“Just because you have a daughter doesn’t mean any of us have to care,” Leo snaps. “I know you don’t agree with this but Gabriel will see in time that this was the only way. And by marrying Emma, I have a claim to her. We can hurt Alessandro with this. Gabriel killed Giovanni. He got his revenge. But Giovanni didn’t suffer for it. And neither has Alessandro. He needs to suffer where his brother couldn’t. And so Emma will be the cause of his suffering.”
Rocco stares at Leo in horror. “You were always a little bit crazy but I truly see you for who you really are now.”
“Come on,” Leo says to me, tugging on my arm. I follow behind because I don’t know what else to do. I don’t know if I should run or fight or cry or stay with Leo. I know nothing.
And that stark reality hits me in the stomach, making me double over and vomit right onto the church aisle.
Leo makes a sound in the back of his throat and picks me up, carrying me out of the church. This is not how I expected Leo would carry me. I thought it would be romantic. Instead, this is a horror novel instead of a romance one.
Leo drives us back to his house and it’s only after I see the large mansion before me that I realize I should fight and not remain so passive.
The second he parks the car in the driveway, I dive out of the car and make a run for it but Leo is faster. He grabs me around the waist and drags me inside.
“Please don’t do this,” I sob. “Why are you doing this? You were kind to me. You gave me a job. I don’t understand.”
“You say you don’t understand but how can I believe you when you’re Alessandro Greco’s daughter? You could be lying to me and I need to get to the bottom of it. It’s not a coincidence you showed up on my doorstep in need of help. Alessandro could have sent you. I need to find out what you know and if you refuse to tell me, Emma, I am going to have to break you.” He throws me over his shoulder and carries me to a door that leads down to a basement. I never tried to open this door because it was locked. I respected Leo’s privacy.
His footsteps are loud on the stone steps as we move deeper into the basement. It’s more like a dungeon in here. Made out of stone. Cold and dreary.
One large cage rests in the middle of the room.
“I bought this just for you and your mom.” He opens the cage door and sets me on my feet. “I didn’t manage to kidnap your mother but I did get you. When I sent my man, Danilo, back to the farm to get your mother, she was already gone. But I have you and that’s more important. You’re Alessandro’s daughter. You will help me take him down. Tell me what you know about him.”
The sheer utter coldness in his eyes terrifies me. This is nothing like the man who offered me a job. Who gave me a place to sleep with no strings attached. I thought I was safe. That hurts most of all.
“Why let me stay with you?” I ask. “If you were just going to do this to me? Why show me kindness?”
“Because I thought it would work. That you would slip up and reveal something but you didn’t. So now I have to take amore drastic approach to get you to talk. And even if you don’t, Alessandro will soon learn that I have his daughter locked away in a cage. If he knew you were treated like a princess, he wouldn’t come save you. But I will have to hurt you if you don’t talk. I will have to hurt you if Alessandro doesn’t do what I need him to do.”
“And what do you need him to do?”
“Call off this war. He’s going to attack me and my men. I can’t stand for that. So if you know anything, Emma, tell me now.”
I drop to my knees as all the energy leaves me. “I don’t know anything. I don’t know who Alessandro is. I don’t know where my mom is. I didn’t even know you knew where I lived. I don’t understand anything.”
Leo bends over me, glaring into my eyes like I personally wronged him. “No one is this innocent. No one. This world is full of darkness and you are the daughter of a dark man. You have his stain on you. I let myself get lost in your innocence for a moment. Let myself believe that I didn’t need to make this happen. But when Isabella came by, it made me realize that anyone could come by. And I needed to take drastic action. So I am taking the hard approach with you now, Emma. Tell me what you know.”
“I don’t know anything!” My voice echoes through the large basement.
“I don’t believe you. Don’t make me hurt you.”
I gasp. “You’re going to hurt me?”
For just a moment, Leo’s eyes waver before he steels himself. “If that’s what it takes, I will. So tell me what you know.”
“Tell me whatyouknow,” I demand. “Because I don’t know anything.”
“Your father is a bad man, Emma. A mafia man.Iam a mafia man. I know you know this. Your mother is married to a mafia man. You are the daughter of a mafia man. So tell me what you know.”
My tears stream down my eyes and the ache in my chest feels like it’s going to kill me. “The mafia? No. My mom and I don’t belong to the mafia.”
“I know you’re hiding something from me. I’ve known it for the past week. Tell me what you weren’t saying.”
“I didn’t tell you about my mother. I’m sorry. That’s what I was hiding. The truth about my mother.”
“What about your mother?”
I suck in a ragged breath. “She kept me locked away on our farm my entire life. I ran away from her. She was so mean to me. I never wanted to go back to her again. But I know nothing about the mafia. I don’t know my father. My mother never mentioned him. It was just her and me.”
