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“And you didn’t think to tell us?” Rocco sighs, his anger still there, but he’s used to Dario by now.
“You said she looked familiar,” Elio laughs. “I didn’t realize you were being serious.”
“Portia didn’t want anyone to know, and for her safety, I accepted that. If, and only if, she was in danger, then I would have said something,” Dario tells them.
My heart races wildly. Oh my god. I hadn’t realized just how amazing he was, and how much I truly appreciated him keeping my secret. He did it to protect me. Everything he’s done so far has been to do that and I’m finally seeing it.
“Okay,” Jade says, stepping forward. “Portia, if you don’t mind, can you tell us what happened after your da died? I’m really sorry for your loss. I didn’t know the man, but I’m still sorry for your loss.”
I give her a genuine smile. “Thank you,” I say softly, and then I recount the night my papa died. Talking about it never gets easier, and I don’t think it ever will, but I know they’re going to help me get revenge for my father. Finally, after almost five years, my father will get his justice.
“Fuck, I’m sorry,” Jade whispers. “How long did you stay with that cunt, Marco?” she asks.
“About three months or so,” I reply, taking a steadying breath. “I could have left before that, but I didn’t want to leave Mama.”
Jade nods in understanding, and seeing the genuine look on her face makes me believe that staying was the right thing to do back then.
“One night, I went to get a drink and Marco was having a meeting with his men. The office door was ajar, and I overheard part of their conversation.”
Dario’s hand tightens on my hip, and I lean my head against his body. He makes me feel safe and having him hold me makes me feel loved. “She overheard Marco telling his men that he was selling Portia. She was going to be trafficked, so she fled that night.”
“Fuck,” Rocco hisses. “Did he say anything else?”
“He had someone willing to pay two million for me,” I tell them. “He also knew that I overheard their conversation.”
“What did he do to you, Portia?” Jade asks, fury blazing in her blue eyes.
“He was an asshole,” I say, trying to brush it off. I really don’t want to get into what happened that night.
“Tell them, Portia,” Teagan urges me. “Please.”
“He came into my room and put a gun to my head.” I close my eyes as my blood runs cold. It still terrifies me to this day what happened that night. I have never felt such paralyzing fear as I did when he held that gun to my temple. “He played Russian Roulette with me.”
Dario’s hand tightens on my hip, and I press my lips together to stop the cry from escaping me.
“He did fucking what?” Dario snarls, and I know he’s going to be upset that I never told him, but it’s something I really don’t like talking about.
“How many times did he pull that trigger?” Jade asks.
“Six times,” I reply, wringing my hands together to stop anyone noticing that they’re trembling.
“He never had a bullet in the barrel, did he?” Rocco asks, and I shake my head.
“Sick bastard,” Elio snarls. “Don’t worry, Portia, we’re going to make sure that bastard won’t touch you again.”
I nod. I really hope so, because I’m not sure it’s going to be as easy as they think to catch Marco. The man has managed to fly under the radar for the past five years. There’s no easy way of finding him, and he’ll have men guarding him.
“I think we need to speak with Umberto and Amadeo,” Dario says through clenched teeth. I slide my hand around his back and press my palm flat against his spine, offering him silent support. The moment I rest my hand against him, the tension seems to ease away. “They were Davide’s closest men, and yet the night he died they weren’t anywhere in sight. Also, I would like to know which of those assholes told Marco how to get into Davide’s secret tunnel.”
My eyes widen as pain slices through my chest. He never told me he suspected one of them of being involved. He only mentioned that his father could be involved. Not my papa’s best friends.
“Baby,” he murmurs as he looks down at me, “we don’t know for sure.”
I swallow hard, trying to get rid of the tears that are threatening to fall. “But you suspect, though, right?”
He nods. “Yeah, I have suspected them.”
I take a moment to compose myself. “Then go find out,” I say. “If they’re part of it, make them bleed.”
