“Whiskey,” I croak, hating that my voice sounds like shit when I want to sound strong.
“Good choice. Three whiskeys, darling,” he says in the woman’s direction.
She nods and smiles at me then wanders away.
He watches her go, the filthy bugger’s eyes watching her every step, before he turns his attention to me. His steely eyes rake over me, his lips forming a thin line that twists up ever so slightly in a way that makes me cringe. “I can see why they’re obsessed with you; you’re a very beautiful girl. Good genetics, porcelain skin, hair like silk, eyes that captivate. You would look good at their side.”
I don’t say anything back. I can’t. What do you say to the man who killed your mother? My hand curls around my knife, grasping it so damn tightly, and a visual of me leaping across the table and finally taking care of this fucker once and for allsprings to mind. I could do it. I would be shot by his guards almost instantly, but if I killed him first, it would be worth it.
But Romeo’s words from earlier echo in my head.He dies, we’re all fucked.I don’t know what it means, but I could hear the truth in his voice, and I wouldn’t want any of them to be hurt because of me. I know there is more to this situation, or the two of them wouldn’t be complying with him either. At least I don’t think they would be. Could I have gotten them so wrong? They do have Moretti blood running through their veins, and the man who just strangled the air right out of my lungs isn’t anyone I know.
I glance over my shoulder and out the window to find Reef, Romeo, and Onyx all huddled together in deep conversation. And I know without a shadow of a doubt, they hate this vile human sitting across from me. I can see the pain etched into Romeo’s face, the fear in Reef’s eyes, and the detestation coursing through Onyx’s tense body.
Orlando slides into the seat beside me, his posture stiff. His face is a cold mask that I can’t make sense of. Bruises mark his skin, a black eye, what looks like a broken nose, and a fresh cut along his cheekbone. His eyes are sunken, and he looks like he hasn’t slept since he left this place. His dark suit, though, is impeccable and fits him to perfection, making him look every bit the son of a don. It’s an unsettling sight when I know how hard he fought to hide away from this life. When I see him like this, I can see he was made for it. This life fits him like a glove.
His papa gives a small, almost imperceptible nod of acknowledgment to his son as our drinks arrive. I glance down into the glass. I would kill for a drink right now, but who knows what’s been put in this. That pretty little server who’s working for him could have spiked it. Easy way to rid him of me.
Orlando collects his glass and throws back the amber liquid, then slams his glass back on the table and motions for her to top it up again.
Emilio sips at his drink slowly, and his eyes find me again, their intensity making my heart race. He scans my face, lingering on each feature for way longer than he should, as a slow smile stretches across his lips. “Those eyes. It’s like looking at your mother. Takes me back years.”
Goosebumps erupt over my skin. I suck in a sharp breath, my fists clenched tight at my sides, knuckles white. Ready for a fight. How fucking dare he talk about her.
Emilio lets out a chuckle that says more than any words could. He’s a sick son of a bitch. “She was so convinced she would never have a little girl. For years I think the fear stopped her from even conceiving. But I kept my eyes on your family, knowing that it was only a matter of time before I got what I was owed. Then you arrived, and your poor mother knew you would never really be one of them, a Kingsley, because from the moment you were born you belonged to us. To my son. To the Morettis.” He sucks in a breath, and it’s then I hear the wheeze in his chest. Maybe he is sick like the boys said, but to look at you can’t tell. “Your father was a very smart man, but he thought he was above our organization. That his precious little daughter was too good for my son. He learned the hard way that I have control over it all.” His cruel chuckle is deep and vibrates through the cabin in a way that makes my skin crawl and hate seep deeper into my veins.
I’m going to make this man pay, I don’t fucking know how, but as I sit here across from him, I know it.
“Your mother knew how dangerous I really was, that’s why she got you out of there. Growing up in that seedy club is better than the fate that was promised to you. Or maybe she didn’t know what Katrina Stryker was involved in when she gave you away.”He tilts his head to the side as if he’s trying to get a reaction out of me, like he wants to see my pain.
But I won’t show him any of it. I keep staring at him, my face a mask of deadly seriousness, my eyes narrowed, and lips pressed into a thin line.
“We will never know. Not even Syd realized who you were until I came for you that night. He signed you over to us so fucking fast, he thought it would save her. But Katrina had sealed her fate the day she agreed to take you as her own.”
Adrenaline surges through me. I try to control my breathing, but it’s no use. My body moves without me controlling it, and I fly across the table at him, my knife out, ready to inflict whatever damage I can.
Too quick for my clumsy attempt, Orlando’s hand shoots out, flinging the knife into the far corner of the room. With iron strength, he forces me back into my seat as I struggle against him. I feel the full force of his weight, and his eyes are locked on mine, burning with rage, his breath a harsh, uncontrolled torrent.
I buck against him. “Let me fucking go, asshole,” I spit back at him like a fucking crazy person, but that’s what he’s reduced me to.
Emilio clears his throat and straightens his tie. His bodyguards move in beside him, looking deadly with their hands already on their guns.
Orlando pins my hands to the table and glares back at me, his nostrils flaring. He cracks his neck right as his dark eyes meet mine in a way that makes me go all cold and clammy. “That wasn’t very smart, treasure. Do anything like that again and I will have to restrain you properly.”
Panicked breaths try to escape my lungs as I stare back at him. “Fuck you,” I seethe bitterly, but it comes out as a whisper. The two of us stare back at each other for what feels like forever, somuch anger and confusion swirling through the air between us. I thought I knew him, thought I had fallen for him. Am I really so damn naive when it comes to men, that I will just give my trust and my heart away to anyone with a handsome face and a few pretty words?
“Can I trust you to finish the rest of this meeting unrestrained?” Orlando’s voice is a low growl, but his eyes plead with me to comply, something flashing in them I don’t understand. Why is he treating me like this, forcing me to face this awful man? He should be helping me to take him out. If not for me, for himself, for the years of suffering he underwent as his son.
I suck in a shaky breath, nodding my agreement not to lose it again. I know I have to get this over and done with, and the last thing I want is to be in handcuffs again. I need to know what they really want with me, no matter how bad it is.
Cautiously Orlando loosens his grip on me. “Good girl,” he compliments me. But he shouldn’t be. Right now I’m feeling crazy, and there is no fucking telling what I’m about to do. Just because I’m agreeing doesn’t mean I won’t try it again.
Under the table, I rub my wrists where he had me held so tightly, searching the floor for my knife. I didn’t think he would ever intentionally hurt me again, but I was so fucking wrong.
“Go on, Papa,” he says to his father, the man he’s supposed to hate, but his voice is robotic, and I have to wonder if I’m missing something.
I stare back at the vile man sitting across from me. I want to fucking hurt him. I want him to suffer like my poor mother and birth parents suffered at his hands. My eyes narrow to slits as I imagine the horrors I could inflict on him. That Iwillinflict on him as soon as I have a chance.
He tilts his head, watching me. “What is it, girl? Is there a thank you for me?”
