Page 38 of Siege of Blood and Betrayal
Zane stands and walks to the front of his desk. Leaning back, he props his butt on the slate desktop and folds his arms over his broad chest. The position makes his biceps bulge and his tailormade shirt strains to hold him.
Not that I’m paying any attention to that.
“Scots, we’re safe. And as we determine who was involved, we’ll weed out the bad ones and broaden our circle with those who are—and have always been—loyal to my father and me. The Vasari clan is strong and will survive this, but only if I trust in my people.”
“Then you’re a bigger person than me because I’m not feeling so charitable.”
His expression softens and the agony in his deep green gaze makes my heart flutter in my chest. “I understand your pain and your mistrust, but you’ve been gone for years. You’re looking at them as a bunch of strangers. I see them as friends and family. For me to take on whoever is coming at us, I need more than the two of us to run our organization.”
Everything he’s saying makes sense, but I still don’t like it.
“Now, I’ve got to get back to work. I informed my father’s Chief Financial Officer and Chief Technical Officer to work from their home offices for now, but we’ve got meetings booked for most of the day.”
That hurts my heart. His father hasn’t been dead for sixteen hours and Zane is stuck in meetings. “Are you up to speed on everything? Can I help?”
“I appreciate the offer, but Ginny will get me there. She’s forwarding my father’s emails and correspondence and will go over everything with me before I make any moves.”
Ginny has worked as Francesco’s executive assistant for over twenty years and has always presented an image of efficiency and control. Zane is in excellent hands.
“I’ll let you get back to it, then. I assume somewhere in this mansion there’s a coffeemaker?”
“It’s in the big room downstairs with all the shiny appliances.”
“I’m sure I’ll find it.”
When I turn to leave, he’s suddenly in front of me, his warm breath brushing over my cheek. “Scots, I broke your heart, and you have every right to hate me for it. But know that I would do it all differently if given the chance. I was a fucking coward, and you were and still are everything I ever wanted.”
Tears build and I blink to fight them back. “Zane, no. You don’t get to say that to me.”
He drops his forehead to mine. “I’ve needed to say it for years, but you wouldn’t let me. I love you, Scotland McCullough. Our souls have always been bound and I miss you and will earn back your trust and your love.”
My chest aches, all the betrayal and rejection of his words leaching out of the cracks in my heart. “You destroyed me, Zane. I’ll never be that girl again. She died that night on my birthday. Now, with what’s happening, I can’t think about that. I’ve lost too much.”
He grips my upper arms and presses his lips to my forehead. “We’ll get through this, Scots. Our fathers didn’t see it coming, but we know we’re in the crosshairs. We’ve always been an unbeatable team. We’ll figure this out and we’ll pick up the pieces, I swear it.”
Try as I might, the stinging behind my eyelids won’t stop. My grief runs in hot streams down my cheeks, and I swipe at them, furious that my emotions are breaking free.
Zane squeezes my arms, his hands strong and warm. Only, I don’t want his comfort. At least—I don’twantto want it—but I don’t have the strength to push him away. “I’ve lost two of the greatest men I know, and it’ll be my fault if they kill you, too.”
He eases back and drops his gaze to meet mine. “Killing me does them no good without the Diamond Dagger to claim the Toronto seat of power.”
I suck in an unsteady breath and stare at him from behind a wall of moisture. “And what if they find it?”
“They won’t. My father and I secured it together a couple of months ago. Only the two of us know where it is, for just this reason. There’s no way either of us would tell anyone. It’s the best insurance we had to stay alive.”
That makes sense and I feel a bit better.
He offers a warm smile. “Do you know why our fathers made such a good team?”
There are a hundred reasons, but thinking of the two of them, even in the abstract, makes me want to curl up in a ball and scream. So, instead of answering, I shrug.
“Because they were best friends, and they respected one another as partners in survival. My father was the king and Bran worked within his duties and desires to keep him safe. It was the two of them against the forces that came at them—and it worked.”
“Right until it didn’t.”
His expression falls. “They were betrayed, Scottie. It’s horrible and it shouldn’t have happened, but don’t peg us with the same fate. We’ve always been a force to be reckoned with. We’ll put together a list of suspects, figure out who’s behind this. Then we’ll raze these transitioned mutts and make sure no one ever thinks they can come at us again.”
I want that. I want that with everything in me. I just don’t see it happening that way. My heart is broken, my world is shattered, and the idea of depending on Zane Vasari for my survival seems like a recipe for destruction—my destruction.
