I start to walk past him, but he stops me with a hand to my chest.
“If you ever try to mock me, I will bury you alive,” he hisses.
I look down on his hand. “Touchy, aren’t we?”
“Did you hear me?”
I pinch his wrist like it’s something gross and pull it off me. “Don’t worry, I won’t steal your spot by the door. Now, do me a favor and lead me to your boss like a good boy.”
He lets out a sinister chuckle as his eyes meet mine. “You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that. Let’s see how far they stretch when I pull them out.”
“Ouch. Sadistic and loyal.” I suck in a breath through clenched teeth. “Such a dangerous combination.”
His golden eyes linger on me for a while longer, trying to intimidate me. “Got caught in a cat fight?” He nods sharply.
“Something like that. I hope you were vaccinated against rabies.”
Brutally, he grabs my shirt and pulls me closer. “You fucking?—”
“Ah-ah, where are your manners? You’re actingalmostlike an animal.”
After some seconds of intense death stare and a lot of jaw flexing, he lets go of me and walks into the mansion.
I straighten my amused expression to look more deadly and serious, and follow him.
Fuck, she’s there already, looking at me with those bright eyes that smile more than her lips ever could. Are they red? Was she crying?
Well, if she was, it’s probably because of me. Or at least, on some level.
We arrive outside his office, and Wes knocks on the door twice. He doesn’t wait for an answer and opens it. I guess everyone knows I came.
The room is pretty much as I expected it: heavy furniture, VIP carpets, huge tomes of encyclopedias that I’m sure no one has ever touched, bulked men in suits lining up the walls, and him. This fucker is sitting behind his desk, smoking his cigar, pretending to be God. Weird why he needs a cane; he’s not that old.
“So it’s true. You’re back,” he says, exhaling the smoke and narrowing his eyes.
“It’d be rude to deprive you of my existence,” I quip and look at Wes. “And I’m not rude like some others.”
He doesn’t react; he doesn’t even look at me, but annoying him has already become my new favorite hobby.
“You know why you’re here.” Fabio speaks again, putting the cigar out on the glass ashtray on the heavy, walnut desk. “My daughter asked for you. She needs to have you.”
“The same daughter you shot last night just to get under my skin, right? Now what? You want to play Daddy Cool?”
Slowly, he stands up, takes his cane, and walks closer to me. “What’s your name?”
My eyes dart around, looking at the others. No one is looking towards me or him. They look straight into nothing, like well-trained soldiers.
“Adam.”
“Here are some things you should know about me, Adam,” he says, leaning against the desk, folding his hands right in front of him. “I own Italy. Every street, every judge, every cop you think can protect you. The whole system bends to my name. Butone country isn’t enough. Power like mine spreads, city by city, continent by continent.”
“Sounds almost eerie,” I mock with a fake smile.
“My daughter is the one thing that must stay untouched and alive. No matter the cost.”
“Then why did you shoot her?”
He smiles wickedly, the corner of his eyes creasing just a little bit. “Nosey, aren’t you?”
