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“That’s a given,” Severo agreed without argument. “But you understand separating her from it doesn’t equal completely removing her. At the end of the day, she’s still a Torrisi.”
“Soon to be Farina,” Cassius replied. “And trust me, I know. That doesn’t mean I can’t try to make her life as easy as possible. I refuse to let anything hurt her or affect her negatively if I can help it.”
“Are you in love with my daughter, Cassius?”
Biting the inside of his cheek, Cassius decided to be as honest as possible. “I don’t know. I’m still working out how I feel about the situation. But I care about her. If it came down to it, I’d die for her. So you can trust that she’s in good hands.”
Clearing his throat, Severo folded his hands. “That’s good enough for me.”
“Cool. Because I need you to keep everything I just said in mind when I tell you my plan to get her back home.”
Severo smirked and raised an eyebrow. “Home?”
A twinge of guilt hit Cassius. “I may or may not have officially proposed to her a couple of days ago. I wanted to talk to you about it first, but that smart mouth of hers ruined my plan.”
“That’s something that will never change,” Severo smiled warmly. “Aella’s always been content with speaking her mind.”
“Which is one thing I like the most about her. She doesn’t let me walk all over her, and she demands everything she feels she deserves.”
“As I’ve always raised her to. Things may be a bit rocky in the beginning, but I have a feeling you two are the perfect fit for one another.”
Cassius didn’t say it aloud, but he agreed.
“And as much as I’d love to continue discussing my firstborn child, you caught me at a bad time. I have a couple of things to take care of.”
“Everything cool?”
Resting his palms on the desk, Severo paused, seeming at war with himself before answering. “I haven’t said much because I wanted things to cool off and whoever was behind the gala shooting to grow comfortable. But after the medical examiner extracted the bullets from Eric, I learned from the forensic analyst that they were custom-made. Tracking down who made them hasn’t been easy, but I’m working on it.”
Severo was so well known and respected that Cassius was shocked to hear he was having a hard time extracting information from anyone. His surprise must have shown on his face because Severo shifted uncomfortably, gathering himself before speaking again.
“Your father and I have discussed this before, but I’m getting a first-hand look at just how much things have changed since we’ve taken a back seat.”
Cassius understood his meaning perfectly. “Players may have changed, but the respect is still the same.”
“The trust, however, isn’t,” Severo argued. “My name may still strike fear, but I built my legacy on trust and respect. I’d like it to stay that way.”
“Listen,” Cassius rubbed his hands together. “I’m not saying bloodshed is always the answer, but sometimes diplomacy needs a little muscle. Like you said, things have changed. Unfortunately, you have to change with them. I’m not sure what that looks like for you, but just know I’m here for whatever you need.”
“I appreciate that, Cass.”
“Mars is into all types of black-market shit. If you tell me what you’re looking for, I’ll have him ask around to see what he can find out.”
“I’ll have the info for you tonight after my meeting.”
“Cool,” Cassius stood while nodding. “I’ll be waiting.”
“Are you going to tell me what has you so rattled?” Ilaria questioned, peering at her sister quizzically.
They were in Ilaria’s room, stretched out in her bed, waiting for their mother to join them before having a movie night.
“What makes you think I’m rattled?” Aella inquired, stuffing her mouth full of popcorn.
“Uh, the fact that I haven’t been able to sleep for the past three nights because you’ve been in my bed keeping me up with nightmares that you won’t tell me about.”
“I can’t tell you what I don’t remember,” Aella argued, lying through her teeth. She’d been reliving the night that someone nearly snatched her out of the park. She’d barely left the house and had been completing all of her assignments at home. Tristan kept her up on all the happenings in the office, and as far as she was concerned, no one was the wiser.
Except her sister, who seemed determined to get to the bottom of what was going on.
