized that I have a partner now!Sharing my burdens with my husband would be natural.And that makes all the difference in the world.
Suddenly eager to go home, I snatch the black leather rectangle I came here for and turn to dash out again.
My father’s muffled voice stops me.He’s speaking Italian, which means he’s on the phone with our allies in Europe.“Te l’ho già detto: non ti preoccupare.Serena è testarda come sua madre.Ma riuscirò a convincerla.”
His words send shivers down my spine.He’s talking about me.He’s reassuring somebody that he’ll convince me of something, even though I’m as stubborn as Mom.
What the hell is going on?Is he talking to Cesare?I press a hand to my heart as blood thunders in my ears.
After a brief pause, I find out he’s not talking to my former-future-husband when he says, “Ovviamente, Cesare è coinvolto nel nostro piccolo accordo.Ci sta fornendo i migliori esemplari, più raffinati.Sono di top tier, immacolati.Davvero di prima classe.Non potremmo desiderare un partner migliore.”
I cover my mouth with a hand to keep a disgusted scream in and the lasagna I had for lunch down as my brain translates his words.
It cannot be right.I refuse to accept reality.I’m fluent in the fucking language.I got it right.My father is telling someone that Cesare is in on some arrangement he has with the person on the other side of the line.He’s also saying that the obnoxious man has been bringing Dad the ‘most exquisite specimens, top-tier, pristine, truly first-class’.Apparently, Cesare is also the best partner my father has ever had.
Fighting the bile that’s starting to rise in my throat, I rush out of the house and into my idling car as if all the hounds of hell were at my heels.Because they are.
I zoom past the gates and merge into the light afternoon traffic without really seeing anything in front of me.I slow down to avoid an accident as my father’s words whirl around my head like a fucking hurricane.
Specimens?What the hell does he mean?
Is he talking about people?
Is my father capable of that?
My heart sinks as I choose not to dive into that possibility.
“Fuck!”I slam a hand on the steering wheel.This is a situation I could certainly use Shelby’s help with.But I can’t come to him with suspicions instead of proof.The Syndicate has very stringent rules against human trafficking of any kind.If my father is entangled in anything remotely connected to that kind of activity, I need to be a thousand percent sure before I speak with anyone about it.
Not even with my husband.
“Fuck!Shit!”I keep banging my open hand against the leather covering of the wheel.“Motherfucker!What the fuck are you up to, Dad?”
If I’m right, this changes everything because my husband and his family would have to hunt down my father.Despite all my issues with Giovanni DiLorenzo, heismy dad.This war would put my loyalties to the test.Should I follow love or blood?How will I be able to pick a side if it comes to that?
10
Serena
Ineed to gather intel on my father’s activities before I head home and talk to Shelby.So I end up going to a nearby shopping mall to pass the time until my father leaves for a three o’clock appointment at his office downtown.I set up that meeting for Dad with some potential investors a couple of weeks ago.And I’ve just confirmed with his assistant that it’s still on his calendar.
