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"Brandon and Cassandra are already with us as well." Kobe looks to his friend for confirmation.
I look back to Brandon to see if it's true, and he nods his head with a solemn face.
"This is for your sister Andy." Kobe hands me a yellow envelope. "Once she reads what's inside, I'm sure she will agree with your other sisters. The contents make it very clear your dad messed around in her life just as much as he did all of yours."
"It's up to you now, what you want to do, Amelia. You're the oldest daughter of a mafia boss. We might have stopped the story from running this morning, but it will run eventually, and you need to work out where you stand quickly, before this war starts. Your father might have been trying to protect you girls for a very good reason; a shift in power leaves you all vulnerable, and since none of you even knew, you were sitting ducks, just waiting to be picked off one by one by his enemies."
"Are you with us?" Kobe asks with more warmth in his voice. I stare back at him, tears in my eyes. Either I'm with them and they kill my dad, or I'm not and Dad will kill Heath? I'm sure of it, after what they have told me here today.
My head is spinning with all the information just thrown at me. I glance up at Heath. I love him with everything I have. My father has already taken so much from all of us. He's not the man I grew up with, the man I have always known. He's a monster. I knew it from the moment he handed me that marriage contract, I saw it in his eyes. I won't let him take Heath from me.
"You have my support in whatever way you need," I get out, my voice sounding stronger than I feel inside. My father used to say whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger; maybe he was right about something. I'm ready to do whatever it takes to protect what is mine, even if it means going against the man who raised me.
Leo's phone rings, and he takes the call, walking to the back of the room. His eyes are on me the whole time he talks. Heath wraps his arm around me, trying to comfort me, and I know I should look away from Leo, but I can't. Leo's talking to my father, I already know it.
He disconnects the call, walking back toward us. "Kobe will stay with you," he demands.
"I've got this. I can take care of Amelia and the kids," Heath says, irritated with being told what to do. He has always been the one protecting me, and I'm sure he thinks he can deal with this, but we're not up against high school bullies or some guy with an obsession with me. This is life-or-death shit.
Leo smiles smugly, like part of him takes satisfaction in this whole little scenario, and I'm sure he does. My father killed his and took over his life, controlling him, and now we're all at his mercy. "That was daddy dearest putting a direct hit out on your new husband, Heath. You two getting married won't stop his plans. Take the help."
Kobe shows the gun he's carrying, like proof we are better off with him around. Then Leo turns and leaves, with Jett following close behind him. He isn't waiting for our compliance.
I collapse into Heath's chest, wrapping my arms around him, and he does the same. For just a second I let myself get lost in his scent, something about it so comforting when I feel so out of control. "I'm sorry I dragged you into all of this."
"This is all your father's doing. He's the one who should be sorry here, not you." He kisses my forehead. It's a small gesture but feels so good coming from him.
I have a strange feeling wash over me, and I already know what I need to do. I wipe under my eyes. No more crying about things I can't control. I need to be the strong one for my family. In this moment I understand Leo Rivera and how he became the way he is. And I will do the same. Whatever it takes to protect what is mine and the people I love.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
HEATH
Thekidsarebrushingtheir teeth, getting ready for school, while Amelia and I are enjoying a moment to ourselves, drinking a coffee; neither of us could handle food this morning. I think she is still in shock after our meeting with Leo and his brothers yesterday. She hasn't said a lot since and sits across from me sipping on her coffee quietly, like she is stuck in her own thoughts. I wish I knew what to do, but I'm not in much of a better frame of mind after finding out her father wants me dead.
Kobe waltzes into the kitchen like he owns the place, having stayed here with us last night. He tosses down the local paper on the table in front of us. Millie looks up, confused. I pick it up, glancing over the front page, and my eyes nearly bulge out of my head when I see an image of Elara. The headline readsLA's top entertainment reporter found washed up on the beach; police believe it was a drug overdose.
Amelia looks at Kobe. "It wasn't a drug overdose, was it?" she demands, an edge to her voice.
"It probably was, but I'd say she didn't take the drugs willingly."
Amelia gasps, like she can't believe it.
"For fuck's sake," I stammer out, not sure how to even process what he is implying.
He takes a seat beside me. "What did you think was going to happen? She tried to publicly out someone who she knew to be the head of the Palm Springs underworld. She might have thought she was getting some sort of revenge on you two, but she made an enemy of the most powerful man in town."
I shove my chair back, standing in a rush. "Someone has to do something to stop him." Anger courses through my veins. I didn't like the girl, she caused so much trouble for us, but no one deserves to have their life ended like this. "I can't just sit here waiting to be his next victim." And right now, it feels like that's my fate.
Kobe gets up in my face, and I stare him down. He's shorter than me but has the build from his MMA training that I know one punch from him and I'd be on my ass. "We also can't take matters into our own hands. Calm the fuck down, Riley, and you're going to be just fine. Leo has a plan," he says calmly, but every word has a threatening edge to it.
I feel Amelia's hand on my back. "He's right, Heath, we don't even know what we're up against here. I know you feel out of control, so do I, but I need you alive. I don't want to do all of this without you, so I need you to stay with me and wait till we hear something from Brandon or Leo." I glance down at her. Something has changed in the last day; she's not so panicky about it all.
"I feel like a sitting duck, waiting for him to strike."
She wraps her arms around me, holding me close. "I know, baby. But you're safe here with us. He doesn't know Leo's not working for him anymore, so we have the advantage."
"Your wife's a smart lady, she's spot-on about that. Besides, he won't be able to touch you while you're with me."
