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Clearly, I don’t know my friend as well as I thought.
“Have the side effects of the tranquilizer worn off yet?” Luis asks.
I force my gaze off my traitorous best friend. His dark eyes creep me out as they remain locked on me with unsettling intensity.
“I have a headache,” I mutter.
He nods. “I will have someone bring you a pain reliever.”
Ashley bristles.
“No, thank you.” I’m not about to willingly ingest any pill this man gives me. “I’m fine.”
“I’m afraid I must insist,” he says, sounding far more formal than what I would expect of an aspiring gang leader. “I don’t want you to be in pain.”
Then maybe you shouldn’t have had your girlfriend shoot me with a tranquilizer.
I press my lips together to keep the sassy reply at bay. I know very little about the man in front of me, but I won’t forget how he didn’t even flinch when Joey was shot right in front of him. He’s dangerous and used to violence. It would be a mistake to anger him by arguing.
Ashley, however, doesn’t seem to share my reservation.
“Why are you coddling her, baby? She’s your prisoner,” she huffs, irritated.
Luis’s cold eyes finally focus on his girlfriend. “She is much more than that.”
Confusion furrows her brow. “What do you mean?”
“She is Catarina Furnari, thePrincipessaof the Furnari family.” There’s no affection in his tone or demeanor. He’s cold and condescending. “She is the key to solving my problem with the MacKenzies.”
I suck in a breath when I hear my fiancé’s name.
Again, I wonder how long I’ve been missing. In my gut, I know Declan’s already started searching for me. He would’ve done so the moment Nolan and Liam missed one of their hourly check-ins. Which makes me wonder, what happened to my bodyguards? I pray they’re okay. I’ll never forgive myself if they’re hurt because of me.
Ashley’s tone softens, “I know that, baby.” She sidles up to her boyfriend and runs her fingers down his arm in a caress. “I just meant that she’s not our ally. She doesn’t deserve to be coddled. She’s a bargaining chip. Nothing more.”
Wow.
If I weren’t sure before, I’m convinced that my friendship with Ashley is over.
I’m suddenly reminded of all the things Declan said about her. About how self-centered she is and how jealous she acts.
How long has she resented me? And why? It’s not like I was ever a threat to her in any way that mattered.
“There’s been a change of plans.” He shrugs off her touch.
Ashley frowns. “What do you mean?”
Luis’s attention, once again, returns to me. I’m unnerved by the calculating and cruel gleam in his dark gaze. “I’ve decided to take a page out of Declan MacKenzie’s book. I’m going to negotiate an alliance with Salvatore Furnari, and my marriage to Catarina will solidify the deal.”
Ashley visibly recoils.
My stomach churns.
I take an uneasy step back, instinctively wanting to put as much distance between myself and this man as possible.
Seconds pass. Ashley recovers from her shock. It’s swiftly replaced with fury. “What are you talking about? You said you wanted to marryme!”
“What in the world canyouoffer me?” He counters with a scoff. “No. You’ve served your purpose. Our time together is done.”
