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“Yes,” he answered decisively.
“And you won’t keep me from Joe?”
“Not as long as you cooperate.”
A tiny pulse jumped at the base of her throat. “What does that mean?”
“It means you’ll cooperate. You’ll do what I ask you to do cheerfully, pleasantly and immediately.”
Apparently she didn’t like the sound of that as her brown eyes shot daggers at him. “And if I don’t?”
“You will be sent packing.”
“You can’t do that.”
“No?” His dark gaze met hers and held for long, tense seconds. “You will be living in my home, in my country, among my family and my people. Who will stop me? Hmm?”
She inhaled sharply. “You can’t use Joe as a weapon against me,” she whispered, her voice failing her.
“But isn’t that what you did to me?”
“I was trying to protect him—”
“From me, yes, I figured that out. But Jill, what a serious, terrible, tactical error.”
Her gaze searched his, a deep line of worry between her eyebrows. “And if I cooperate for seventeen years?”
“You’ll remain with us, enjoy my protection, wealth and all the privileges of being part of the d’Severano family.”
“And yet if I stand by and cooperate, you’ll succeed at turning him into one of you.”
“You make us sound like a horde of vampires.”
“You’re not much different, are you?”
“According to today’s popular culture, vampires are in.”
“Not with me.”
“You’re anti vampire?”
“I’m anti bullies, thugs and thieves. I’m anti predators. Anti organized crime. Anti anyone who forces other people to their knees.”
“È gran pazzia lu cuntrastari cu du nun pô vinciri nè appattari,” he quoted, then translated the Sicilian proverb for her benefit, “It’s insane to oppose when you can neither win nor compromise.” The corner of his mouth quirked. “You’re either shockingly brave or stupid, Jill, considering you have so much at stake.”
“A great deal is at stake. We’re talking about the life of a little boy. What we do now will impact him forever.”
“Exactly so.”
“Which is why I can’t just roll over, Vittorio, and pretend that who you are, and what you do, is good. Your values and morals aren’t mine—”
He’d heard enough, more than enough, actually, and tuning out the rest of her speech, he gestured to one of his men, who then tapped the glass partition, getting the chauffeur’s attention. The driver immediately slowed and pulled off the highway onto the rain-lashed shoulder.
“It’s a shame that we couldn’t come to an understanding, but I suppose it’s better now than later,” he said calmly, knowing he was just about to destroy what was left of her world. “I did want this to work out. I think we could have made it work. Unfortunately, I can see it’s not going to happen. So let’s make the break now and be done with it. No point in dragging the pain out.” He leaned to the side, opened the back door. “Goodbye, Jill.”
Her lips parted with surprise. “What?”
“Your house is just a half mile back. Not far, but certainly not comfortable in the rain. Do be careful. The pavement is undoubtedly slippery.”
