Paolo met my gaze, his nostrils flaring. He didn’t reply, knowing it was futile to argue. The man whimpered, slumping in the chair. His hands were purple where I’d tied them together. The only sound was my rough sigh.
Paolo didn’t say a damn thing.
“They all lied. But you? You know who he is. Out of every lead I’ve chased down, you are the only person I can confirm that he’s dealt with directly. I need to know who he is. Tell me.” My exhale burned my throat, hot and harsh. As if I was breathing out actual steam.
Paolo’s eyes drifted over my shoulder. He still had his hands held up, placating me.
“Romeo. Trust me when I say you don’t want to do this. I can try to convince them again, see if they will get you what you need.”
“It’s too late for that.” I laughed, my insides clenched. “Before, I would have accepted it, but now he’s insulted me. Not only does he covet my wife, but he won’t work with me. Why would I trust a man like that?”
Frustration rode me. It had been building for months ever since Bruno came to me with evidence of Lanton Vani’s dark history and plans. The meeting with my father had only exacerbated it. He didn’t care what Lanton did, what he wanted to do to my legacy. He welcomed it.
“Romeo?” Paolo repeated, looking at me with wide eyes. I shook off the pinching grip of my rising rage and tried to focus.
“Tell me who he is,” I demanded.
Paolo shook his head. His hands clenched into fists by his side, but he made no move to use them.
“I can’t,” he exhaled, shoulders slumping. “They’re more vengeful than you, Romeo. If I tell you who they are, I’m finished. If I don’t, I’m dead. At least I hope you’ll make it quick.”
His resignation made fury bubble inside me. My fingers itched to close around his neck. Paolo thought I’d make his death quick. He didn’t know how brutal I could be.
Paolo.
My father.
My wife. They all thought I was soft. But I was close to snapping and whoever was in my path was going to find themselves savaged.
“What does he want with my wife?” I tried a different path. Paolo was staring at the blood that seeped over the floor. It looked black as it melded with the blood of the man’s companions.
“Anita is different. There’s only been one man she ever seemed interested in,” his deep sigh echoed in the harsh, cold room. A shiver froze my spine with its icy touch.
“Who? He’s about to end up in the pen.” I ground my teeth and kicked the blood-stained leg of the metal chair. Paolo shot me a look of disbelief.
“No disrespect intended, but you are dense. I’m talking about you. I knew you two would suit each other, but she’s hard to pry away from her…hobbies.”
“Her hobbies.” I paced the room, imagining the greenhouse and its methodical, organized rows of plants. So many types that I had never seen before.
Plants.
But that wasn’t all, was it? I leaned against the wall, struggling to breathe for a moment. She’d been loading that cursed tea into a box. My vision turned to pinpricks, and a whooshing sound stole every other noise. I hadn’t questioned it at the time, too intent on hunting my wife.
It couldn’t be.
I spread my fingers against the cold concrete wall, trying to anchor myself. The cold bled through me and my racing heart slowed. The nausea hogging my stomach threatened to launch up my throat.
“Why did you think we’d suit each other?” I forced the words out of my thick throat. Oppressive silence blanketed us until I whirled around and glared at Paolo.
“Why?” I shouted.
Paolo tipped his head to the ceiling, perhaps praying to god to save him. But there was no holy spirit in this room, only me, my weapons, and my rage. That was the only trinity he should be concerned about. If there was someone he needed to get on his knees for, it would be me.
“She deserved someone who was a real man,” he said, and I saw through his blatant effort to stroke my ego. It would have worked many months ago when I still thought Anita was shy, sweet, and innocent. Yes, she needed a man to stand in front of her as a shield. A man to build a castle around her body and protect her. I would have puffed my chest out, sure in the knowledge I could do that for her.
But Anita didn’t need any man.
The vision of her fingers between her legs flashed into my mind. She didn’t need anyone at all. She was a magnificent, strong creature, all in her own right. It had taken me too long to see what was right in front of me. My upbringing had made all the inconsistencies invisible.
