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His lips twisted into a smile, but then, something snagged his attention. His head whipped to the side, and he peered at the grand glass and cast iron-curlicue door. Whatever he saw had him dragging me behind him.
Scowling, I cupped my weak wrist, the one he’d grabbed, and peering into the house so I could see what had scared him, muttered, "What’s going on? I can’t see anything."
"I thought I saw movement—"
He started scanning the property line, the exact opposite of inside the house where I thought he’d been looking, but I stood my ground and bit off. "Is this you not looking out for me?"
His head whipped back to face me, and there was fire in his eyes as he snarled, "The day I stop looking out for you is the day we die. Even then, it’s not going to stop. I’ll haunt your ass to keep you safe if you outlive me."
"If anyone could do it, it’d be you," I whispered quietly, eyes big in my face as I looked up at him, knowing he meant it.
"Exactly," he rasped. "I think I’ve done enough of the Devil’s work for him to owe me some favors."
"Maybe I can help, though?"
"You can. By doing as you’re fucking told."
His cell buzzed.
"Conor?" he barked, after scanning the Caller ID.
"Someone just walked through your gates. I have men on their way. Two minutes’ ETA."
Aidan unlocked the car with the fob. "Savannah, get your ass in the car." To Conor, he said, "Divert Savannah’s guards. They don’t need to see the bloodshed."
"Done," Conor replied as he cut the call.
Having heard his brother’s side of the conversation, I bit my lip, then just as I started to step away, I heard something too. I twisted to look over Aidan’s shoulder and finally saw the guy from last night walking across the manicured lawn toward the driveway as if he owned the place.
"Is that the Italian from The 68?"
His nostrils flared as he turned to look where I pointed, then when he caught Valentini’s eye, he twisted back around and unlocked the front door. "Get inside."
I was about to do as he demanded, his words different now, not just a command, but one that was uttered from his soul—the heir had spoken and everything in me responded.
However, as I stepped away from him, I soon saw four men circling the Range Rover and I grabbed his hand. "Aidan! Look!"
"I see them. Get in the house!" He shoved me away, but I wouldn’t let him.
"No, I can’t leave you—"
A growl escaped him and one hand grabbed mine again, his fingers curving about it to the point of pain as he rumbled, "Stay close to me."
Call me crazy, but in the middle of a gunfight, I’d prefer to be stuck at his side anyway, so there wasn’t any place I wanted to be more than right here.
The prospect of seeing him being cut down by these men—
God. No. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t stand to see that. Even if it meant my death too.
"If this is your idea of trying to get me on board with you taking over theFamiglia, Valentini, then you’re fucked in the head," he snarled, somehow projecting confidence when all I felt was horror at his belligerence.
Valentini just arched a brow and stepped closer. "You have a beautiful property, O’Donnelly. It’s not what I expected, antique on the outside and," he paused as he peered through the glass door, "ultra modern on the inside, but I think that makes sense. It’s very fitting for the Irish Mob. Old and new." He hummed. "I approve."
"Well, I can rest easy tonight knowing you approve of my home," Aidan snapped. "But you might not be resting so easily—"
Valentini lifted his arms in surrender. "I mean no harm."
"Coming onto my property like this is an act of aggression. Fuck that, it’s a declaration of war. The only thing saving your ass is that you didn’t break in."
