“I didn’t have a choice. People were looking for me everywhere. I did what was necessary to keep Noah safe.”
“I know.” She sighs. “All I’m saying is that you couldn’t carry on living the way you did. Disappearing is one thing, but surviving on your own with no support network to fall back onto is another.”
“Are you saying it’s a good thing Dante found me?”
“No,” she exclaims. “I’m saying you need to make a life for yourself with friends you can trust—people you can rely on when you need help. You’ve done a damn good job on your own. To be honest, I have no idea how you managed alone for so long. No woman, no matter how strong she is, is Superwoman, and you know what they say about no man being an island.”
I open my mouth to protest, but she doesn’t give me a chance.
“So, Tatiana Teszner, you can cut yourself some slack for using your ID because you had to go to the hospital. You did the only thing you could do, and you were right to have called me. None of what happened was your fault, so stop beating yourself up about it.”
I’m not so sure about that, about the part that none of what happened was my fault, but there’s no point in arguing about just how guilty I am. Debating those old skeletons isn’t going to bring any of the dead people back.
Jazz hesitates before continuing with caution. “Dante said he’s taking you and Noah back to New York.”
The prospect ties my stomach into a knot. “He told me this morning.”
“He sounded very proprietary for a man who’s supposed to want you dead.”
“He claims the price on my head was just a reward for information that would lead to finding me.”
“Do you believe him?” She glances at Noah, who’s made a bed with cushions in his tent. “Or has finding out about Noah changed his mind?”
“As it turns out, he’s after something other than my inheritance.”
“What more does he want?”
“He wants to bring Leander down, and I’m supposed to help him.”
“Leander?” She reels. “Dante has already taken everything from your family. What can he possibly gain from going after Leander?”
I hate to admit what kind of man my father—my own flesh and blood—was, but Jazz already knows the worst of it. “Dante said my father had ordered a hit on his brother, and Leander had executed it.”
“His brother?” Her eyes flare. “Good grief.” She blinks. “I didn’t even know he had a brother.”
“Remember how Dante disappeared after working for my father for two years? It happened just before then. When our paths crossed again another two years later, Dante and my father were enemies, but he never told me why. He couldn’t. If I’d known the truth, he wouldn’t have been able to use me to get his revenge.”
“This is terrible. And we thought he just wanted your father’s territory.” She adds hastily, “Not that it justifies what he did to you.”
“It’s always been about a vendetta and never about the money.” Bitterness rises up inside me. “Although, I suppose the money didn’t hurt.”
She paces in front of me. “I’m not saying Leander doesn’t merit what’s coming to him, but Dante has no right to use you just as he did before.” Stopping, she faces me again. “How the heck are you supposed to help him?”
“I have a feeling it’s got something to do with my company shares that Leander is managing. I think Dante is going to force me to sign them over to him.”
She gasps. “He can’t do that. That’s all you have left. If he’s taking you back, you may as well claim your inheritance.”
“If that’s what it’s going to take to get rid of him, he can have my shares. Whatever the case, I’ll know what he’s scheming soon.” Too soon. “He wanted to leave straight away, but I won a bit of time by convincing him to let me finish this job.”
Concern transforms her features. “Win time for what?”
“To come up with a plan that will get us out of this crazy situation.” Although, I have to admit, I’m out of plans, and the clock is ticking. “He’s taking us back next week.”
“Tiana…” She bites her lip. “There’s something I haven’t told you. Hell, I was going to, but there just wasn’t time.” Her eyebrows snap together, her blue eyes brimming with sympathy. “Dante bought your parents’ condo when Leander put it up for auction.”
I wince. “I saw the news.”
The wariness in her gaze intensifies. “Dante lives there now. He lives in your old home.”
