Now as the sun starts to rise, Doc puts my shoulder in a sling. If I had it my way, we’d be stealing Parker’s helicopter and be halfway back to Velvet House, but Bianchi still wants us here and I don’t need Eli to tell me that maintaining that relationship is important going forward.
Soon the five of us are being ordered into a huge conference room. January, Eli, Doc, Adriano, and I sit at the table in our filthy clothes as Stormtroopers serve us coffee.
“Wonderful,” Bianchi says, taking a seat at the head of the table. “Now, we must discuss next steps.”
Eli, looking as tired as I feel, downs a latte in one. “Whatever you’d like, sir.”
“Well, first I must issue an apology for what happened at my wedding and afterward. I played no part in the disruption, but I guaranteed you a safe haven, and Yelizaveta and I regret what happened with all our hearts.”
We mumble our acceptance, and I can’t help feeling like a better apology would be letting us sleep.
Bianchi temples his fingers. “Now, about Emilia Galloway…”
At first, I have no idea who he’s talking about, but then I remember the redhead. Parker’s girlfriend. His killer.
“What about Emilia?” January asks and I’m impressed with how calm she sounds, especially since she’s still wearing nothing but Doc’s T-shirt.
She’s so beautiful, I think dumbly.I wanna put my head in her lap and sleep forever.
“The girl was Parker’s paramour for a long time, yes?” Bianchi asks.
January’s green eyes narrow. “Yes. But she was the one who saved Eli and me when no one else could.”
“Of course,” Bianchi agrees. “Although as far as I’m aware she was faithful to Parker for years.”
“She was his victim,” January says coldly. “He started abusing her when she was underage. He controlled her.”
“Yes, yes,” Bianchi says absently, turning to Eli. “Surely you understand my dilemma, Morelli?”
Eli blinks. “What dilemma?”
“The girl, she’s currently in a state of psychosis. She knows a great deal and has many ties to Parker’s estate. Perhaps an act of mercy would—”
“You arenotkilling her.” January pushes her chair back.
“Bella,” Eli mutters, reaching for her hand. January shakes him off, looks straight at Bianchi. “You have no right. Emilia saved us, she killed Parker.”
I brace, ready to defend January against Bianchi’s rage. But the old man doesn’t look angry, in fact, he’s smiling. “I appreciate your passion, Miss Whitehall, but one act doesn’t erase years of loyalty.”
“It does when you kill the person you’re loyal to,” January shoots back. “If Emilia was one of Mr. Parker’s men and she killed him, you’d be patting her on the back and giving her a bottle of scotch.”
Eli grabs January’s wrist, tighter this time. “You mustn’t—”
“Elliot,” Mr. Bianchi says lazily. “Let the girl continue.”
Eli lets go of January, looking dumbstruck. January on the other hand keeps right on trucking.
“Let’s not forget,” she tells Bianchi. “We were attacked becauseyouasked us to put the terms of our contract aside and come to the wedding knowing my stepmother and Mr. Parker would be there. You gave them both the opportunity to attack us.”
Everybody in the room draws in a breath. I’m too scared to even reproach her and I can tell by Eli’s look of frozen horror, he feels exactly the same way.
“Little girl you have no idea what you’re talking about,” Bianchi drawls.
January doesn’t flinch. “I’m not a little girl and I do know what I’m talking about. By the contract we signed in your conference room, Velvet House is entitled to half the assets your men are taking out of this property, and anything else Mr. Parker owned.”
Eli coughs. Doc’s eyeballs go so wide they almost fall out of his head. I just stare at January, wondering if she’s been possessed by the spirit of Joan of Arc or something.
“You owe us half of his estate,” January says, pointing a finger across the table like a zealous prosecutor. “More actually.”
