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There was so much beauty that it took my breath away, but the underlying truth of what the house and ground represented at its core couldn’t be shoved aside. Blood and death had provided such lavish surroundings. Yes, I knew the Giordano family had several lucrative legitimate businesses, but the shadow of those involved in criminal activity was the mainstay. Generations of his family had gotten wealthy off destroying others.
Now my family was in a bullseye position. It was only a matter of time before the poisonous dart infested my little world.
As I headed to the kitchen, I thought about how my father rose to power. Yes, it was from years of service and hard work, but I was no fool. I knew he’d also used methods of extortion, walking the thin gray line between right and wrong. I’d overheard him telling my mother that it was the only way to get ahead in a city full of vultures. Maybe I was too naïve in that I’d tried to force myself to believe he was a good man deep down.
The ugly truth was that he wasn’t that much different than Gabriel, only I wasn’t privy to whether he’d killed anyone other than in the line of duty in his years of being a police officer. I had a feeling he was hiding several ugly secrets, which Gabriel would find and use. At this point, my worrying wouldn’t solve anything.
The kitchen was just as gorgeous, but so cold that I wondered if a single meal had been prepared in the stacked set of ovens. I couldn’t help myself, opening the refrigerator. I should have known. It was fully stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables, poultry and meats, veal and pork. However, the condiments had never been opened or had recently been replaced.
I went through the doorway that led into the dining room, eyeing a door that couldn’t lead to the outside. After opening the door and flicking on the light, I walked down the stairs carefully. The steps were crafted out of the finest wood. Still, I had a feeling I’d find a dungeon beneath. To my pleasant surprise, it was a fully stocked wine cellar. There was a small tasting area complete with a beautifully carved cabinet full of crystal wineglasses.
Every bottle of wine was perfectly placed, only some of the various vineyards represented recognizable. But I knew they were expensive. Only the best for the son of the Giordano family.
The only son.
The one who’d survived.
I’d killed the other one.
A cold shiver slammed into my system, so icy that my legs trembled. He’d wanted me to feel guilty, the bastard. I hadn’t killed his brother. If Luciano hadn’t been exceeding the speed limit, maybe the accident wouldn’t have occurred.
If your attention hadn’t been on other things, the accident definitely wouldn’t have occurred.
“Stop it! Just stop it!” A single sob left my throat, the ugliness inside my mind threatening to take over. I couldn’t do this to myself. I wouldn’t. Suddenly, I was suffocating. I needed air. I turned quickly, rounding the corner to head to the stairs.
Then I ran smack into a hard body.
Hands grabbed my arms, holding me in place.
“Let go,” I said without thinking, struggling with whoever had grabbed me.
“Doctor Washington. Are you alright? Did something happen?” Dillon snarled and immediately scanned the area, pulling me closer.
I sucked in my breath, calming my nerves. Then I jerked away. “I’m fine, Dillon. Today, I don’t feel like a doctor, just Sarah. You can call me that.”
“Not a chance, Doctor. Don Giordano wouldn’t approve.”
“You mean the king? Do you honestly think anything can happen inside this fortress?”
He glared at me warily, but unbuttoned his jacket, allowing me to see his weapon. My guess was he had at least two more on his person.
“You would be surprised, Doctor Washington. There are always ways of infiltrating even the most secure facilities.”
I half laughed, backing further away and staring at him. He was a very good-looking man, although his face bore the scars of his chosen profession. What troubled me was the lack of any humanity in his eyes. “How can you do this? How can you work for such a… monster?”
There. I’d said the words.
He took a deep breath, still studying me as if I was some kind of specimen, or at least a distraction to his usual duties. “Mr. Giordano is a powerful man with a heavy burden on his shoulders. However, I assure you that he is no monster.”
“After what he did to you? After what healmostdid to you?” I was shocked he still had that kind of loyalty. Had it been beaten into him at an early age?
“You don’t understand the way of life, or the dangers involved.”
“No, and I don’t want to. It’s crazy. Inhuman.”
“In your world, don’t you face difficult issues every day, fear that you’ll make the wrong decision?”
“Being a surgeon and a murderer are two entirely different things.”
