Page 64 of Heaven Help Me

“Hello, Bettina.”

My gaze snaps back to Fazio on the phone, dread filling my gut.

“You weren’t very nice to my men last night. Not very smart of you.”

I hear her voice ringing out from the speaker of the phone. I can tell she’s yelling, but I can’t make out the words.

“Here’s what we’re going to do,” Fazio cuts her off, all cool confidence that makes me very worried. “You’re going to relinquish the Barzettis to me. You know why? Because I’m the best man for the job. Always have been. I spent all those years guarding Valentina. Learning the business. Making connections.”

He chuckles, but I can hear Bettina still yelling.

He cuts her off. “Because I have Valentina here with me and I know you’d hate to see harm come to her.”

Fazio pulls the phone from his ear and presses a button, aiming the phone in my direction. I turn my head, but he reaches down and grabs my hair, yanking my face toward the view of the camera on his phone. My scalp burns, but I use that pain to funnel into my rage.

“Valentina!” I hear Bettina gasp, the phone now on speaker.

“Here’s what’s going to happen. I’ll return to New York tomorrow to officially take charge of the Barzettis. You’ll make an announcement. Valentina will marry me, by my side, running everything like normal. And everyone will be safe and sound.”

“And if I don’t?” snaps Bettina, more pissed than I’ve ever heard her.

Fazio shrugs. “Then Valentina gets hurt. You try to take it away from me in the future, Valentina gets hurt. It’s very simple, really.”

Bettina lets out a string of curses, but doesn’t respond to his threats. Fazio tosses me the phone, which I can’t catch. It lands in my lap, the angle really terrible for double chins.

“Tell her,” he growls.

Instead of talking to Bettina, who looks so angry on the phone screen it makes me flinch, I look at Fazio. “Why are you doing this?”

He just shrugs. “I should have always run it. You women aren’t cut out for it.”

Ah, misogyny strikes again. “So then why do you want to marry me?”

His grin turns lecherous. “You were always the untouchable princess.” He nearly spits the word. He runs a finger up my thigh, so high and inappropriate I thrash around to knock him away from me. All it does is jostle the phone. He laughs at my panic. “Not so untouchable now, are you?”

Then he straightens, taking the phone from my lap. “You have thirty seconds to agree to my proposal, Bettina.”

“Fuck you, Fazio. You’re not taking this from me!”

Fazio’s grin is chilling. Bettina’s denial to give up control for my safety is also disturbing, but no less than I expected. He doesn’t answer her right away, he just steps close, looming over me, the phone camera angled at my face.

“That’s unfortunate to hear.”

And then he lifts his arm, gun in hand, and brings it down on my head while my adoptive mother watches.

My world goes dark once again.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Deuce

“Sure is nice to see you in love,” Lottie drawls just before lunch.

My head snaps up from inspecting the suit pants that came back from the tailor last night. Lottie’s staring at me with a knowing grin, her hands on her hips. I’m not sure how long she’s been standing there.

“You’ve been whistling all morning.” She says it like whistling is a crime here in Heaven.

I roll my eyes and stand, tugging at my cufflinks. “Jeez, Lottie. You’re sounding more like Birdie every damn day.”