She was mine. Period.
I would do whatever it took to make her understand, and that included asking her father for help. Iwasn’t normally the type to ask for any sort of help, let alone with a woman, but for her, there wasn’t much I wouldn’t do.
Attempting to be respectful, I set up a time to meet with Enzo at his office. It was a Friday afternoon, but the place was still bustling with activity. When I entered his office, I realized I was already feeling more comfortable around the man.
“Have a seat,” he offered in a formal tone. “What can I do for you?”
“I want to talk to you about Alessia.”
He didn’t look surprised. “I know you’re very interested in her, but you need to accept she may not be cut out for this life.”
“There’s nothing to be cut out for—I’ll protect her,” I argued in return.
“Like you did this week?” His eyes were stone cold, but the rest of his features were impassive.
“I’d do a hell of a lot better than you. At least I didn’t turn a blind eye as my daughter was sexually harassed in an office down the hall.” My temper was flaring, and it wasn’t going to help me win his support, but I’d be damned if he questioned my abilities when he had been just as negligent if not more so.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Her boss, Coleman was his name. He’d been harassing her, making passes at her, even groping her right here at Triton from the day she started working for you.”
Worry lines creased his forehead, and his eyes fell to his desk. “Why didn’t she tell me? Or report him to HR?”
“She said you’d want her to handle it herself, so that’s what she was trying to do, but her methods were ineffective.I caught him forcing himself on her in the bathroom a week ago.”
“Coleman died about a week ago, he was…” His eyes found mine, silent communication passing between us. The tension in his shoulders eased as realization dawned that my devotion to Alessia knew no limits.
I would keep her safe at all costs.
Enzo gave a single nod. “I did the best I could with my girls. This world is a dangerous place, and it’s hard to know how best to protect your children.”
“You kept them uninformed and weak.”
“Be careful how harshly you judge me,” he warned with a bite in his tone. “God willing, someday you will have children of your own, and I think you’ll find the task much more challenging than you could ever imagine.”
“You’re right,” I conceded, lowering my head with a sigh. “I get emotional where she’s concerned—something I’m not used to. I haven’t seen her since before she was taken, and it’s making me rather unbearable. I nearly decapitated one of my best friends when he suggested I needed to get laid. I want your daughter. I know I can make her happy, but I need help making her see that—getting her to accept our way of life and to accept me.”
He stared at me for a long moment, his expression detached. “I appreciate your persistence—it’s an important quality in a young man. I also believe you’ll keep my daughter safe, which is of the utmost importance to me. For those reasons, I’ll see what I can do, but I can’t promise anything. Alessia is her own woman, and she has the freedom to choose who she sees.”
“I understand,” I replied, dizzy with relief. “All I ask is youtalk with her.” I stood and reached out my hand, which he accepted with a firm grasp. “Thank you, Mr. Genovese.”
“Call me Enzo. I have a feeling I’ll be seeing a lot more of you.” He glared at me sardonically, and for the first time, I saw a touch of humor in the old man’s eyes. He’d not said it in so many words, but I’d just received Enzo Genovese’s blessing to date his daughter.
CHAPTER 26
ALESSIA
It was amazinghow much better I felt just being back in my own apartment. My father’s doctor had tended to me before I left their house, something my parents had insisted on before they’d allow me to leave. The doctor assured me the wounds would heal nicely, leaving minimal scarring, but I would believe it when I saw for myself.
As he removed my bandages, I got a front-row view of just how much damage Rico had done. I had eighteen cuts on the underside of my left forearm alone, almost all perpendicular to my arm. He must have seen his work as a form of art because there were patterns to the lines.
I tried to remind myself I was fortunate heliked to play with his victims—had he gone straight for the kill, I would have been long dead when Matteo had come for me. The few scars that remained would forever be a reminder of just how close I’d come to death.
And a reminder of Sal’s betrayal.
How had a man I’d known all my life offered me up to be sacrificed like so much garbage? Ever since that day, my brain had struggled to grasp how such evil could have hidden among us without detection. All I could surmise was the sheer depths of his depravity enabled him to hide in plain sight. He bore no guilt or doubt about his actions, and that meant he could do whatever it took to protect himself and achieve his goals.
He was a sociopath.
