I nod.“On that score we all feel the same, Leandro.The Gallini bastards may have taken a couple battles, but we will win this fucking war.Right now, though, I need to make sure Sophia isn’t walking right into their trap.”Because if she is the sacrifice in this long and drawn-out bloody war, it was all for nothing.She’s the only reason I let it fucking escalate.
No matter how much I try to focus on what’s going on at the gate at the city house, all I can think about is the softness of her skin, the gentleness of her voice, and the light in Sophia’s eyes shining on me to pull me away from the dark.
The wipers are batting back and forth, scraping over ice pieces that are freezing to the windshield no matter the amount of defrost we’ve got running in the car.Someone starts running toward the car in the night and not recognizing who it is, I draw my gun.
Leandro’s hand on my arm steadies me, but I already see who it is.“Don’t shoot.It’s Gino.”
My chest tightens as our younger brother races toward us and jumps in the back seat.“Put your foot on the fucking gas, Mass.All hell is breaking loose at your house.”
My mind reels, not understanding at all what he’s saying.“We’re at my house.We just fucking got here.”
He shakes his head, looking at me like I’m dense.“Ocean house, get there fucking now.Sophia’s got our man, holding him at gunpoint and she’s demanding to see you or she’s going to blow his fucking brains out.One of your best guards over there called.She said her father’s life is hanging in the balance and she’s not above putting a bullet in someone’s head to find her father.She said, “If you think I’m bluffing, I’m not.You’ll be dead before you take another step because I’m a fucking Cassone.”
15
Sophia
Ishould be scared with three seriously pissed off looking soldiers glaring at me like they’d gladly rip my head off, but now that my sister can manage without me, my desire to find my father and annihilate the Gallini bastard overrides everything.Delz also taught me very well, and I’m not scared at all.I’m appreciative that all his training has prepared me for this day, even though for years I thought it was a waste of time.Now, I plan to use every bit of tactical and survival training he drilled into my head until the Cassones are avenged.
I didn’t expect the night to go like this.I was hoping to find Massimo here, maybe catch him off guard and talk, get him to tell me where Barcelo and my papa are.And now, I have to wait while keeping these goons at bay until Massimo makes his way to where I thought he would already be.
How could Barcelo just disappear for so many weeks.It’s agonizing, day in and day out knowing that every day Barcelo has more time to force Papa to sign over all of his worldly possessions to the Gallinis.And we all know once he does that, they’ll kill him, dump him in the sea and take over everything that used to belong to the Cassones.
Finally, the lights of a car shine as it makes its way slowly up the long drive to the house.The driver stops and Massimo gets out, standing in place looking up toward where I stand in the light of the window with his guard at the end of my barrel.He stalks forward without fear, crossing the distance between his car and house fast with his brothers on his heels.
I turn so to face him, keeping his guard steady with my gun, as Massimo bursts through the door of his oceanfront home.His dark eyes meet mine.The turmoil of emotion swirling in those eyes makes my chest tighten.But I hold to my resolve.He’s had weeks.If he wants to discard me without a word, fine, but I won’t forsake my father, no matter what he’s done.It’s not how I was raised, and I’ll be damned if I’ll let anyone stand in my way, even Massimo fucking Roselli.
His eyes take in the gun on his man.“You took that from one of my men?”
I shrug, not giving him a real answer.“I’ve been taught a thing or two in my day.I want answers.Where is Barcelo, where is my father?My sister is healing.It’s time to make him pay.”
He shifts, but keeps his distance.“And you thought holding my man at gunpoint was better than talking with me?”
The minute the words leave his mouth, my blood boils and he knows.I can tell he knows.My chest tightens with all the emotions I’ve kept bottled up for so many weeks, one ignored call after another until finally the message sunk in.Massimo didn’t want me anymore.My voice cracks but I’m beyond caring now.“You lost the right to ask me that.You lost the right to be the one I come to with problems, with my fears or my fucking desires.Your rules, they no longer apply to me.”
His eyes go dark, and he takes a step forward, but the repositioning of my gun to his soldier’s head stops him midstep.“Where is Barcelo?My father?”
He pins me with his dark stare.“If we knew do you think the bastard would be alive?We’ve spent every waking hour trying to flush the fucker out.My brothers and I have been chasing every lead we get, and the reward we set up is bringing in lead after lead and while all of them seem solid, each and every fucking one of them takes us down yet another long-ass rabbit hole.”
“Where was he seen last?”
Massimo shifts again, this time waving a hand of frustration in the air.“Where the fuck wasn’t he seen last?On the docks, on a boat headed upstate, in a fucking bar across town, you name it, we’ve chased it.Every fucking tunnel in this city, back alley hangout, all of our eyes and ears to the ground.We are going to find him, it’s just a matter of time.Now we deal with this?”
I don’t even respond to that.This?He caused this.“Time that my father doesn’t have!Your mother is safe.My sister is safe.But the bastard has my father and Anna said he’s going to keep torturing him until he hands over everything that he owns to the Gallinis.”I try to keep my emotions in check but damn this night to hell.It’s just too fucking much to think about it.“You know what he’s going to do when he breaks my dad.When Papa can’t take anymore, he’ll kill him and I’m not letting you keep me locked up in that fucking ivory tower of yours while he’s running loose.”
He inches closer.“Are you done?”
My eyebrow arches.I don’t think he’s in any position to be asking the questions, but I need him to tell me more than I’ve gotten already because right now I don’t have a clue where to start.My voice cracks worse with every word, the overwhelming feeling of needing to do something but not being able to do anything at all because there simply are no leads.It’s inconceivable and so unfair.“I need a lead.Somewhere.Tell me anything?I’ll search it out, look for him, even let you have him, Massimo, but now that Anna is stronger, I can’t sit idly by while my father is being tortured, do you not understand that?”
Massimo walks closer, slowly but purposefully, seemingly not worried at all that I may shoot his soldier right in the head.But there’s no purpose now that Massimo is here.It was always just a way to get Massimo here once I realized he wasn’t.Killing his soldier was never part of the plan, but if it was a choice between him and my father, I would have probably put him in the ground.If I could bring myself to do it.I’d like to think my training made me strong enough, but Massimo knows my limitations better than I do myself.
His voice changes to the deep dominant voice that usually makes me weak in the knees but now tells me my time is up.“Give me the gun, kitten.”
I swallow hard but I’m not going to use it now and I don’t plan to play any games.I hand it to Massimo but keep my eye on the guard in case he decides that I deserve a good backhand for holding him hostage, but he does nothing of the sort.“I’m sorry I held a gun to your head.I was just trying to find my father.”
He shakes his head with a tightened jaw.“I’ll let you and Massimo deal with that.I’m sure there are other things and places I need to be right now,” he says, giving the others a head nod, a hint for the other soldiers to fall into line and follow him out of the great room, leaving me with three very dark-eyed Roselli brothers.
Gino heads to the bar and pours three drinks, handing one to each of his brothers and then downing his in one fell swoop.Massimo sets his down on the bar and pours me a glass of wine.“Take a seat, Sophia.We’ll tell you what we know.You have a right to the information, and I should have kept you apprised while we were looking after your sister.Keeping you safe and protected was the goal though.”
