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“I know you’re mad.” The understatement of the century. “But I’m fine.”
I stand up and lean my side on the window. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
“I love you.”
Three simple words, resurrecting my spirits, having the power to make my heart pound in my chest.
“I love you too.”
“And now come home.”
“In a while.”
I hang up and Kieran calls. “Chiara insists if something happens to Sergio . . .”
“What? I should let the man who took her go unpunished?”
“Yes, his wife and son are on board and are flying back to the USA as we speak.”
He kidnapped my wife, would have killed her to get to me, but here she is, protecting him. I drag in a lungful of air and crack my neck.
“I am handling things with him. He knows we’re the only ones now who can protect his family.”
And for a man, there is no greater leverage than his family.
I hang up and find Hayden and Luciana in a staring contest.
“Let’s wrap things up.”
“Finally,” he says, as if this already bores him to death.
“You know what the difference is between you and me, Luciana?”
“That I’m better.”
I tsk. “Arrogance has to be backed up by something. You are the puppet of the families; I am a king.”
She blinks at me.
“You thought I wouldn’t find out that you are just the Council’s bitch?” I mock as I list off their names, halting at Ducati, the most powerful one.
She gulps and I go on, “Now, you should check the balance. You just cost them a billion dollars, which, to be honest, is peanuts, but . . .” Draining their accounts until they relent and accept a meeting is just step one of the plan of showing them our power and influence.
Her hands shoot to the laptop, her fingers trembling on the keyboard, and she falls into her seat.
“That’s impossible. Give it back, you have no idea what you did.”
“Tell them I am expecting all of them at my place.”
“That will never happen.”
“Then I will withdraw more and more and put them in front of the news. Now, for people who have been ruling from the shadows for centuries, that would be a pity, don’t you think?”
She jumps to her feet and snarls, “You are dead.”
“If something happens to me, then we have no agreement at all. Think, Luciana. I guess this round goes to me.”
“Get out,” she shouts, her chest heaving, and Hayden pats my back.
