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A scream bubbles out of me, and I bolt from the couch just as he falls to his knees, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. Without thinking twice, I spin on my heel and race to the elevator.
Gideon is on me before I make it out of the living room. He slams me against the wall, making my teeth rattle. Then his face is so close to mine, I can see the black ring around his irises with perfect clarity, feel his strength, barely restrained, as he wraps his fingers around my neck. “By the end of this, you’re going to wish your father dead. Because, as always, it’s going to be you who cleans up his shit. Only, this time, the price will be Di Persia blood.”
24
LUCA
“Are you sure he’ll show up?” Gunn asks.
“He will. He knows that if he doesn’t, I’ll hunt him down and kill him myself.”
We’re standing at the entrance to Briar House, awaiting the arrival of Gregorio.
When Gunn asked me if I knew how to contact Carina’s father, the answer came to me. Yes, I did.
She had turned off her cell phone because she realized I might have bugged it, but she didn’t hide it. Simply left it in her purse.
I turned it on and pulled up the text messages. Although Alma had the decency to text her a few apologies, Gregorio had remained quiet. It made me hesitate. Was he selfish enough to abandon his daughter at a time like this? Probably so. Either way, I had to try.
He didn’t answer when I dialed. So I sent a very short text that would get his attention.
Me:The Ferryman has Carina.
Him:Who is this?
Me:Sinacore.
Him:How do I know this isn’t a ruse to get me to return?
Me:If you love Carina, you will come.
My phone buzzes, and I glance at the screen. It’s a message from the guardhouse.
“He’s here,” I say to Gunn.
It didn’t take him long to arrive, especially since he was holed up somewhere in Philly.
A few moments later, Gregorio pulls his vehicle under the portico. To my surprise, is Alma.
She ducks her head as she steps out of the car and spots me, gnawing on her bottom lip nervously like her sister does. Only, on Carina, it’s sexy as hell, while Alma remains demure.
“Gregorio, Alma,” I greet. “So kind of you to visit.”
“No need to toy with me, Luca. Where is Carina?” Gregorio demands.
I laugh sarcastically. “She’s where you should expect her to be. Fixing your shit. So the better question would be, what did you do to the Ferryman that needs fixing?”
He huffs with indignation as if the accusation is absurd. But he doesn’t look me in the eye when he does it, because he knows I’ll see the truth of it in his.
“Can we discuss this in private?” Gregorio asks, peering at Hansen’s brooding face.
But to his dismay, that face follows him all the way to the study.
“He’s my personal guard,” I inform him. “Everywhere I go, he goes.”
“Even to the bathroom?” Alma asks.
“And I wipe his ass too,” Hansen replies without a hint of amusement.
