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"What if the man who shot me was one of theirs?"
Michael drums his fingers on his chest. "Not that it’s not a possibility, but given that I have promised them a big piece of business in return for their coming on as our partners, I’d say it’s more improbable than not.”
He places Andy down on the ground, and the cat ambles off into the bushes.
"So, who the hell else could have shot me?"
"Have you had any leads yet?"
"Just that," I hesitate, "she knew the man who shot me."
"Cazzo!" He growls, "So, she was behind the shooting—"
"She wasn’t." I drag my fingers through my hair. "He threatened to kill her and her family if she didn’t help him."
"Help him how?"
"By sharing information on us."
Michael’s jaw hardens. "She shared information on us? If she did so… I am going to—”
"Relax," I grip his shoulder, "she didn’t share anything with him. It’s why he tracked her down and confronted her."
"I don’t like this," Seb murmurs. "Why didn’t she simply come to you with all this earlier?"
"Because—" I had threatened her in much the same way that the guy who shot me had. Not that I can reveal that… "Because," I draw myself up to my full height, "she didn’t."
"And you are going to forgive her?" Seb scowls at me. "Not to mention, you married her."
"He loves her," Michael cuts him off. "He wants to protect her, regardless of whether she is completely loyal to him."
I glare at my older brother. I can’t dispute what he said. Yet everything in me insists that she cannot betray me. Not after how she had felt in my arms. How she had responded to my ministrations, how she had stared into my eyes as I had taken her. How she had taken care of me, the fear and worry on her face when she’d seen me shot. How she’d stitched me up and saved my life…
And yet, not once, had she responded to my declaration of having fallen in love with her. It’s almost as if she was too scared of saying it. Like she was sure that the stranger would attack us again.
I turn to glance in her direction and find her missing. Where the hell is she? I turn the other way, spot Karma talking to Nonna, Cassandra petting Andy; a little farther off, JJ and Nikolai are deep in conversation.
"He’s married to her, that makes her one of us, but if she does something to betray us…" Michael arches his eyebrows.
"She won’t." I square my shoulders. "Before that happens, I’ll have gotten to the bottom of what happened at the lodge; this I promise, I—"
That’s when a scream rips through the air.
46
Christian
"Aurora!" My heart slams into my rib cage. My pulse ratchets up. I race in the direction of the scream. Seb is hot on my heels, and my other brothers are behind him. I run through the bushes and burst into a clearing on the grounds of the property.
I see Aurora with her back turned to me. A man stands with his gun pointed at her; the lower half of his face is covered with a mask. It’s the same man who shot me at the lodge. Theresa stands frozen in between them.
I slow down, and he turns to glance at me. That’s when I notice his arm is in a sling. A fierce surge of satisfaction grips me. At least, I managed to shoot the bastard.
"Porca puttana!"Motherfucker! I curl my fingers into fists. The man glances in my direction. His blue eyes are so light, so pale, so familiar. For the first time, I take in his figure, his height, the breadth of his shoulders, the way he holds himself. He reminds me of someone, but who? I take a step forward, and he shakes his head, "I wouldn’t do that if I were you."
I pause; next to me, Seb shuffles his weight from foot to foot. Massimo flanks me on my other side. Anger radiates off of him. I sense Michael, Luca, and Adrian behind me. None of them move. The tension in the air ratchets up.
Theresa draws in a shuddering breath, and the stranger jerks his gaze in her direction. He glares at her, and she pales. "D-don’t hurt us," she pleads.
