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I can’t tell her exactly what I’m thinking; it’s too much. The intensity of my feelings for her scares her. Fuck, it frightens me, too. Of course, it’s too much, but love is like that. It comes in waves, and right now I’m at the crest. I want to breathe her in and feel her beneath me. I want her skin slick with sweat and writhing against me, crying out, calling my name and begging for release.
“Mr. Ferro,” Bill says, handing me his phone. “He’d like to speak with you.”
I swipe the phone from his hand. “What?”
“Where the hell are you? You were supposed to grab her and be here half an hour ago.”
The guy is an asshole. There are people in the world that are born to be assholes. He is one of them. And he can’t help it.
“We get there when we get there.” I hit END CALL and hand Bill his phone.
“Where are we going?” Avery finally asks the question. She looks at the guys and when they don’t answer, she takes my hand. A fake smile spreads across her lips. “I’m not going to like this, am I?” I shake my head. Hair falls into my eyes and I push it back.
“I’m afraid not. I know you’re going to hate it, but it was a necessary evil. Do you remember Project 597?” The smile falls from her face and her back stiffens.
“You’re not serious?” I don’t reply. Avery’s spine suddenly melts and she looks like a sulky teenager. I want to smile and pinch her face when she does that. It’s a remnant of Avery from a more carefree time, from long before she met me. “Henry Thomas? You hate him.”
“I do. Which makes him more predictable than anyone else. Henry will always do what serves his own best interest, which is why he fits perfectly into our plans.”
She makes a face and then sits up straighter. With her hands on her knees, she looks over at me. “Spit it out, Ferro. How are we getting Happy Hands to help? And does he know Mel is with us? She kicked his ass last time.”
That makes me laugh. “No, he doesn’t know Mel contacted me, but if she hadn’t this plan wouldn’t work. We have every piece we need to end this once and for all.”
“What do you mean?”
“Vic Junior and his entire team will be wiped out, and Black will go down with them. After this is over, no one will ever come after a Ferro again.”
CHAPTER 9
SEAN
Avery’s voice is an octave too high. She yanks her hair out of her face and tosses it over her shoulder. Leaning in, she gets in my face. Her words come out in a rush, making the sentence sound like a single word.
“AreYouInsaneWeCan’tBeHere!”
She’s pissed.
We drive around Henry’s South Shore estate to the back entrance of the mansion, where Justin parks the van in a garage that originally served as a stable. After purchasing the estate, Henry added wings onto the main house until it resembled one of England's Tudor palaces. He nurses an unhealthy infatuation with Henry VIII. Both are rumored to have severe mood swings and teeter on the edge of crazy--maybe Thomas just views the former king as a kindred spirit.
Either way, Avery has every right to be appalled we’re here. She’s gone pale, the color washed from her cheeks since I said his name. She’s shaking slightly. I take her hand in mine, but she pulls it away. “Avery, if we didn’t need to be here, we wouldn’t be. There’s a reason for this. I promise.”
“Do you know what he did to me?”
“I know and I’m sorry.” My throat tightens. I dislike seeing her in this state.
“I thought you’d pick up the patent from him, not drive up to his freakin' house! How can you even trust him?” She pleads with me with those big brown eyes and I wish we could drive away, but it’s not possible.
“I don’t trust him. I don’t trust anyone except you. If we could avoid this, I would.”
Mel shoves past, elbowing me as she goes. She glares at me.
“This is a dumbass plan.”
“You don’t even know the plan," I snap.
“Yeah, that’s why it’s stupid. If Mr. British tries any shit, I’ll make good on my former threats.” Mel opens the door of the van and jumps out.
Henry Thomas is standing there. He’s dressed in a pair of slacks and an angora sweater. Coupled with loafers and a turtleneck, he looks like he belongs in a magazine, not planning nefarious things to end the Campone family's reign in New York.
“Oh, dear God." He flinches when he sees Mel. "You brought the beast along?” Mel lowers her hood, walks over to him, and gets up in his face. Henry doesn’t back down. Spine straight, the two of them are nose to nose.
“Funny, I said the same thing about you. Just because you dress all proper and shit doesn’t make you any less of a freak.” She flicks the collar of his turtleneck.
He laughs lightly, acting like her words don’t bother him. His pupils darken and grow wider. He likes her that close. The woman is beautiful and dangerous.
“No, my dear, you are as freaky as they come.”
Mel opens her mouth to let him have it, but I cut her off.
“Drop it. Whatever you two want to dish out has to wait. We have a limited amount of time.”
Henry steps back, lifting one brow at me. His arms are folded over his chest.
“Very well. Another time, fair maiden.” The last two words drip with sarcasm.
“Assface,” Mel mutters in reply.
We’re still standing in the garage. The chauffeur isn’t around. Henry's eyes sweep over Avery as she climbs out, his jaw clenching tightly. I step between them. I’m not entirely certain what transpired between them, but Henry isn’t the type to forgive and forget. Odds are, he’s still livid.
“Show me what you’ve done with the project,” I say, redirecting his attention to me. Henry presses his lips together tightly and nods.
“Follow me.”
We walk out of the garage and follow a path around to the back of the house. We enter a room filled with floor to ceiling panes of glass decorated with wrought iron scrolling. Each pane looks like hand-blown glass. It’s a statement, a claim to having more money than God, and too ostentatious for my taste. We enter through an elaborately decorated iron door. Henry gallantly holds it open for Avery and Mel to pass through. As Avery passes him, she looks back at me, worry clearly visible in her eyes. I steel myself. If I don’t, I won’t be able to follow through with this plan.
That’s what concerns me most. Avery will see the way I think, the way my mind can devise a cruel plan to painfully destroy my enemies. I can’t hold back or it won’t work. That’s been my vice in the past--trying to do things within the parameters of mercy. Vic Jr. is beyond mercy. He views compassion as weakness. He showed my mother no mercy and will receive no mercy in return.
Justin follows behind us and, once inside, remains by the door. Avery leans in close to me and takes my hand.
“I don’t like this.”
I kiss her temple and release her fingers. I don’t respond because there’s nothing to say. I don’t like this either, but it’s necessary.
Henry pads across ornate rugs and around velvet couches, to an antique desk large enough to sleep on. A carved stone mantle frames the massive desk, stretching the length of two men at least. Henry sees me looking at it, smiles, and strokes the carved details appreciatively.
“Imported from England. It was salvaged from an estate belonging to the Duke of Suffolk during the reign of King Henry VIII. It’s quite charming.”
Mel laughs. “Charming? What the fuck is wrong with you? Your fireplace is bigger than my dorm room. There ain’t anything charming about that shit. Nah, you're overcompensating for something." Mel smirks. "Is your dick smaller than you'd like?"
Henry stops smiling and walks toward her.
“There’s nothing small about me, miss. Isn’t that right, Avery?”
Avery’s spine goes ramrod straight. Mel starts to speak, but I talk over her.
“Enough! We don’t have the luxury of squabbling or wasting time. As it is, we’re down to the
wire. It’s a game and this is our last move.”
“Your last move, not mine.” The pride in Henry's voice is more than I can handle.
“That’s where you’re wrong. You’ve been on Vic’s list for ages. He hasn’t bothered to take you out because you were giving his dad a reason to keep you alive. Vic Jr. doesn’t give second chances. As soon as he finds out you and I were together--and he will--you’ll die in a very unpleasant way.”
Henry sneers. “Then why should I help you?”
“Because I have something you need.” I pause a moment and tell him. “Campone's ledgers point to a series of unsavory transactions that involve the purchase of this property.”
