Page 27 of Lust and Honor

He stares at me deeply, then slowly nods. “You did a good job keeping yourself off the radar all these years, hiding behind a nun of all people. Do you understand what you’ve done?”

I lock my tearful eyes on him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think he was still after me. I swear I didn’t mean to cause trouble for you. If I’d known—”

He cuts me off. “You lied about your past, hid your real identity, brought a fucking psychopath from the most dangerous human trafficking network right to my wife and kids, and now you’re saying you’re sorry?”

Although he doesn’t raise his voice, he’s so furious his nostrils flare, and his breath comes in short bursts.

I try again to clean up the mess I’ve made. “I’m really sorry, Mr. Bruni. I promise I’ll leave Rome tomorrow. You’ll never see me again.”

His eyebrows pull together. “That decision isn’t yours to make. Unfortunately, it’s not even mine. If it were up to me, I’d serve you up to your father on a silver platter just for the lies you told me. Even that wouldn’t be enough to pay for what you’ve risked, my family.”

I wipe the tears from my face. His words confuse me. “If you’re not the one deciding, then who is?”

His long fingers tap rhythmically on the desk as he answers, “Maxim. The man you foolishly kept his daughter from.”

The second he mentions Aurora, fear turns into anger. “I had every right to keep him out of her life. I thought he was a good man. I spent years dreaming about him, but when I stepped into his club, I realized he’s no different from my father. He owns a brothel.”

“He doesn’t own it. He runs it,” he says casually, then stands, circling the desk as he continues, “I’m the owner.”

He sits in the chair across from me, smirking at the shock on my face. “And he’s definitely not like your bastard of a father. Now your sins also include lying about the father of your child… and hiding the daughter of my consigliere.”

A weight drops from my chest like a stone, crashing straight into my gut. Of course my fate would tie me to a high-ranking mafia figure after escaping a human trafficker for a father.

“He didn’t seem too thrilled about the idea of being a father,” I say quietly. “I’m sure once I talk to him, he’ll let us go.”

He scoffs, staring at me with a mocking expression for a long moment. Unable to bear the weight of his gaze, I lower my head, but his voice cuts through. “You’ve got a lot to learn about men like us, Ava.”

I meet his eyes again. Now I understand—the power radiating from them doesn’t come from wisdom. It comes from violence.

He crosses one long leg over the other as he goes on. “I assure you, Maxim will be a great teacher. Sure, he’ll lose his shit for a while, but sooner or later, he’ll face the truth and come for his daughter with everything he’s got. That man would take a bullet for those he’s loyal to, the ones he considers family. That little girl? She’s got his blood in her veins, she’s his. If you want any part in her future, you’d better pray to God he forgives your sins and accepts you.”

My chest tightens with rage. I stand, my maternal instincts drowning out all sense of fear.

“I’ve been running from a human trafficker for twelve years, and I promise you, I’ll never stop running from you. I don’t want my daughter growing up in the filthy world of the mafia.”

“Sit,” he orders coldly, nodding toward the chair.

I glance at the hulking men by the door and realize I won’t be leaving this room unless Carlo says so. With my hands balled into fists from anger, I do as he says.

Carlo’s expression doesn’t change as he continues. “One of the men who kidnapped you sent a message to your father before Maxim flipped the van, telling him Carlo Bruni saved you.”

I stare at him, confused, not understanding why he’s telling me this.

“You already had a bounty on your head, right? Back then, it was just your father who wanted you. But now, that red head of yours is worth a lot more because you’re the one Carlo Bruni personally stepped in to save. It won’t be long before everyone knows you’re the mother of Maxim’s kid, my right hand’s daughter. After today, it’s not just your father after you. Step outside this house without my protection, and before you reach the end of the street, one of the dozens of enemies Maxim and I have in this country will hunt you down. And if you’re lucky, you’ll end up like your mother.”

Every spark of defiance in me dies, replaced by the crushing weight of surrender. I blink hard to keep tears of despair from falling.

He stands. “Your daughter is under my unconditional protection as long as I’m alive, and her place is with Maxim. But if you want, you can walk out that door alone anytime. I won’t stop you.”

And with that, he’s checkmated me. Without another word, he leaves the room.

Eight

Maxim

I jolt awake as something soft smacks me in the face, and I jerk upright halfway. The second I crack my eyes open, sunlight burns like hell, and a sharp, brutal pain stabs through my skull. I squeeze my eyes shut, groaning, then force them open again.

First thing I see is Carlo’s smug face grinning at me, standing next to the bed with a coffee mug in hand.