Schooling my expression, I straighten. “I have.”
“Good…that saves us the boring details then,” Cesare hums, seeming more boyish from the way he looks at me.
“That brings me back to my previous question. What do you want?” I repeat, doing my best not to fawn beneath their gazes.
“What we want is leverage, just like everyone else,” Carlo says more pointedly this time, eyes sharp like a predator. That look is enough to make him seem more aggressive than his brother. “And you are the key to it.”
I narrow my eyes at them as rage rips through me, despising how all of this boils down to me being nothing more than something to steal and trade. Bait. I’m tired of it.
Orlando sighs as if all of this is too tedious for his liking. “Vito Caputo promised us things. All of which he couldn’t follow up on. Territory, access, you. We had the price worked out and everything, but as much as he loved money, he loved being alive more, which is why he handed you over to a ghost.”
That word sticks out in my mind at once, and my pulse spikes.
“You mean Wyatt.”
Orlando grins. “Yes, but he goes by many names, doesn’t he? Vic Dubrov, Wyatt Michaels, the Vegas Ghost…how does he keep it all straight, I wonder?”
I grit my teeth. “What does he have to do with this if Vito was the one who screwed you over?”
He hums simply. “Everything.” With his hands folded behind his back, he takes a few slow, idle steps. His shoes crunch against loose gravel on the rooftop. “It’s true that Vito betrayed us. He took what was ours and gave it away freely. He was even prepared to turn to another group looking for a bigger payout, so it seems.”
“And Wyatt has been on our radar for a long time,” Carlo mutters, letting a look of disdain cross his features.
“Then take it up with him, not me,” I return, chest tightening at the thought of them actually confronting Wyatt. “I’m not part of this.”
Carlo clicks his tongue in mock sympathy. “You are now.”
The claim feels more like a death sentence, making my skin crawl.
I’ve never wanted anything to do with these underground politics. I never asked to be pulled into it. But as a Lukov, I guess this is the hand I’ve been dealt.
“You’ll make a fine wife,” Cesare hums, reaching forward to move my chin from side to side, making me stiffen. “One of us could use a woman who already knows how this world works. It’s an asset, really…for you to know what’s expected of you.”
Wife.
The word nearly makes my skin turn to ice, tripping over the mere thought.
That title has already been weaponized against me once, but surprisingly, Wyatt handled it with more care than I anticipated. He never looked at me like I was lesser than, and he respected my boundaries. He married me to keep me safe, even if I didn’t see it that way before.
But given the way the Grimaldis look at me, I know that wouldn’t be the case. Not even remotely.
“No,” I mumble, shaking my head out of his grasp as if fighting the notion. “Absolutely not. You can’t—”
“We can,” Cesare says with an amused gleam in his eyes as he stands. “And we will.”
Despite the panic threatening to choke me, I narrow my eyes at them. “My brothers will burn everything you have if you try. Wyatt won’t ever let that happen.”
Orlando smiles, subtly cruel. “A Lukov woman disappearing into our family is the kind of humiliation that festers for a lifetime. As for Wyatt…I’ll take immense pride in knowing the woman he thought he owned slipped right through his fingers.”
I don’t mean to react, but my expression tightens at the threat, and they notice. Their mutual amusement deepens, leaving me feeling more like a specimen being studied in a lab.
Being caught under their attention like this, hearing their plans for me, brings me more fury than I’ve ever felt before. The fear is there, but it’s fuel this time. Even if I’m at a disadvantage here, I won’t let them take me away from my brothers, or from Wyatt.
I’m not property. I’m not subhuman.
Orlando straightens. “Enough talk. Get her up.”
Their hands grab at my arms as they haul me to my feet, making my balance falter. With weak legs, I stumble forward, and the sudden change gives me a head rush.
