Page 143 of Thin Lines (Donati Bloodlines 2)

She couldn’t breathe.

“I have to call Affonso,” Ray said. “He has to knowwhat happened to Calisto.”

“Stop it,” Emma repeated, practically screaming thewords.

Stop lying, she wanted toshout. You’re lying.

Ray couldn’t possibly understand, but he was killingher. His words were cutting into her already broken heart and leaving her evenmore battered than before.

Emma turned on her heel, and ran.

She didn’t know what she was running from.

This whole house was her prison now.

Emma blinked awake, and her entire body protested asshe moved off the cold tile of the bathroom floor. The stale stench of hervomit still lingered in the air, and she blindly waved at the toilet to hit thelatch and flush the contents down.

She had cried herself into a puking mess.

Then she passed out on the floor after crying somemore.

Stumbling onto her feet, Emma grabbed the doorknob andswung the door open. Stepping out into the hallway, she could hear quietmurmurs down the hall coming from the office. She checked the decorative clockon the wall, realizing it had only been a little more than an hour since Rayshowed up with his … news.

Was he still here?

She could distinctly hear two murmurs.

Two people.

The closer she came to the office, the better shecould discern who was speaking.

“They drove him off the road?” Affonso asked.

Emma could tell by the slight change in Affonso’s tonethat he was speaking through the speaker on the telephone.

“There were a few bullet holes in his car as well,”Ray said.

Affonso cursed low. “You’re sure it was the Irish?”

“Who else would it be, boss?” Ray asked back just asfast. “He was playing your games like you wanted him to—doing your bidding.He’d had a meeting with the Irish boss earlier in the day. I wanted to join, Ipractically demanded he let me go, but he refused. He wouldn’t allow anyone togo with him. I have no idea what happened in that meeting, or how it ended.”

That didn’t make sense to Emma.

She distinctly remembered Calisto saying the meetingwith the Irish boss went well. Why would he say that if he didn’t mean it?

“My boy,” Affonso murmured, a sadness thickening hiswords. “Dio salvi il mio ragazzo.”

“You have to come back, now. You don’t have a choice.Otherwise, you’re leaving la famiglia open to any man, Affonso. I knowthis was your last hope in getting Calisto to take over, but he might not evenwake up.”

Emma truly believed that Affonso loved Calisto in hisown way. It was a selfish way, to be sure, but he still loved the man just thesame.

“The Irish,” Affonso said quietly.

“Yes.”

“Kill them.”

Ray coughed. “Pardon?”