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Feeling flushed from the rage of fire that went through me thinking of Giancarlo, I caught Sebastien staring at me again, my heart fluttering for another reason. The pleasure overlapped, creating a palpable tension in the room. Thoughts of being with Gian while Sebastien stared at me sent such a rush of heat through me that I had to take a sip of water.
“Where is your father?” Gian asked, breaking the stare and wiping his brow.
Had I gotten to him?
I shook all of that away to drop my next bomb.
“I sent my father and mother away after I showed him what I knew. How despicable I think this project is. Nate’s officially out. He’s in L.A. and that’s where he’s staying. As for me...” I steadied my hand against the rim of my desk as I leaned my butt on the edge. “I’ve been speaking to the FBI.”
“Becca!” Sebastien howled. “Have you lost your mind?”
Anthony’s jaw dropped open. “I never thought a Domenico would go to the fucking Feds.”
“They came to me. After that benefit last month. What was I supposed to do?”
“Tell them to fuck off,” Giancarlo said quietly in his usual calm manner.
“Grab your dicks, boys because I’m glad they came to me. How dare you let a date rape drug get unleashed in my city? Did you think I’d just overlook that?”
“How dare we blah blah blah.” Anthony strutted up to me. “How dare you talk to the FBI and not come to us?”
“Us?”
“Me,” Sebastien clarified all gravely, sending tingles through me.”
“Do I really have to explain why I wouldn’t talk to you?” I stared at him, remembering his eyes from the benefit last month. Like a door had been opened for me. Or at least unlocked. I’d been so traumatized from having it slammed in my face and finding it closed for years, I stopped looking for the key.
“The point is obviously moot now.” Giancarlo stepped into my line of sight, blocking Sebastien from me. I wondered if he wanted to defuse the situation slowly coming to a boil or did he just not want me and Sebastien to reconcile?
Did he want more with me than our sex games a few times a week?
“Anyway.” I remained in the center of the room. “I’m saving my family business and all of your asses too. They know about this drug, Bastien, and who’s behind it.” I considered telling them it was Julian who had approached me, but I knew each of them had hitmen on speed dial. “Cutting a deal with the Feds is a part of doing business these days, especially with a horrific project such as Sunrise. There’s no need for that garbage to be on the streets. To stop a date rape drug, yeah, I’ll suck the FBI’s dick if I have to.” The look on Bastien’s face nearly made me laugh. “You better consider doing the same. Either suck it with me or go up against the FBI alone.”
Sebastien and Anthony exchanged looks and then brought Giancarlo into their stare. Their sharp exhales answered for them. MATOHN wasn’t the only drug. Wealth was even more addictive. No amount was enough.
“Why are you dethroning your father over this, Becca?” Sebastien asked, showing his suspicion that I couldn’t handle Domenico Holdings on my own.
I wanted to tell Sebastien everything, especially how much his leaving had devastated me, but this was work, not pleasure, and I’d vowed to keep my father’s cancer and terminal prognosis a secret. “Nearly every politician in New York is tied to our fathers, including the mayor—who, I think you all know by now, is considering running for president. You know what power that gives us. All of us.” I moved from where I’d been standing to be next to Sebastien. I felt drawn to him suddenly, thinking of all the men in this room, he’d protect me. “We can’t risk going down because of this bullshit deal our fathers made.”
If Anthony just lost it and took out one of his knives, Sebastien would block him. I placed a hand on his shoulder to make that connection with him. And he had enough power with Anthony and Gian to convince them to listen to me. But Sebastien flinched under my touch. I had to go slow with him, especially since that touch distracted me to no end.
I didn’t expect him to just agree to throw his entire birthright into the dumpster and light it on fire in a matter of minutes. It’d even taken me a couple of weeks to come to terms with the gravity of what this could do to my life. My future as queen.
“What the fuck do you want us to do, Becca?” Giancarlo spoke up.
“Our fathers are equal partners in Sunrise. We need four signatures to cancel the contract with the pharmaceutical company. I have power of attorney for my father and I’m ready to sign.” I lifted my engraved Mont Blanc and wiggled it.
“Get out and lose our investment,” Sebastien muttered and stared at Anthony, who shook his head.
“Either we shut it down or go to jail when the drug hits the streets.” I waved the report. “This implicates us directly in the manufacturing.”
“That’s not going to happen, Becca,” Anthony said, reaching into his jacket.
My heart pounded as Sebastien’s shoulders set back. “Anthony, seriously. Don’t even...”
“Becca, we’re done here,” Anthony said, removing the knife he kept in his suit jacket and flipped it between his fingers.
“We’re done here?” I lifted my skirt to show him my Ruger. “That’s your response?”
Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight, asshole.
Although, Anthony Jr. had knife-fighting skills that made some marksmen shudder. My Ruger had limited firepower. His knife would stay sharp no matter how many times he plunged it into my chest.
“We need to talk,” Giancarlo said, looking at the other two.
My stomach unclenched. They’d at least talk about it. Nodding, I brushed past Sebastien to open my office door, trying to touch his hand. He shoved his hands in his trouser pockets instead. If I thought he’d be my ally, I was wrong.
I might have been wrong about everything, and they might kill me after all...
