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“Sienna?” I stop a few feet away. A safe enough distance if she wanted to try and kill me.
“You knew your father’s plan this whole time.” Her words made me pause. “And you had your own plan to use me when your father was dead.”
“What are you—”
Her head snaps up. “Don’t fucking lie to me, Dante.” I can see the pure fury in her eyes, the hard set of her mouth that I had kissed just a few hours before.
I sighed. “Yeah, Sienna. Of course, my father had plans. You and Giovanni had probably already guessed that before we even married.”
“But you never said shit to me.”
“I didn’t think I had to. You’re smarter than that.”
“Shut the hell up.” She turned away, her hands curling into fists. “You should have said something. Anything. That would have made me trust you faster. Because wasn’t that the plan? To get me to trust you just enough to willingly hand over the reins at some point?”
“You wouldn’t have trusted me, Sienna. You would have been paranoid that I told you my father’s plans. I would have never gained your trust by doing that.” I knew her too well.
“So, you just…make up your own plan, and then what? Use me until you’re Don of the Scaranos?” Her voice shakes, but I can’t tell if she’s sad or pissed. Probably both, if I was being honest.
“I wasn’t going to use you.”
“Bullshit.”
“Sienna, listen to me.” I took a step forward, forgetting why I’d kept my distance in the first place.
Before I could blink, she drew her gun, the barrel aiming straight for my heart. “Are you the Snake?”
“What?” Ice slipped down my spine. “Are you high right now?”
“Answer the fucking question.”
“Jesus,” I swore under my breath. “I’m not the Snake, Sienna.”
“How would I know? There have been far too many coincidences. First, none of this shit started happening until you came back. And then my father dies after we marry. Maybe you killed your own mother to throw me off your scent.”
To be fair, it was sound logic. Except I wasn’t the goddamned Snake.
“You sound crazy.”
Heat flared in her eyes. Taking a step closer, she pressed the barrel into my chest. “You should know, calling a woman crazy never works out well in the end.”
I can’t do this anymore. Gripping the barrel in my hand, I pull her closer, keeping it against my chest. “You really think I’m the Snake, Sienna? Then shoot me.” I wait. She takes a deep breath, her trigger finger twitching. “Fucking do it. That would solve your problems, wouldn’t it? You’d get revenge for your father, and you’d never have to worry about me trying to take over your family. So go ahead. Shoot me.”
Her lips thinned, chin set. I felt her hand shaking through the gun. For a few tense moments, I thought she’d actually do it. I closed my eyes, waiting for her to pull the trigger. But the shot never came.
Sienna growled, yanking away from me. “I can’t believe you.” Her eyes caught mine, tears at the edges already. “I was starting to trust you, Dante. I was starting to—” Her words caught in her throat.
“You were starting to what?” I asked, moving closer. My pulse thudded in my ears. I wanted to hear her say it.
She looks away. “I need you to leave me alone for a while. I need to figure shit out.”
Before I can stop her, she turned and walked away, disappearing into the dark alley. I don’t try and follow her. There would be no use in that. If she needed time, then I would have to give it to her, or else she really would shoot me. Eventually, she’d figured out that I wasn’t the bad guy. That I was on her side, no matter what she thought.
She needed to figure it out on her own. I couldn’t tell her what to think. How to feel. Sienna was her own person. Entirely independent. But she was also vulnerable, and I couldn’t let her think she needed me until she came to that realization on her own.
I really just hoped it wouldn’t be too late by then. Feeling anxious, I knew I couldn’t go back to the boys in the club. Instead, I headed towards my car, knowing exactly who I needed to speak to.
“Hey!” Killian’s voice stopped me. “You’re still alive.” He jogged to catch up with me. “Where are you going?”
