"That is not what I meant."
"Then let me be clear." I lean forward, planting my hands on the table and bringing my face close enough to his that he can see the murder in my eyes. "I will never let you traumatize her again. You have done enough damage to that woman when all she ever wanted was to make you happy. Why else do you think she walked down that aisle to begin with, instead of fleeing the night you forced her hand?"
Fiore has nothing to say to that, his mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air.
"You were supposed to protect her," I continue, each word landing like a blow. "Not use her as currency to cover your own ass like she’s nothing more than a body to use. You make my stomach churn."
"And what have you done?" The question comes out strangled, desperate. "If not the same thing?"
I straighten to my full height and look down at the man who destroyed his own daughter's spirit through years of abuse and manipulation. "I took her away from men who wanted nothing more than to play her as a pawn. What happens from here on out is not up to you. You will never have that control over her again."
Something shifts in Fiore's expression, fear giving way to something that looks almost like satisfaction. "I might be weak compared to you, Milano. But my best friend does not share myconstitution. Magnus lacks control and he hates losing." Fiore pauses, letting the words settle into the space between us. "You stole from him, and he will do the collecting."
The threat hangs in the air as I turn and walk out of the room, Massimo falling into step beside me as we navigate the corridors back toward the entrance.
Harlon steps out with us and I turn on him. “You need to get your house in order. If I hadn’t stepped in, that man would have ruined a woman’s life and you would have never known that contract was against Genesis rules from conception.”
Harlon considers me a minute and I know if it comes to blows I will have to go toe to toe with a man I can take, but not without pain.
His shoulders pinned back but he’s not posturing. He’s intent on being heard, but he’s also listening.
“Don’t let this happen again. You need permission before stepping on other people’s deals, whether they're legal in the eyes of Genesis or not. Understood?”
“It won’t. I already have what I want. I don’t need another bride. I have Persia.”
Harlon turns and leaves us to find our own way out.
"That was a warning," Massimo says once we are clear of Genesis ears.
"I know."
"Magnus is not going to let this go either."
"I know that too."
I need something on those three to get them to back the fuck off. But that will have to be after I get the Governor and his BFF under control. One beast at a time.
We step into the late afternoon sunlight, and I reach for my phone to text Persia that I am on my way back when Massimo stops me with a hand on my arm.
"There is something else." He pulls out his own phone and shows me a message that makes my blood run cold and hot at the same time. "We have buyers coming in for the art pieces we are moving through the Gilded Key Society in New Orleans. One hundred forty million on the table, and they have a three-hour window before they leave the country."
I shake my head, already moving toward the car. "Tell them it has to wait. Persia has been alone all day."
"It cannot wait, brother." Massimo's voice carries an urgency that makes me pause. "But that is not the interesting part. They say they have information you will want. About Harlon."
That stops me cold. “You’re kidding.”
I turn to face my legal counsel, searching his expression for any sign of deception. "What kind of information?"
"The kind that could make the men of Genesis back off your heels permanently." Massimo shrugs one broad shoulder. "He says he has dirt on a man who used to be part of their trio."
My mind races through the implications, cataloging everything I know about the three men who just witnessed my contract with Fiore. "There is a fourth guy?"
"Apparently." Massimo's smile carries no warmth. "And a dead wife."
I stand there in the fading afternoon light, torn between the woman waiting for me in my penthouse and the opportunity to gain leverage over the organization that has been circling my empire like sharks scenting blood.
"Tell them we will be there this evening," I say finally, hating myself for the decision even as I make it.
