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Chapter Four
- Sebastian -
“Seems to be going smoothlyso far.”
I snorted at Fabian. “That’s because you don’t know her like I do. The next time I tell someone to clear out a room, I mean, clear out the damn room. She almost killed me with that owl.”
“You also said to make it comfortable for her.”
“Comfortable doesn’t mean putting objects she can kill me with in her direct path.”
“Sorry. I’m new to this,” Fabian drawled. “Is she allowed to have utensils at dinner?”
This was new. Disrespect from Fabian? When did he decide he could question my authority? “Do I hear underlying notes of discontent? Do you have something you want to say?” I growled.
“I do, actually.This.This whole thing is wrong. I know who we are, and I know what we do, but we’ve never brought a woman into it. And we certainly have never taken a woman anywhere against her will. Jesus Christ, Sebastian. If he wasn’t pissed before, he’ll try to kill you now.”
Living a life of lies has its drawbacks. One of them being that you can never really be completely honest... with anyone. Fabian only knew what I’d told him, which was only about half of the real story. I understood where he was coming from. I knew exactly why he was irritated with me. This was unchartered territory. I didn’t go around abusing women.
But that’s what she’d done to me. Gotten me so fucking confused about what was right and what was wrong; what I needed versus what I wanted... and what I had to have.
My need to crush the Calegaris had entered a new phase–survival. I had no idea what Lilly knew about her brothers. If she had any clue who either of them really was... their public persona was miniscule compared to the power they really held. Few men could take them on and live through it.
I would be one of those men.
But it was much more complicated than Fabian knew.
“I appreciate your point of view. But this is the last time I want to hear it.” I turned my back on him. “I want dinner ready by seven.”
I don’t solicit unwanted advice from my crew. They each have a role to play and when it came to their areas of expertise, I needed their direct honesty and council. When it came to Lilly Calegari, their opinions were immaterial and unwanted.
She was a game changer in everything I did, from compromising the few values I possessed, to tossing aside the very reason I had ever stepped foot near anyone named Calegari. My ideals of revenge became a thirst for survival.
Fabian wasn’t wrong to speak up. It’s what I would have done if one of my crew had committed the same crime I was in the midst of. I didn’t feel any guilt over what I’d done. Despite hurling an owl at my head, Lilly hadn’t put up much of a fight, or any at all, actually. She’d only tried to knock me out because she was pissed that I’d drugged her. It was a liberal term. I’d slipped some sleeping powder into that bottle of water I’d given her, then sealed it tight enough that she wouldn’t notice it had already been opened. Nothing narcotic, lethal, or addictive, but when added to the fatigue she already suffered from and the wine I gave her afterwards, it worked its magic, sending her overtired body into a sleep she couldn’t fight.
Not my proudest moment, but not the one I’m most ashamed of, either.
I forgot Fabian was waiting for more directions.
“Where?” he prompted.
Where? Where did I want to wine and dine her? In her room? In my room? In the formal dining room? She’d be locked in her room all day. I needed a place where she’d feel less confined.
“The back patio. Turn the heaters on. Maybe... some roses or shit like that.”
“Okay, got it. Romantic shit coming up. No wonder she wanted to throw furniture at you.”
“Not furniture. Just one statue... whatever, get the fuck out of here.”
As soon as the office door clicked shut behind him, I sat behind my desk. Steepling my fingers, I stared out the window at the woods behind the house. When I bought the place, I cleared out all the trees around the house, but I had one hundred and sixty acres of wooded forest land all to myself. There were paths, a few trails, and some old dirt roads winding through the countryside. There was nothing more serene to me than my hideaway in the Adirondacks. Just like the property in Connecticut, my home was my own. My “crew” and my housekeeping staff lived in another house on the property, several guest houses, in fact, and they came and went as any employees would, but no one slept in the main house.
Until tonight.
Lilly was the first. Even my family slept in a guest house when they visited. Which was why I had to give direction on where we were going to eat. We weren’t used to entertaining, but we’d get used to it. Lilly wasn’t going anywhere for a while.
***
ISPENT THE AFTERNOONworking, trying to keep my mind off the woman in the corner room on the second floor. By now, she should have discovered that she had an entire suite as her jail cell—a bathroom fit for a queen, a small enclave that doubled as a library and media room, and a walk-in closet that I had stocked with designer clothing. It wasn’t a difficult task. I sent my personal shopper some of Lilly’s posts from her social media accounts and told her I needed an entire wardrobe that would suit the woman in the pictures... after I’d removed Lilly’s face and account information, of course.
