“Yet here I am, having to askherfathernotto hurt her.Which one of us has the moral high ground here?”I sipped my water, trying to cool myself down, but it would’ve taken the entire ice cap to begin the job.
Scoffing, he said, “Little boys like you shouldn’t get involved in big situations like this.”
That was the best he could come up with?I noticed he hadn’t bothered denying anything.“I guess it’s a good thing I’m not a little boy, then.”
Holding up a finger, he muttered, “I’m going to warn you one time and one time only.You stay out of my business.And you stay the hell away from my daughter.”
“She ismy businessnow.”I didn’t want to do this.It was my trump card to be used only if he decided to be a hard ass.“And she’s my wife.”
The mute surprise that passed over his face was satisfying as hell.I could smile genuinely before adding, “Dad.”
Vibrating with barely contained anger, he whispered, “She is not.”
“I assure you she is.To have and to hold.One of those crazy things that happens in this town sometimes,” I added with a blithe shrug while color flooded his cheeks again.“Feel free to have one of your guys look into it.I’m sure you can pull strings, find the record.”I left out the part where I was pursuing an annulment.“Once again.Stay away from her, keep your business to yourself, and we’ll have no problems.”
When he hesitated, I added, “Or should I give the authorities a tip about what goes on in the service lot of your building?How many girls did you transport last time?I wasn’t able to get an accurate headcount.”
His attempt at a disdainful laugh was downright pitiful.The man was shaking in his loafers.“You don’t think a man who’s spent his entire life in this town knows a bluff when he sees it?”
“Am I bluffing?”I locked eyes with him, unblinking, daring him to challenge me.“Do you really think I am?”
He was shaking by the time he stood, glaring down at me in a way that made me glad there were no knives on the table.Why bother with place settings when I knew we wouldn’t be eating?“You’re going to regret this,” he warned, his lips pulling back from his teeth in a snarl.
“Is that any way to talk to your son-in-law?”
Bullseye.His face went dark red before he spat, “Fuck you, kid.”
I stood as he stormed from the table, ignoring Nico’s quiet questions in favor of walking past him and out of the restaurant.The disgusting prick looked to me for answers, only the ticking of his jaw giving away anything he might be feeling or thinking.Come on, fucker.Give me an excuse.I stared at him and saw in my mind the ugly purple bruise ringing Nova’s arm.The way she wept, her nightmares.I only needed one reason to end him.It had been a long time since that impulse clawed at me, but now that it surged forward, I had to hold myself back from hurting him.
It was for the best he followed his master, at which point Grayson got up from the bar and joined me.As he did, I reached into my jacket’s inner pocket and pulled out my phone, stopping the recording of our conversation.“I take it that didn’t go very well?”he asked, gazing toward the door.
“About as well as I expected,” I told him.“He knows everything.He knows I have him by the balls.But of course, he wouldn’t admit it.”
“Where are you going?”he asked when I headed for the door, following close on my heels.“Tell me you’re not going after him.”
“I’m not going after him.”I wasn’t, either.Chasing Riccardo was the furthest thing from my mind.I had to be with her.I needed to prove to myself she was safe.
Riccardo’s words replayed in my head during the drive home, the anger behind them.The outrage.He wasn’t a man accustomed to being told what to do.
We had that in common.
We had Nova in common too.
Nova, who was waiting for me.
My hands tightened around the wheel, a sense of urgency flooding my veins.I had to get to her.Announcing the marriage had done something to me, like flipping a switch, flooding my brain with light.She was mine to protect.Mine.
And I meant every word of my threats.
We would have a serious problem if he didn’t call off the dogs and leave her the hell alone.He was out of his mind if he thought he would get away with what he was doing, though.I had promised to keep out of it.I never made any promises on Nova’s behalf.
I was only a few blocks from home when my phone rang, the sound filling the car’s interior.I answered through the Bluetooth, noting the unknown number.“Yes?”
After a moment of silence, a voice I’d recently heard assaulted my ears again.“Have it your way,” Riccardo muttered.Was that grudging defeat in his voice?Had he come to his senses?
“I’m glad we can see eye-to-eye on this.It will make Nova happy to know she won’t have anyone following her around anymore,” I added.One last message.
“Yes, of course.Now you leave this alone,” he warned.The fucker needed the last word.
