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“If you walk out that door—”
“You’ll what?” I asked. “You don’t have power over me.I only came for answers, and all you want to offer are lies.”
I forced myself to stand on still-wobbly legs, but I didn’t let the weakness show.
"You owe meeverything, and you’d be wise to realize that. I raised you. If it weren’t for me, you’d be either on the streets or dead. I trained you. I fed you. I taught you all you know.If you walk out that door, I’ll make sure you end up just like your mother and father.”
I knew he was right to some extent. He had done a lot for me, but it didn’t excuse his actions. I also knew walking away would cause trouble, but I had to. I was with Dante now, and I wouldn’t back down. Not even because of Valentino. I knew the laws of the mob. Once you were in, you were in for life. I was signing my own death warrant, but Valentino had signed his a long time ago.
But I couldn’t stay. Not anymore.
“Do your worst.”
I turned and strode through the door, slamming it behind me. I knew I had limited time. I knew he’d come for me as soon as hegathered his bearings. But he’d abused my mother the same way as he’d abused me. He’d likely been as much a cause of her death as my father’s murderer had.
The fury that rippled through me had every limb of my body trembling. I barely contained the hatred that filled me as I considered what she’d gone through at his hands. A part of me hoped that he’d fire a shot. I hoped that he’d try to stop me so I could end his life. That was all I wanted in that moment, but I took a deep breath and kept walking, forcing myself not to think about the long-dead face of my mother.
It sickened me that I’d never realized what Valentino had done.
And now that I was starting my own family with a man nothing like Valentino, I couldn’t help but feel a deep-seeded disgust toward what had happened in the past. How could someone treat their child in such a way? I grazed a hand over my still-flat belly and felt it churning there.
I’d do anything to keep this baby safe. Until now—until I’d seen the way Valentino effortlessly abused the people he supposedly “loved”—it hadn’t felt real. Something about confronting him had cemented the reality of my situation. I’d be bringing someone into this world. I’d be bringing a small human who would depend on me for love and support. I’d give them everything, and though it was a surprise, I didn’t regret it.
I wanted this.
I was excited for this.
And for the life of me, I couldn’t understand how someone could take a child, watch them grow, and then treat them like this.Maybe it was different for a child who wasn’t biologically theirs, but…
No, that wasn’t true.
My mind raced to Bria and the light she brought to any room with her presence. She’d called me “Mommy,” and if I took that role, I’d see her as my own. Hell, it would be a privilege to have her as my own child. And when all of this was over—when Dante and I could finally be together without complications, we’d have that conversation.
I’d love to have Bria as my child, right alongside the one in my womb.
Fuck Valentino and his conditional love.
I’d never have to endure that again, and I sure as hell wouldn’t allow my kids to go through it either.
30
Dante
The bruise around her throat was a light mark on the first day, but as it turned a dark shade of purple, swelling enough that her voice came out raspy, I considered driving back to his manner and seeing how far I could make it without being stopped.
If it weren’t for the tripled guards, I may have tried.
But seeing her safe was more important than the risk I’d take by going into his home.
I wondered if I’d made the right decision as I stormed down the highway toward one of my top-dollar clients. His law firm had represented me publicly and frequently throughout the years when I was brought to court for various reasons.
He’d hit the panic button I gave to all my most valuable clients, and we immediately came.
“Has he ever hit it before?” Sienna asked as she held the handle above the door and leaned into the sharp turns I made toward where the panic button had been pinged. Justin kept an eye on the GPS signal and found that it hadn’t moved since it had been pressed.
But it wasn’t located at any of his known affiliated locations.
No, Mr. Frazier was far from his known stomping grounds, and I knew it was a trap long before getting in the car.
