“No shit?” Jesus, whoever’s after her has no limit to what they’ll do.
“My apprentice just told me. Said that it’s all over the news, no one knows why or how, and everyone at the office is concerned because Grady never showed up today.”
Someone’s trying to make her surface. Someone wants her to lose her shit and show her face.
I drum my fingers on my knee. “Right. So your apartment’s been attacked. And Romeo just told me that your office was ransacked last night or early this morning. We have to go through security footage to figure out when.”
Her hand covers her mouth, and her eyes go wide.
“And now, the very same place you went to last night’s been attacked.”
She shakes her head wordlessly from side to side.
“Someone’s after me,” she whispers.
“Someone who isn’t afraid about who they take down in the pursuit.” I shake my head. “You’ll do what I fuckin’ say, Emma. If you’re gonna stay safe, we have to be seriously careful. We can’t screw around with this, doll. You get me?”
“I don’t want to leave,” she says, her voice tight. “No, Mario. I don’t want to go. Let me off of this plane. I can’t just run!”
She’s on her feet as the engine revs. I don’t argue with her or even think twice, just yank her wrist and pull her to sitting beside me. She stands again, and this time, I slam my palm across her ass three times, enough to make her gasp and spin around to look at me.
“Fucking sit, or I will remind you in no uncertain terms that you’re my prisoner and tie you down to take you out of here.” I look to the front of the jet, where the flight attendant stares with wide eyes. “Tell him to fucking go. Now.”
“Yes, sir. Yes, of course, sir.”
Emma fights me, but it’s easy enough to subdue her. I’m bigger and stronger than she is and have her belted in her seat in seconds.
“Sit the fuck down, Emma. You are not going anywhere.”
She balls her hands into fists and screams, enraged. “I never agreed to this.”
“No, you fucking didn’t, but you’ve also made your choices, doll,” I say in a tight voice, no glimmer of amusement or affection in my tone. It’s rare someone brings out my anger, but Emma does it in a heartbeat. “That was Romeo just now. He reminded me of the two choices you have. You want to know what they are?”
She shakes her head. “No.”
“You do.” I hold her shoulder and give her a firm shake. “You do.”
“Fine, then,” she spits out. “What?”
“You can go back to your old life. And face the consequences of betraying the family. Or you fake your death and join our ranks. Staying with us as Emma King does not work. When the people who are out to get you catch wind that you’re working with the Rossi family, all hell will break loose. We’ll start another damn war.”
“Fake my death?” Her voice wobbles. “Are you crazy?”
“Not crazy, doll,” I mutter under my breath, resigned. “Pragmatic as fuck.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Emma
I don’t know how I could have ever thought I was falling for him. That there was something between us. It doesn’t make any sense to me. I’m not sure how I could’ve ever been blinded enough not to see who he truly is: a narcissistic asshole hell-bent on charming the pants off anyone he can use. Manipulate.
At first, I’m stunned with the news. I don’t know what to think or feel. I’m someone who’s always valued my autonomy, prided myself on making my own decisions and taking care of my own shit. And now I feel like that’s all been taken away from me and I can’t help but blame Mario.
“If you’d only kept your damn hands to yourself…” My voice trails off and cracks at the end.
“I couldn’t do that,” he says, “and you need to know that. Now that we’re a thing. Now that you and I are together… You need to understand that this doesn’t change. It’s in my blood to protect you. If any man whispered a word against you or dishonored you in any way, I would cut out his tongue,” he says in a low snarl. This is a side of Mario I’ve only rarely seen. “If any man ever touched you, he would lose a hand. And if anyone tried to hurt you…” His voice trails off. We both know how he’d finish that statement.
He swallows hard, and his voice shakes with barely contained rage as he continues. “The men in my family don’t love for fun, Emma.”
What?
I blink at him in surprise. I can hardly believe he’s using the word love. It would be a lie to say that it doesn’t… excite me, that it doesn’t make hope bloom in my heart like the first bulb in early spring. I’ve convinced myself for years that I would never mean anything to anyone, because I would never be able to allow myself to become vulnerable. To allow myself to be loved. And now, here I am, with a man professing… I don’t know what to me… But someone who’s actually willing to make me an irrevocable part of his life.