AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Two goons, as though I might somehow be able to evade the escort and run if he sends only one.
Neither of these men is familiar, and I remember with a pang that my favorite goon, Leon, was gunned down that day in the club. Gunned down while trying to protect me.
I try to put that out of my mind and let them lead me out of my dungeon suite and along a concrete corridor. My spiked heels click-clack as we walk. When we reach the elevator at the end of the corridor and step into the car, both men remain silent.
We ride up a level, and I expect to emerge into the soft evening warmth of Rio’s estate home, but when the doors open, it seems we are still underground.
Another level between the house and my dungeon? Does Rio have a whole city carved out beneath the house I once lived in? How many levels are down here?
The goons still don’t speak, but one stops before a solid-looking door before knocking and then gesturing me inside when someone opens it. My heart is already racing, and now I have trouble swallowing as all the saliva in my mouth and throat seems to dry up.
What will I find on the inside? What does Rio really want with me? It was safe for me to toy with the idea that he wants to show me off, but what if I’m completely wrong? Am I about to slide into danger once again?
11
“Where there is unity there is always victory.”
Pubilius Syrus
Bianca
I lacemy fingers together in front of my baby bump, feeling extra protective all of a sudden, before I step into what appears to be a long and luxuriously decked-out conference room.
And then I stop short.
A dozen sets of eyes—more if you count the security dotted around the space—gaze at me with varying degrees of either indifference or curiosity. All older men, all expensively dressed in suits, and all seated around a huge rectangular conference table. Rio sits at the head of the table, watching my entrance with an implacable expression.
He rises when I enter. After a moment, the other men glance at him and then rise too. I am certain their action of respect is for Rio’s benefit, not mine.
Are these the heads of family, or their representatives, that I have heard about but never met collectively like this?
“Come in, dear wife,” Rio says, his dark gaze still giving nothing away. “Join us at the table. Gentlemen, you all remember Bianca Carlotti-Agosti from our wedding, do you not? As you can see, she is back with me now, and expecting my child.”
I was right, then.
I’m glad I dressed upis all I can think as I make my way around the table to where Rio still stands with one hand outstretched. I clasp his proffered hand, grateful for the familiar warmth in this sea of strangers. Even if that momentary comfort is offered by Rio himself.
Wait. Not all are strangers. One set of eyes is warmer than the others, and I realize with a flare of mixed emotions that Carlos Rossi sits at this table too.
I can’t help my gaze dropping to his hands, searching for the damage inflicted by Rio. I’m not exactly sure what I should be feeling about this man. He was supposed to help me escape this life, and instead, he gave up information to my husband to save his own ass. But to be fair, I tricked him, too, and used his money to run farther than he had planned for me.
And now he has to deal with one less finger on one of his hands.
Rio draws me into his side and murmurs in my ear, so quietly that I’m certain no one else picks up the words. “A united front, little bird. That is what I need.”
I shoot a glance upward and wonder if I’m the only one who can see how much tension he’s holding. That tight jawline and the way his shoulders hunch up slightly, too high for comfort, give it away.
He must be dealing with a devil of a stress headache.
The stakes here are obviously high, and dread curls in my stomach as the truth becomes apparent. In this world, and in the helpless circumstances in which I currently find myself, Rio is truly the only one I can trust to keep my baby safe from any circling sharks.
These men are the sharks. And their sharp eyes are searching for any hint of weakness.
I bite the inside of my cheek to stop a completely inappropriate laugh from bursting free. It would be a laugh born of irony, not humor, but I’m sure no one at this table would take it that way. As if running from the man I love is not ludicrous enough, now I face the reality that the man I both love and fear is the only person I know who may offer a safe haven for me and my child.
I press into him, giving him a tiny nod, relaxing slightly at the flash of approval in his dark eyes. “Good girl.”
He holds out a chair, and I take a seat between him and Rossi, who sits closest. I turn to the latter and shoot him a small, polite smile, even though I feel anything but friendly toward him.
