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Palmira tugged me closer. She wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “It’s okay,” she said quietly. “You don’t have to take this on.”
“I just want a family. Someone that gives a shit about me.”
“Redmond cares.”
“He’s my brother, he has to care.”
Palmira laughed, shaking her head. “You’d be surprised at how many shitty brothers there are in the world.”
The front door banged open and Nervosa stormed outside. His men followed, looking uncertain in his wake. His eyes scanned the driveway and spotted me and Palmira. He stormed over, jaw tight.
“You should’ve stayed in the car,” he said.
“I couldn’t, not when Laurel was in trouble.”
He stopped in front of me and noticed the tears. His face softened a touch and he glanced at Palmira with a strange look of surprise, like he hadn’t expected her to comfort me. Maybe he didn’t understand my relationship with her, but I’ve known Palmira most of my life. Things were strained between us at the moment because she didn’t agree with my investigation into my uncle, but that didn’t mean we weren’t close.
“Are you okay?” he asked, coming closer.
Palmira let me go and stepped away.
“I’m fine,” I said, tilting my chin up. “What did you find?”
“Nothing,” he said, his expression clouding again. “No people, no notes, nothing. No sign of trouble. No phones, no wallets, no keys. It looks like Cedric and Laurel decided to leave without a fight.”
“Think that’s what happened?”
“No, I seriously doubt that.” He slipped his hand into mine. It was such a simple, intimate gesture, but it meant so much to me in that moment. He cared enough to look vulnerable in front of his men, and I was distinctly aware of the several trained killers watching intently from the tinted Range Rover windows. “If I had to guess, someone came and took them. Someone that knows enough to make it look like nothing happened.”
“Silvano,” I whispered.
He nodded, opened his mouth—but shut it again as the sound of car engines echoed up from the base of the driveway.
He stepped forward and pushed me behind him. Palmira dropped to one knee, drawing her pistol and aiming. Nervosa’s guards did likewise, barking out orders, as more men spilled from the Rovers, guns ready.
Two black SUVs pulled into the space across from the Rovers. They halted twenty feet away from Nervosa, dark and foreboding, their engines running. He shifted slightly to make sure I was behind him, his body between me and whatever was inside the SUVs. His hand gripped a gun tucked into a holster at his hip, but he didn’t draw.
“Who the hell is that?” I whispered, heart racing. My mouth was dry and my hands trembled.
He raised a palm in the air. It was part greeting and part warning.
“I don’t know,” he said quietly. “But I suspect it isn’t Silvano.”
“Why’s that?”
“They’re not shooting.” He stepped forward, palm still raised.
A door pushed open.
My brother Redmond stepped out, looking annoyed.
Nobody moved, except for Palmira. She stood, holstering her gun instantly. I glanced over and relief was clear in her expression, but I didn’t feel calm.
Nervosa’s men were still aiming guns at my family.
“Stand your men down,” Redmond called out. His eyes glanced at me and Palmira, but flitted back to the soldiers. “We’re here to talk.”
Nervosa released his gun and gestured for his men to relax. They did, but they didn’t go back into the Rover.
I joined Nervosa, standing a few feet from Redmond. He looked exhausted, like he’d flown overnight to get here in time. The SUVs he’d ridden in still idled, and I couldn’t tell if they were empty or not, the windows were so deep black.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, genuinely surprised. “I thought you weren’t interested in getting involved in all this.”
“I wasn’t,” Redmond said, jaw flexing, and another door opened.
Erin stepped into the light. She was young, pretty, and had a nice smile. She spotted me and grinned as she walked over. She looked so healthy and confident, wearing black jeans, a black top, and her hair in a tight braid, like she was prepared for war. I stepped forward and she hugged me warmly.
“Hello, sister,” she said, her bright green eyes blinking. “This is one hell of a welcome.”
“I didn’t know you were coming.”
“Well, I had to yell at your idiot brother first, but here I am.”
Redmond glared at her and at Nervosa. “We want to help.”
“Convenient,” Nervosa said.
I stepped back to his side and slipped a hand through his arm. I tightened my grip in a way that I hoped would signal he should be on his best behavior.
He seemed to get the message. He straightened up and cleared his throat.
“I mean, that would be welcome,” he said instead.
Redmond nodded, glancing at the soldiers. “What’s happening here? We got word you were on the move in force, but I didn’t expect you to roll up on an empty house.”
