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“I know. Care to explain to me what’s going on?”
Garrix
Don Vettore, the most dangerous man on the East Coast—if not the entire country—stands before me, his face a mix of barely contained anger and relief. His eyes immediately go to his daughter, visually checking her for injuries or distress. His older son, Luca, opens and closes his fist, as if he’s trying not to punch me in the face. I’m sure it stings to know that someone else kept your sister safer than you did.
Max just seems happy to come along for the ride and see his sister. They smile at each other, as if a silent conversation is taking place between them.
“Of course. Let’s have a seat in the dining room and talk. We can fill each other in.”
Maddalena hesitantly approaches her father. He brings her in for a hug, exhaling a sigh of relief. When they break apart, she seems less flustered than she did in the kitchen earlier.
“Yes, it seems there’s some things going on I’m unaware of,” he pointedly responds to me.
She frowns at his reply, but I wrap my arm around her and kiss her forehead.
“Yes, some good things, some bad,” I say.
Luca narrows his eyes, whereas Max smiles. I can’t get a read on their father yet. I can’t see him being happy for us right away, but after I lay everything on the table, he’ll see that Maddalena belongs with me—it’s where she’s safest. I’ll protect her with my life.
The dining room has a large round table and Vettore sits first, taking a seat by the kitchen so he can see the entire room. We all fill in the empty seats, with Maddalena in between us. I take her hand and squeeze, my way of telling her everything will be fine. Unless her father tries to take her from me. Then I can’t guarantee I won’t go nuclear and make his life a living hell. Nothing will ever keep me away from her.
He motions for me to start, and I tell him the story, leaving out the sexy details.
“The night I met your daughter, I knew she was mine. We started dating, and she told me about her stalker issue. I offered to help, and we’ve been investigating together. Our intel led us to the Vixen, where we picked up some valuable information from one of your employees that indicates the Russians, specifically Dmitri Popov.”
“And then something happened that resulted in you calling a Brigade clean up crew?” Luca chimed in sharply.
“Yes, we interrogated one of Dmitri’s soldiers and somehow the Russians knew to attack us not only at the venue, but as we were traveling to this safehouse,” Maddalena responds. “JC threw a fit, blaming me for tearing his club apart when we were defending ourselves. Garrix was gracious enough to clean up the mess.”
“Free of charge, too,” I add. “I’d do anything for you, kitten.”
Max rolls his eyes, whereas Luca scowls at me. Her father’s pensive expression is still unreadable.
“This is why I want you in lockdown, Maddie,” he says through a sigh. “If it is the Russians, they aren’t going to stop. Your safety is at risk. I know it’s hard sitting on the sidelines and not actively solving the issue yourself, but it’s safest for you to be at home.”
“Your stalker left a pig heart in your bed, Mads.” Luca’s brows furrow and he rakes his hand through his hair as a nervous gesture. “That’s a message if I’ve ever heard one.”
Maddalena turns to me. “It’s definitely the Russians. The informant at Vixen said that the Russians were talking about butchering up pigs, and making a stuck up pig squeal…”
“Makes sense. Popov thinks you denying his proposal is an insult, because he’s an asshole who can’t hear the word no. Then a pig heart ends up in your bed. They’re trying to intimidate you.” I squeeze her hand again, harder this time to ground her.
“Which is why she needs to stay in lockdown,” Vettore reminds us. “They’re going to keep targeting her until she either accepts the proposal or she’s dead. The Russians have been overstepping their place and are making reckless decisions recently.”
“Yeah, they know Maddalena is connected to me. Popov has seen us together. Even if he didn’t know my face before, I guarantee he knows who I am now.”
“And puts an even bigger target on Maddie’s back,” Luca growls. “The Brigade is shady and has tons of enemies.”
“I disagree. No one, except the Russians, is dumb enough to fuck around with The Brigade. Garrix has had eyes on Maddie for at least the past week, and she’s been safe. You can try to attribute that to Gabe, but I think he’s incompetent,” Max says. When we all stare at him, he chuckles. “Just consider me your high tech little brother. I see it all through hacking into the traffic cameras and tapping into mobile devices.”
“Agreed, he didn’t even realize there were heavies following Maddalena outside of her work last week when I was watching her. He let her out of his sight for a half hour while she got lunch, and they were waiting for her when she returned. The guys I have on her security detail told me they’re still out there, waiting for her in case she comes back.”
Max and I give each other a short look, and I think I can count on him to be on my side. He may not like me, but he knows I’m his sister’s best shot at being safe.
“You have a security detail on me?” she asks me, her eyes wide.
“Yes, and a tracking feed on your phone. I take your safety seriously.”
“That’s actually really sweet, even though it’s sorta creepy,” she thanks me, her cheeks turning pink.
