“Matteo tried to marry me off and threatened to kill Zane if I didn’t do his bidding. I’m all for taking him down as fast as possible.”
“Good, because we might need your help—”
“Whoa, whoa,” Zane interjects. “You are not involving her in this! This was not part of the agreement. I told you I would help, but we never talked about her.”
“I won’t force her if she doesn’t want to. I’m simply offering her the chance to help.”
“She declines,” Zane growls without even asking for my opinion. “She doesn’t belong here in this world, and she’s definitely not going anywhere near Matteo again.”
“Let me ask you a question,” Xander says cunningly, a sinister smile spreading out across his face. “What exactly happened to Alberto? How did you escape Matteo?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Zane snaps, and I just now realize that he hasn’t asked yet and that I haven’t told anyone either. Does Zane know I killed him? Does Xander suspect it? He must, he wouldn’t have said anything, otherwise.
“You’ve been awfully quiet, Dove,” Damon says. Speaking for the first time, a hint of amusement in his voice now. He looks identical to Xander but maybe a bit younger, and just a tiny bit less scarry.
“I… I killed Alberto,” I blurt out. All eyes fall on me. Xander and Damon seem prideful, while Zane is shocked, his mouth hanging open.
“You killed him?” I watch his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows.
Something in my chest swells. “Yes. I found him in my room during the engagement party, he wanted sex, I didn’t. So, I slit his throat before stealing his car keys and making my escape to the apartment. I waited a little while, stole his keys, and escaped and went to my apartment.” A tinge of guilt echoes through me. “I’m sorry, I didn’t tell you. You never asked, and well, we never got the chance to talk about it.”
“See, she’s not as weak as she seems.” Xander pins Zane with a glare, crossing his arms over his chest. “In fact, she’s more of a Rossi than I expected her to be.”
For some stupid reason, I smile.
“That doesn’t mean she is going to run headfirst into danger right after I get her out of the crossfires,” Zane yells. “You are not forcing her into this like Matteo did.”
Xander’s gaze turns murderous, and his hands curl into tight fists on the table. “Don’t compare me to him,” he says in a tone that has the small hairs on my neck standing on end. “I already told you, it’s her choice.” He turns to me. “If you want to leave, you are more than welcome to walk away right now. I won’t hold it against you, and if you ever need anything, I will be here for you. I am simply giving you the opportunity to help.”
“I’ll help; however, I can. If you need me to do something, I will. I’m not afraid.”
“The hell you will.” Zane slams his fist down on the table, making the glasses jump.
“If she wants to help, then she can. We wouldn’t let anything happen to her. I get your concern, but she escaped without you, she can handle this.” Damon says this time, and I know even without looking at Zane that he’s pissed, a vibrating wall of rage. I understand his fear, his anger, but I don’t want to be seen as a delicate little flower. I saved myself once, and I’ll do it again, except this time, I’ll have an army of men beside me.
“What’s the plan?” Ivan questions his eyes on Xander.
Xander rubs at his chin. “We use Dove to draw him out. Make him think that she’s coming back to him, or better yet, put her out in the open. Make him think that she’s unprotected. Then before he gets her, we end him.”
“Basically, we just fool him,” Ivan says.
“Basically,” Damon replies. “It’s really simple and safe, and nothing will happen to Dove. She is family, our sister. That fucker won’t get his hands on her again.” Damon’s words are directed at Zane, who is still silently sulking beside me.
“When are we going to do this?” I ask.
“Tomorrow. That’ll give us time to come up with a detailed plan. I have a few men tailing him now. We’ll place Dove somewhere he can find her and pull her out before anything happens.” Xander smiles and slaps a hand on the table. Ivan grunts, Damon nods, and Zane grabs my hand and pushes away from the table.
He practically drags me back up to our room. The door slams shut behind us, and Zane twists around and punches the heavy wood.
“What the fuck happened to you wanting a normal life? He gave you a way out! All you had to do was tell him, no, and we could be on our fucking way out of here. We could leave this all behind us. Ride off into the sunset, happy and together.” Pausing for a moment, he shakes his head before muttering, “What were you thinking?”