Page 72 of His Queen

She nods and I see tears spring to her eyes. "My father owed money." She whispers and looks down.

"He sold her to him to pay off his debt." Aldo's voice is bitter.

"He does that often," Demetrius says with disdain.

"No!" She looks up at him. "I'm not the only one?"

Demetrius and I look at each other. "We know of a few," Demetrius says sadly. "Most of the time, they end up in the cartel's warehouses to pay off the debt. The Bratva would rather save the women."

"Then why did you let that happen to Rose?" Aldo asks

"Rose was already in an agreement. Salvatore had bought her. Salvatore was then supposed to take over, and the Don was going to step down. That was the plan. I know you have to be aware of that. Then Sal just planned on using her to make her pop out an heir and pass her around to his men. Which he was already doing on the honeymoon."

My body trembled with a mix of anger, sadness, and frustration. The weight of my father’s decision pressed heavily on my chest, making it difficult to breathe. Each word he uttered felt like a dagger piercing my heart, reminding me of the inevitable path I would walk.

As I turned, tears threatened to spill from my eyes, but I fought to keep them at bay. I couldn’t afford to show weakness, not now. And there, perched on a nearby rooftop, was Vlad. His piercing gaze met mine, filled with understanding and empathy. In that moment, Vlad’s presence became a lifeline, a steadfast pillar of support amidst the storm of emotions raging within me.

I could feel the weight of his support grounding me, allowing me to steady myself against the torrent of emotions threatening to overwhelm me. His silent presence spoke volumes, reminding me that I had someone who believed in me, even when I doubted myself. It was a reminder that I had the strength within me to face the challenges ahead, to defy the fate my father had predetermined. With Vlad’s silent encouragement, I straightened my posture, wiping away the traces of tears that had escaped.

Though the weight of my father’s words still lingered, Vlad’s support gave me the courage to carry on. Together, we would defy the fate that had been imposed upon me and navigate the treacherous path that lay before us.

"Rose ..." Lena gasps, pulling me to her again. "I'm so sorry. I would have never."

I hugged her back, accepting her comfort. "I know there is nothing you could have done, Lena. It's okay."

Looking at Aldo, I see a fierceness I hadn't before. "What's the plan?"

I let out a long sigh as the tension I had been holding let go. Those three words are some of the best I have ever heard. When his eyes drift to Lena, I can see how they soften.

"We need your help. We have a plan. But we will have to be careful."

"What is the plan, Rose?" Aldo asks, and his tone has a note of steel to it.

"Well, first we will need to know about his schedule. Where he will be, what he will be doing, and who he will be meeting." he nods and I go on.

"I want to be the one to take him out. It's the only way for the families and the men to respect me and my position. I would like to catch him at home in his office. We need a small team and I would prefer it to be as bloodless as possible. I think a bullet between the eyes would suffice. What do you think?"

"Are you sure, Rose? I mean, are you sure you can pull the trigger? It's one thing to shoot at someone, but another to take a man's life. Especially your own father."

"After what he has done to me and Lena? Yeah. I'm ok with that. I won't have him killing the Bratva just to make a point. I can't allow that."

"I agree. We don't want this to spill over to the streets. That is exactly what he wants. It would give him the chance to take out a lot of your men. We need to be smart and careful." Aldo says "Ok Rose, give me a few days to get all the information I can. We might need to make some sort of distraction for the men so that they are pulled away from the compound."

Demetrius nods. "I think we can handle that. Just let me know which warehouse would be the best to attack. We can set up explosives and wire it to blow."

"That should work."

"Aldo." His eyes meet mine. "Make sure you keep her safe," I say, still hugging Lena

"Always Rose."

"We will have your back, and we will always be a phone call away if you need anything," Demetrius says, looking at Aldo and Lena.

"I appreciate that. If the need arises, I will call you."

"Let's get the intel we need. Set a date and get this done and over with. We will do any other meetings over the phone for both of your safety."

"Sounds good, Demetrius. I'll contact you both once I have all the information."

Source: www.allfreenovel.com