“Oh, I’ve got a way to keep you loaded,” he whispers. A giggle bursts from my chest and he laughs in response. “Bad joke?”
“Really bad,” I agree, sinking deeper into his hold. I give myself a few seconds before pulling away. “Are we alone?”
His jaw tenses and he shakes his head once. “I told everyone to leave, but—”
“But I’m not leaving you.” I’m surprised by the familiar voice. I’d thought Madeline would have been the one to insist she stay. Instead, it’s Evelyn I find myself looking toward. She gives me a teary smile that quickly drops. “I mean, I don’t want to, but I will if you’d like to be alone.”
Is that what I want? The pain of all she and Daniel have kept from me stings, but right now, they’re the only ones besides Hunter who feel like home. Still, that doesn’t mean I need to forgive her. Not yet, maybe not ever.
“I need answers. You can stay if you’re willing to give me them without bullshitting us the way everyone else is.”
She doesn’t even hesitate as she jerks a sharp nod. “I can do that.”
I swallow, turning back to Hunter. “I can’t do this alone.”
“Never,” he vows, shifting his body to block Evelyn from my view. “I will never leave you. Just look at me. Nothing and no one else. It’s just us. You got me?”
“I got you,” I rasp, tangling my fingers in his shirt. Clearing my throat, I finally ask the question that’s been burning through me since last night. “What happened last night, Evelyn?”
“I’m not completely sure, to be honest,” she says, her voice filled with confusion. “The plan was always to come for you once you reached your twenty-third birthday. To bring you into the fold when we were sure you’d be safe. Daniel and I were going to speak to you about it the night we had you and your men over, but then…”
But then Hunter was attacked. My throat tightens as the fear of that night pulses through me. That’s twice now he’d been injured for being a part of my life. I wish I was strong enough to let him go, but I’m not. I love him too damn much. What happened that night will never happen again, though. Not if I can help it.
Hunter’s jaw pulses and I can tell he wants to say something, but he holds back, letting me decide how much I can handle.
“Keep going,” I quietly demand, focusing on the soft strokes of his fingers brushing my cheeks.
“San Francisco will never be safe for you, Isabella. But this place is your home, your birthright. You deserve to take back the legacy your parents left for you. When Miles and Char passed,Le Milieudied with them. It took us years to rebuild, to create the family, the army, you’d eventually need.” She chuckles softly. “Not that you need us. You seem to have found your own band of warriors, sweetheart, haven’t you?”
I blush, but the feeling quickly sours. The guys are my warriors, and now they need me.
“Where are they?” I ask. “Who were the masked people in the parking lot?”
“You’ve inherited so much, Isabella,” she murmurs. “This place,Le Milieu, the new Circle, your birthright. But with that comes danger. The most powerful people will always have the worst enemies, and you, my dear, are no different.”
Irritation burns through me. I untangle my fingers from Hunter’s shirt before leaning back and turning my full attention to her. My eyes are narrowed, my patience paper thin.
“Who the hell were they?” I grit out. “You’re saying so many things and nothing at all. What the fuck are you leaving out?”
She doesn’t take offense to my tone. Instead, her head tilts to the side, her graying, blonde curls falling over her shoulder.
“When your grandfather and uncles unexpectedly died, your mother became the last living member ofLe Milieu. In the blink of an eye, she inherited a fortune beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. From one moment to the next, she found herself the Godmother of an international crime syndicate that dates back hundreds of years.” She shakes her head and wipes away a tear. “But Char was young, and she never wanted to be queen.”
“Queen?” Hunter asks, shaking his head. “I don’t understand. You’re making it sound like Ella’s mother was the head of the fucking mob or something.”
“Not the mob, no,” Evelyn says, huffing out a humorless laugh. His shoulders drop in relief. “Le Milieuis the French Mafia, and Charlotte was the head of the entire organization.”
“What the fuck?” he rasps, his body trembling.
She ignores him and locks eyes with me. Something in her gaze sends shivers of apprehension down my spine. I instinctively know I’m going to hate whatever she says next.
“And like all those in power, she had many enemies. But there was one man who sought to steal everything from her. To take her and her wealth no matter the cost. An enemy who destroyed us once before, burned us to the ground and disappeared only to reappear a few years ago. Before, he was nothing but a lowly member of the Circle. Now, he’s created his own empire with many supporters who rival the power ofLe Milieu.”
“If this mafia is that powerful, has that much money, why can’t you just…” Hunter trails off and shrugs. “Have the asshole killed?”
Evelyn grins, but I’m too busy trying to keep from throwing up to smile. “Oh, there’s nothing we’d love more than to destroy the sick fucker, but it’s not that simple.”
“Sure it is,” he snaps. “I’ll fucking do it right now. If you’re saying the guy could be after Ella, then I’ll kill him. I’ll end the threat before it touches her.”
