“And all the blood in the hotel room?” He raised a brow.
I bit my bottom lip.
“Show me,” he commanded softly.
I breathed out, knowing he’d want to see. I turned and moved my hair so he could see my back.
Goosebumps rushed over my skin as he gently pushed the straps of my dress down to examine what was left of the wounds. They’d healed nicely. Cole had done a good job with them.
“Stitches,” Dante murmured. “He had to give you stitches because of his idiocy.” His fingers traced over the fading cuts.
“They were because I fought him and we fell together. I-I was going to kill him when I choked him with the cord from the hair dryer.”
Dante let out a soft chuckle at that. “Too bad you didn’t. It would have saved me the trouble.”
I turned to face him. “Dante, no.”
“No?” He studied me. “No, what?”
“No. Just no. Don’t do this. This is my life. I get to choose, and I want Cole. I want Ethan. I want…”
“Enzo?” He scoffed. “Again, no, but from me.”
“You don’t get to police me,” I snapped at him.
He immediately put me against the wall as he gripped my face tightly.
“I am saving you, Rosalie. Understand this.”
“No,” I repeated. “I don’t want to be saved. I want my life back.”
“You want to be manipulated and cheated on? What about the son? Huh?”
My jaw quivered. “I wouldn’t care.”
He let out a soft, dark laugh. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. The horsemen have been lying to you. They continue to do so. Tell me. What would you have me do, sister? Huh? What do you want from me?”
“I-I want the freedom to choose, and if they choose to be with me, we can be. My guys said that if the horsemen leave the mafia life, then they will welcome them in with us.”
He nodded, releasing my face. “OK. I’ll tell you what. How about we lay it out for them? I will make them come clean to you. If you’re OK with their lies, then I will grant you an open contract. If not, then I will punish them. Is that fair?”
I swallowed hard. “If I’m OK hearing whatever truth you say there is, then you’ll destroy any contracts you have with them?”
“Yes.” He took a step back and held his hand out. “Do we have a deal?”
“Yes,” I whispered, my heart thrumming hard.
“Perfect.”
I slipped my hand in his. He led me to his desk and pushed me down to sit on it before pulling out his knife.
“You remember how we do this, right?”
“Yes,” I whispered again, letting him turn my palm upward. That dark gleam hit his green eyes, making my stomach twist, as he brought the knife down to cut me.
I winced at the bite of steel, watching the blood trickle out. Then he did it to himself before offering me his hand.
“Taste,” he whispered, taking my injured hand in his.
