When I didn’t say anything, Crow spoke again. “Tell me something about yourself.”
“I’m not very interesting.” I wasn’t trying to be difficult, but that was the truth.
“I never assumed you were.” A slight smile moved onto his lips, telling me he was joking. “Tell me anything about yourself.”
I couldn’t believe I was sitting across from Crow Barsetti in a bar in Florence, having a casual conversation like friendly acquaintances. This man had been my father’s enemy for decades, and he was the reason I was orphaned before I was even ten years old. Now, I was in love with his daughter, forging a strange bond between us because we loved the same woman. “I’m not much of a talker.”
“Neither am I.”
“Then this should be fun…” I looked away, a sigh escaping my lips.
He drank from his glass, still looking at me. “Come on, meet me halfway.”
When I chuckled, it was full of anger. “I tried to meet you halfway once before…”
“You’ve proven you’re the bigger man. So do it again.”
I wasn’t used to this kind of flattery from anyone but Vanessa.
“Alright.” He swirled his scotch like it was wine. “I’ll go first.” He cleared his throat. “When that thug had his gun pointed at me, I was scared. I’ve had a gun pointed between my eyes like that many times, but it was always without a hint of fear.”
“You didn’t look scared to me.”
“I’m the best bluffer I know.”
“Why were you scared that time but not the others?” Now that we were talking about something interesting, I stopped focusing on the awkward situation that existed from the two of us being together.
“Because every other time I’ve been held at gunpoint, my family has been safe. One time, I was being tortured in a warehouse because this asshole wanted my wife. He demanded that I give up her location. She was pregnant with Conway at the time. Of course, he was wasting his time.” He shifted his gaze out the window, the memory dancing across his eyes. “He cocked the gun and prepared to pull the trigger. But I didn’t care…because my wife and son were safe. In Milan, that wasn’t the case. I did the best I could to save my son. I thought I could blow out the engine so Conway could run, but that didn’t happen. I fell to the ground, a failure. And that was why I was scared…because my son wasn’t safe.”
I held my glass but kept my eyes on him, seeing the picture he painted with his words. I remembered seeing him on the ground, staring down the barrel of the gun. He took his death with dignity, not giving his executioner any power over him. I’d killed a lot of men, and most of them went out like a pussy. They pretended to be brave until things got real, until they were held at gunpoint. Then they pissed themselves. Shit themselves. Begged for their lives. Crow Barsetti didn’t do that. He was a strong man, and it didn’t surprise me that he raised such a strong daughter.
When I didn’t speak, Crow kept talking. “I raised my son to be the strongest man he could possibly be, and I think I succeeded. But he was ambushed without any warning, and there was nothing he could do but hope that someone would rescue him. I won’t be around forever. I won’t always be there to save him. Sapphire won’t be able to protect him because she takes care of him in other ways. But you will be there…and that brings me peace. Before I knew you were dating my daughter, I told her I wanted her to marry a powerful man. It didn’t matter if he was rich because money can cause more problems than it solves sometimes. I’m not clueless to my daughter’s special qualities, and I can confidently say she can have any man she wants…and she’s chosen you. All I wanted was someone who could protect her when I’m gone. You fit the bill perfectly.” He took another drink, handling his liquor just as well as I did even though I was thirty years younger than him.
“No one will ever bother her as long as I live.” I said it with complete confidence, meaning every single word. A man would never get within ten feet of her without being chased off. I would be the guard dog by her side. All I would do was growl, and men would shit themselves.
He gave a slight nod. “I believe you. That’s all Pearl and I want.”
“Well, you’re getting your wish.”
He gave another slight nod. “Does that mean you’ll be quitting the business?”
“Are you going to point a gun at my head if I say no?” Our conversation was going well, but I couldn’t restrain myself from these vicious comments. For the past eight months, this man had dictated my life completely. My relationship with Vanessa revolved around him like he was the damn sun. He bossed me around and laid down all the rules.