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If I tell him, he will be angry. It may even ruin his plans and he will call time on whatever this is. Then again, I must know what he is planning. Is he playing me? I’m not sure that he is. It’s the little touches and the soft expression he throws my way when he thinks I’m not looking. The way he is when he’s inside me. The passion and the dare I say it, love and the joy he brings me. Surely, he can’t fake that. It wouldn’t be normal, and I am clinging onto to my last shred of bravery as I keep everything I’ve learned inside.
What will he think of me if I tell him how disinterested I am in my new family? I have no time for them because they cut me off. Money means nothing, not to me, and I would have loved being part of a big family instead of the only child of a couple who always treated me more like a visitor than a daughter.
Where has love been all my life because I’ve never felt it? Troy is the first person who has opened his heart to me. He has shown me what it’s like to be the center of someone’s world and if he tells me now that it was all an act, I simply wouldn’t believe him.
I’m surprised when he drapes his arm around me, pulls me closer and whispers, “I have a confession to make.”
I swear my heart starts beating faster, and the sweat runs down my back. This is it. The moment of truth. It must be, and I prepare myself for euphoria to turn to despair on the turn of a long overdue conversation.
“Go on.”
I understand this is needed, but I’m fearful at the same time.
“I employed you for revenge.”
He says it simply, no wasted words and as direct as the man I’ve come to care so much about.
“I know.”
He turns as I make my own confession and for a second something passes between us that tells me we’re going to be okay.
I smile. “Carry on.”
“Before I confess everything, I want to tell you the reason why.”
I watch the shadows appear in his eyes as he revisits a memory that is obviously the reason for this.
“My father was a member of an organization called The Dark Lords. It’s made up of many important men, businessmen, senators, actors and people of influence. If you hold a membership card, you are guaranteed success. At least that’s what he was led to believe.”
“It didn’t live up to his expectations then.” I say sadly and he nods, squeezing my shoulder a little harder.
“He was a shit businessman, and they bailed him out several times. He didn’t deserve his place there, but for some reason he was given a pass.”
Troy shakes his head with a bitterness in his expression that makes me feel sorry for him.
“The day before he died, he attended a meeting and asked for help. He approached the Supreme Ruler, the man who founded the club.”
He hisses, “He told my father there would be no more help. In fact, he was no longer a member after that day because he didn’t make the grade. He had his final chance, and they were kicking him out. I mean, what’s the point of being a member of a club who scratches each other’s backs when your claws have gone? My father was washed up, beaten, and they were about to watch him go under.”
“That’s terrible.” I am angry on his behalf, but Troy merely shrugs. “I can see why they did it and if that makes me a bad son, then I’m guilty as charged. I see that now, but it wasn’t clear at the time.”
“What changed your mind?”
I’m curious and he shrugs. “I now walk in his shoes and realize how much he screwed it up. It affected thousands of people who could have lost their jobs, which are their livelihoods. When you take charge of a company, it’s not about you anymore. About your financial gains and how many billions you can deposit in your bank. It’s all about the business and making it a successful one. For them. The people who work their damn hearts out just to keep it afloat.”
I love listening to the passion in his voice as he fights for the people who make up his business and it reveals a whole new side to him that I like.
“My father killed himself because The Dark Lords refused to help him one last time. That was his decision and I hate thatmemory I now have of him. I stepped up and worked my ass off to bring the company back from the brink. Then I received an invitation to attend one of The Dark Lord’s meetings.”
I am fascinated and keep quiet, my breath pausing as I wait for the conclusion to his confession.
“Don Vieri is the Supreme Ruler of The Dark Lords due to the fact he founded it. He does not deserve his position.”
“Why not?” My voice shakes because this is the first time I’m learning something about my blood relatives and Troy hisses, “He is the mafia, Laura. He makes his money by heaping misery on people who have no choice. He is cruel, vindictive, and has no morals. His organization is responsible for the drugs on our streets and the exploitation of our women. They earn their money from the misfortune of others and dress it with respectability. Don Vieri is an old man now and probably doesn’t have long, which is why I took my chance.”
“Your chance?” My throat is so dry my voice cracks and he nods, the deepening gleam in his eye making my breath hitch.
“He has two grandsons who will succeed him. Two bastards who learned from their master well. They will continue to drag The Dark Lords down into the gutter, despite the new don in waiting’s attempts to clean up his image.”
