Page 6 of Crowned By the Mafia Billionaires

Bennett is standing in the doorway to my bedroom, looking between me and the destruction around us. His jaw is clenched, and there’s an angry look on his face that instantly puts me on edge.

I throw a hand up. “What? I’m sure you’ve got something to say, so say it.”

He walks toward me. “You’re coming home with us.”

I back away and hold my hands up. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

I can’t. I know they don’t understand, but I can’t go from living under my father’s control to having Bennett and Knox making every decision for me.

Knox is somehow the calmer one right now. He steps closer, his voice soft. “Talk to us. Tell us what you’re thinking.”

I look around my destroyed bedroom. My clothes are ruined. My furniture is overturned. Someone went through every inch of the one place that was supposed to be mine.

I grip the straps of the backpack tighter. “I should never have gotten you two mixed up in this. I should have sent you an email or something with everything I knew instead of meeting with you.”

Bennett takes a breath like he’s trying to hold on to his patience. “Honey, listen. We’ve been adversaries of Victor Sterling for decades. This is not on you.”

“I know that.” I glance out the bedroom door into the living room, and the word TRAITOR stares back at me. I swallow hard. “But having me, his own flesh and blood, turn on him and join the other side has left him unhinged. I’ve never seen him this desperate.”

And that scares me more than I want either of them to know.

My father has always been ruthless, but he’s usually calculated about it. This feels different.

Bennett puts his hands on his hips. “What were they looking for?”

I hesitate. I’ve kept this secret for months. Even when I started helping the Kingstons, I didn’t tell them everything. I needed something of my own that I could use if my father refused to let Grant go.

I reach behind me and tap the backpack. “A thumb drive.”

Knox takes a step toward me. “What’s on the thumb drive?”

I look between the two men. I trust them. At least my gut tells me I should. That thought alone is terrifying because I haven’t trusted anyone outside my brother in a very long time.

I suck in a breath. “My father’s computer.”

Bennett’s mouth drops open. “What?”

I lift my chin. “I knew he needed to be taken down, and this is the way to do it. I thought I could get him to release my brother, but since he hasn’t, this is my fallback.”

Bennett stares at me like I’ve grown another head. “You have your dad’s computer contents on that thumb drive?”

“Yeah.” I shift the backpack higher on my shoulder. “I have everything. The buildings he burned, the politicians he threatened, the deals, the threats, the bribes. Everything.”

For the first time since I walked into this apartment, I feel like I have a little bit of control again. I may not be able to physically overpower my father, but I can destroy him. “I’m going to turn it over to the police.”

Knox immediately shakes his head. “Oh, honey. He’s got the police in his back pocket.”

My stomach drops because I know he’s probably right. “Fine. I’ll do something with it.” I look between them. “But what I won’t do is get you two even more involved.”

Bennett’s forehead creases. “Why?”

“Because.”

A soft smile pulls at his mouth. “That’s not an answer, pretty.”

My stomach flips at the name, which only frustrates me more. I cross my arms over my chest. “Because I don’t want the two of you hurt.”

There. I said it. Bennett’s expression changes. Before I can take the words back, he walks toward me and puts his fingers beneath my chin, lifting my face until I’m looking at him.