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I glance at Antonio, who’s in his homemade gym, which is in spare bedroom, pounding away at his punching bag. I know to not disobey my father, so I tell him ok. I’m sure he has his reasons for wanting to see only me. He always has his reasons.
I let Antonio know I’ll be going to see my father, and he gives me a kiss goodbye. He’s so affection. Gosh, I’m happy.
When I arrive at my old home, my first instinct is to find my sister, but when my father opens the door and guides me into the living room, I stop. There’s that man again. The one who was outside our house a month ago asking about … something. I can’t remember now. Frank, I think his name was.
“Nina, this is Franco,” Father says, motioning to the man. Franco. That was it.
“Hello,” I say politely.
Franco gives me a cursory glance before turning to my father. “You really think she’ll be able to handle this? She looks like she’ll blow over in the wind.”
Handle what?
“Where’s Anna?” I ask, scanning the room.
“Your mother and sister are out for the day,” Father explains, sitting in his favorite chair. He nods at the couch, his silent cue for me to take my seat. I do. Father turns to Franco, who’s pacing the room. “My daughter ismydaughter. She’ll do anything I tell her to do. I raised her right, Franco. She can do this.”
“Do … what?” I ask.
“Nina, Franco here is Antonio’s uncle.”
All the breath leaves my body. The man before me is the man who tried to kill my husband? The reason Antonio can’t see his family anymore?
“I don’t understand …”
“We work together,” Franco says, nodding at my father.
“But …”
Father leans toward me. “Nina, the reason I had you marry Antonio wasn’t so I could make an alliance with him; it was so I could get someone close to him he would trust. Someone he wouldn’t suspect.”
“Suspect … what?” My heart is pounding, and blood is rushing in my ears, making it hard for me to comprehend what my father is saying.
“Nina.” Father steeples his fingers together, which means he means business. “Franco and I need you to kill Antonio.”
CHAPTER6
Nina
It takes me a moment to comprehend my father’s words.Kill Antonio. They need meto kill Antonio. Antonio, my new husband. Antonio, the man I just made love to. Antonio, the one person who has been nothing but kind to me. I trust him, even though I haven’t known him long.
“What?” That’s all I can say. No other words make sense.
Franco snorts, turning away from me. “See? She’s already confused. We can find someone else to do this.”
“No one is better,” Father snaps at Franco. “She’s the only one who can get close enough to him.”
“But what about that Killian guy? The one Antonio had you make a deal with.”
Father waves a dismissive hand as he settles back in his seat. “No. A man like that is hard to sway. We need someone malleable.” He looks at me, and I shrink back against the couch. “Someone who’ll do as I tell her,” he says pointedly. “Someone Antonio would never suspect.”
Franco rubs his chin, looking thoughtful. “It would be a nice bit of irony that his own wife kills him. That would take that little bastard down a peg. He’s been nothing but an annoyance to me who refuses to die.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing right now. Antonio has told me about his uncle, but I never knew his name. I never knew this was him, standing right before me, talking about wanting Antonio dead. Antonio was right—his uncle is a bad man. No wonder he wants to protect his family from Franco.
Father leans toward me. “Nina, did you hear me? We need you to kill Antonio.”
“Why?” I whisper.
