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“Do you think I should be punished for all of your sins? For every person you killed?” I challenge. “That’s not fair, Gian. He didn’t try to kill you and you can’t hold it against him.”
“Gemma, this is a terrible fucking idea, you’re gonna get hurt.” He stands from the dining room chair, dusting off his suit pants and looking at me with narrowed eyes. Gian wasn’t used to being challenged, everyone around him followed his orders and that was the way he liked it.
“So what, I’d rather get hurt than always be missing what I lost.”
“You’re being childish.” He throws back at me.
“Gian,” my father scolded him.
“Fine.” Gian crosses his arms and looks down at me. “Be with him, but I won’t trust him and I won’t accept him as part of this family. I won’t ask you to choose, Gemma, but I won’t act like I support your choices.” Before I could respond he grabs his jacket off the back of the chair and slipped it over his shoulders.
I hold back a sob.
It wasn’t like I was losing him, I had already lost my brother a long time ago. Still, it hurt me to see him walk away.
“So when are we meeting him?” Annie asks with a smile trying to change the subject.
I plaster the best smile I could onto my face.
“Soon.”
“ARE YOU NERVOUS?” SHE ASKS me, her voice coming through the speakers of my car.
“No.” I say on instinct. It’s still instilled in me to push down any emotions, I take a deep breath trying to move past my father’s antics that he drilled into me. “A little.” I add. That’s the truth, I am nervous. I’m not sure if a truce is even possible between our two families, this hatred goes back so far and is so ingrained in us, I don’t know if we can change.
Gemma thinks we can. For the depressed girl with cuts on her thighs I met in my bar, she really sees the good in people. It’s an impressive quality. She truly believes that our two families can put all this bullshit aside and make peace together. She’s also quick to add—money. The less violence, the more money we’ll make.
I think my father was wrong when he told me women had no brains. That they were useless. Gemma may be smarter than all of us, her business savvy is through the roof. If this works, and she’s right, with peace we will both make a lot more money.
I think that’s how she got Gian to agree to a sit down.
“I’m almost there.” I tell her.
She hums through the phone. “We’re here.” I can hear her breath deeply on the other line. “Liam, I love you.”
“I love you too, Princess.”
“Don’t be nervous, you got this.”
She leaves me with that sentiment, one that sends a shiver through my spine. Other than my mother, no one has ever been reassuring to me. No one has ever put their confidence in me, but Gemma has the utmost faith in me.
“I still can't believe it.” Sean mumbles from the passenger seat of my truck. “You're fucking the DelGado princess.” He says with disbelief, looking at the front of the car, amazed that her voice came through the speakers.
I chuckle. I've known Sean most of my life. He's stunned that he didn't see this sooner, but I take it as a testament to my skills.
We arrive at the restaurant, one belonging to Gian. It's not neutral ground, which I would normally ask for, but I'm giving leniency for Gemma. I hope that he won't break his sister's heart by killing me, but I don't trust Gian quite as much as Gemma does.
“No guns.” I tell Sean and Lachlan. Lachlan followed behind us with two extra in his car. “You two, stay here.” I tell them.
“Liam.” Lachlan has had a permanent look of concern etched on his forehead since I told him we were having a sit down with the DelGados. He's old school, he doesn't trust them. “Are you sure?”
“No guns.” I repeat. “I'm sure.”
With a hug, Lachlan hands his gun to one of the men staying behind. Sean follows suit, plucking his from his waistband and handing it over.
Neither look happy, or trusting, but they listen to me just as they did to my father.
I didn't want this position, I never wanted to be like him. But now that I'm here, I think I can run this organization differently, hopefully better.
