“I’ve been calling for afuckinghour,” Eliseo snaps. “Screen my calls again and I’ll find you and take care of that pretty little obsession of yours in ways you don’t want to imagine.”
I stagger backward until my ass hits the vanity.
I don’t know much about Raffael’s youngest brother. Apart from him being Aurelia’s twin. He’s not part of the acquisitions team at the Cavallo Group. But we’ve crossed paths a handfulof times. Fundraisers. Business functions. Always brief. Always cold.
Not that I expected warmth.
However, I also hadn’t anticipated threats delivered with arctic chill.
“Did you hear me?” he grates, as Raffael roughly tests the wardrobe door. “Why hasn’t there been a statement? I want her reputation ruined. Her legacy turned into a fucking punch line.”
My palm sweats around the cell.
I should hang up. Pretend this entire stunt didn’t happen.
“Isla,” Raffael growls, his voice now carrying back at the main bathroom door. “Open up.”
Eliseo falls silent.
“Isla,” Raffael shouts, slamming into the door hard enough to rattle the frame. “Open the fucking door.”
A low chuckle carries through the cell.
“Is that you, Cross?” Eliseo asks. Amused. Sinister.Fuck. “Does my brother know you have his phone?”
The pounding of the door continues, the thunderousboom, boom, boomgaining momentum.
“Yes, he does.” I brace my free hand against the vanity for stability. “And he’s not exactly thrilled about it.”
“That’s probably because I’m the last person he’d want you talking to. Has he told you my plans if you don’t comply?”
He doesn’t need to. Eliseo’s callous tone drips with enough foreboding.
“I’m making a statement,” I murmur, my resolve slipping.
“Good, because I stopped by your apartment and claimed a little leverage just in case. I’m not really a cat person though, so I’d hurry if I were you.”
A high-pitched yowl carries in the background. Feline. Frantic.
My insides pitch sideways.
He’s got Nyra.
“Please don’t hurt her.” My pulse forgets how to beat.
“It might be my hands that inflict the punishment, but I assure you it’s your actions that will cause the consequences. My brother may have fallen under your spell, but I have no such compunction.”
“Isla,” Raffael bellows between thunderous booms, the wood near the lock cracking.
The call disconnects.
The screen goes black.
I stand frozen, breaths shallow, my arm falling limp at my side.
Then the bathroom door explodes inward. Splintered wood goes flying. And Raffael charges in, hair dripping, ferocity radiating, with nothing but a towel slung low on his hips.
Shit.
