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I glance at the open front door, then back at her. “I need to go. I love you, and please believe that we’re doing the right thing.”
She quiets for a beat, then asks, “When is murder ever the right thing?”
“When a man beats his daughter and plans to kill her.”
I don’t say anything else, nor do I wait for her reply. Instead, I turn sharply to meet Luca, closing and locking the door behind me as I go.
I thought I would feel more tension walking away from her, but when my eyes settle on Luca’s back, I know I’m doing the right thing.
My fingers entwine with his, and we step into the waiting elevator. I let the doors close before I ask, “What’s wrong?”
“Titan got to my board members,” he says tersely.
Motherfucker. He’s like the mold that just won’t stop spreading. “Once he’s dead, they’ll have no proof of anything.”
“It’ll be too late,” he replies. “They’re holding a meeting tonight, making a decision about whatever they’ve been told, and if I’m not there to defend myself, I’ll be removed as CEO.”
My grip on his hand tightens. “They can’t do that.”
“They can,” he murmurs. “It’s written into the corporate laws of the company.”
I turn toward him, shaking my head. “Why in the hell would you allow a rule like that when you know who you are?”
He doesn’t answer me, and I instantly feel bad for rubbing salt in what I assume to be a gaping wound.
“Can you postpone our attack until tomorrow or later tonight?” I ask, hoping there are options to get Luca to that meeting.
Luca shakes his head curtly as the doors open to the garage floor. “We’re doing this. Now. The longer that bastard lives, the more of a risk he is to our lives. I won’t let him take what’s most important from me.” His eyes practically burn into mine. “I can build another company. I can’t replace you.”
I want to say something else, but Jaxon honks the horn of the SUV, interrupting our tense moment.
Luca leads us forward, and I follow without saying anything else, since I’m not sure how much he wants to share with the others, but he barely has the door shut before he’s sharing what he just told me with them.
“That son of a bitch,” Justine hisses, and I decide having her with us is the best idea we had all day.
“You need a proxy,” Jaxon says, staying parked even though we’re supposed to be in a hurry. “Do you have one on paper or can you choose anyone?”
“It’s supposed to be you,” Luca replies, “but it could be anyone. Except there isn’t anyone else I trust to go in my place that we don’t need at the fight with us.”
Jaxon’s fingers drum over the steering wheel, then he looks at Justine with all the admiration in the world in his eyes. “You could do it.”
I glance at Luca, expecting him to object, but surprisingly, he waits in silence.
Justine points at her chest. “Me? Like really, me?”
“Yes. You.” Jaxon turns to Luca. “She could do it. She knows enough to make this work, and she’s frightening enough to keep them from trying to bully her.”
My eyes bounce between the three of them, tension filling my body until I know what’s going to happen.
Luca stares at Justine, whose eyes are still wide with shock. “Can you do this?”
She takes a deep breath, shoulders rising toward her ears before dropping back down. “I can. I would be honored to do this for you, Luca. You welcomed me into your home when you didn’t know me. Let me help.”
Her confidence grows with every word she speaks, and a smile rises to my face. I have no doubt that she’ll help Luca keep his company and make those board members cower in her presence.
“Okay,” he says. “Get out, wear something respectable, and take whatever car you want.” He reaches for his phone again. “I’ll tell them to expect you in my place.”
Justine looks at me and winks. “We’ll have to slay together another day.”
