AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 56
Leda
I twisted the ring around my finger nervously as the car pulled into the driveway, the sun sparkling off the water in the distance. I thought I would never set foot in my father’s Long Island mansion again, yet here I was, about to do just that.
The funny thing was, I wasn’t the woman that had been here before. I was stronger, no longer jaded by the fact that he was going to use me for his own plans. I wasn’t interested in his plans or the reasons that he wanted me here.
I only wanted to kill him and save my brother. That was my main objective today.
Well, that and to keep myself alive.
Leaning back against on the headrest, I forced myself not to think about Lucas. In my heart I felt like he was still alive, that nothing horrible had come to him by meeting with Adrian to rescue the Wongs.
Surely someone that I loved with everything I had would have some impact on my soul if he was dead. Surely, I’d know.
He had left me with weapons to defend myself. It wasn’t the guns that had me rattled, but the ring that had been placed on the nightstand as well, now encircling my thumb and providing me with some sort of connection with Lucas.
I knew why he had left it. I had seen a very similar ring on my father’s hand, depicting his status as Don and everything that went with the title.
Lucas was telling me that if something happened, then I had the power.
That I had his power.
I didn’t like it at all, but what could we do? He had no idea what Adrian planned for him today, and I had no idea about what my father planned for me.
We were both walking into the unknown. Though we both had some very educated guesses.
But ultimately, none of it mattered. I would walk through fire to save my brother, and Lucas would do the same for the Wongs.
The car pulled up to the door, and I allowed the guard to open it, maneuvering myself out of the leather seat and to my feet. The guns that Lucas had left me were tucked into the waistband of my pants, hidden under a long, flowy tunic draped over my belly. While I hoped I didn’t have to use them, I did have some comfort knowing that I had armed myself.
“Ms. D’Agostino,” the guard replied, inclining his head, doing his best to avoid looking at my belly. “Your father is in his study.”
“Thank you,” I stated firmly, sliding into the persona that had served me so well over the years. “I can find my way.”
The guard didn’t reply and followed as I walked up the stairs to the front door, my boots echoing on the marble with every step. It didn’t matter what I told him. He had his orders, and he knew better than to disobey them.
My father’s study was near the rear of the house, with a lovely bank of windows that overlooked the water in the distance. As a child, I hated the room; it reminded me of his mansion in the city where I had seen him kill those that had crossed him.
Father was seated at his desk. Behind him, the collection of knives sat proudly on their hooks. It was the same wall he had at his other properties, a show of power that I had never enjoyed seeing.
The air was heavy with his cigar smoke as I entered, but I drew up short the moment I laid eyes on my brother.
Nico was tied to one of the velvet-lined chairs near the fireplace, his head lowered to his chest, and if I couldn’t visibly see his chest rise and fall, I would have thought he was dead.
“Daughter. You have arrived.”
I turned toward my father, finding him seated behind the large oak desk, reclining in his leather chair. “You asked for me, after all.”
He chuckled. “As if you have ever listened before, daughter. Nonetheless, I’m glad you have come. Your brother has been waiting to see you.”
My eyes traveled back to Nico, and I gasped as I caught sight of his face. Cigarette burns dotted his skin, angry red marks that stood out against his otherwise blemish-free skin.
But it was his face that sent a wave of nausea through me. There was an empty socket where his right eye used to be, and what looked like fresh blood ran down his face.
“Nico,” I shuddered.
“Leda?” he rasped, his voice weak. “You shouldn’t have come.”
