Great.
“We need to talk,” I tell him, ushering Sierra to the couch across from where Saverio is sitting. I push her down, clamping my arm around her shoulders to keep her in place. “Sierra is my fiancée,” I explain, placing my hand over her lips when she opens her mouth to disagree. “And she lives here now with our five-year-old son.”
Shock splays across his face. “You have a son?” He looks between her and me before emitting a bellowing laugh. “Vegas!” He slaps a hand on his thigh, chuckling. “You conceived in Vegas, and I caught the moment on tape.”
I make a mental note to come back to that as Sierra sends daggers in Salerno’s direction at the reminder.
“That’s not important right now. What is important is that your daughter is running around my property spewing filthy lies when I specifically told you to keep her indoors.”
“Ah. I see.” He grins, and I want to riddle his face with bullets.
I remove my hand from Sierra’s face, pinning her with a cautionary look. “This is no laughing matter, Saverio. Please explain why your daughter is saying she is my fiancée when we both know that is not true.”
He leans forward, clasping his hands on his knees. The overhead light shines directly on his scarred, pockmarked face, and Sierra flinches against me. I squeeze her tightly, reassuring her she is safe. “You are aware, Ms. Lawson, that Ben owed me a favor from that night.”
She nods tersely.
“I had been proposing a marriage agreement between Anais and Bennett for some time before that night. Angelo was open to discussing it, but it was clear Ben wasn’t interested, and he’s not like most made men. I knew he wouldn’t be forced into it, so I was prepared to let it drop. Then you entered the mix, and things got interesting.” He leers at her, letting his gaze drag down her body, and I see red.
“Show my future wife some respect, or you and I have a big problem, Saverio,” I bark.
He holds up his hands. “I apologize. I mean no disrespect. You are a lucky man, Ben. She is even more exquisite than I remember.”
“And you’re even more of a disgusting pig than I remember,” Sierra unhelpfully supplies.
All hint of humor fades from his face, and this is going downhill fast. “Sierra means no disrespect,” I say, clasping my hand over her mouth again. “But she is understandably upset and angry. Anais had no right to say the things she said.”
“She didn’t, and I will have words with her,” he agrees, and some of the tension leaves my body.
“Why does she believe she is going to marry Ben?” Sierra asks, folding her arms and leveling a dark glare in Salerno’s direction.
“That is my fault. I had intended on using the favor I was owed to marry her to Ben, but I was holding back until Anais came of age. I was certain once he took one look at her, his reservations would fade away and he would be happy to agree to it.”
I fix him with a sharp look. “No offense intended, but your daughter pales into insignificance next to my Firefly.” I want to add that Anais is fucking ugly on the inside, but insulting the man while he’s still living in my home—a home where my son lives—is not wise. Saverio has killed men for less. “Sierra is the only woman I have ever loved. The only woman I would ever marry.” I risk pressing my lips to her temple, and I feel her relax a smidgeon against me.
“I will ensure Anais is aware of that.” It’s obvious now that Salerno hadn’t set her straight when they moved here. He was still clinging to the hope I would fall at her feet and agree to marry her, even though he has already called in his favor. I don’t blame him for holding out hope, even if it was futile. His empire has collapsed, and while The Commission is planning a counterattack to regain control of Vegas, a suitable marriage arrangement would go a long way toward restoring his reputation.
“See that she does,” Sierra says. “Because I won’t tolerate being spoken to like that in my own home.”
I inwardly breathe a sigh of relief at her words. I’m sure I’ll be in the doghouse for a while, but no permanent damage has been inflicted. I will grovel, as needed, until she forgives me.
“I’m sorry for any pain it might have caused you,” he says, and I can tell Sierra is surprised at his response. Salerno isn’t always a murdering sleazebag. He shows glimmers of humanity from time to time.
Saverio was shocked to see how ill Angelo is. I’ve managed to successfully hide that intel from most people. The Commission is aware of his condition, and I’m sure most of the other families suspect, because he hasn’t been seen in public for over a year, but I trust Salerno to keep the secret. He knows I have gone above and beyond our favor to help him in his time of need, and I know he won’t forget that in a hurry.
His daughter is another matter entirely. I don’t trust Anais, and she needs to be dealt with. “I want to find out how Anais knew about Sierra.”
He nods. “Agreed, but I suggest I talk to her alone. She will be more pliable without an audience.”
I don’t argue because I’m not sure I won’t strangle the bitch if I’m in the same room as her right now. “I want that to happen tonight, and I want answers.”
“You will get them,” he assures me, so I move on to the next important topic.
“About that tape,” I say before we conclude our conversation. “I would like it back.”
He frowns. “You don’t already have it?” His gaze swings to Sierra. “I thought Tony was your bodyguard?”
“Tony?” Disbelief laces Sierra’s tone as she sits upright. “What has this got to do with my old bodyguard?”
His features soften a little, and I instinctively pull Sierra closer. “He showed up a few months after that night, demanding we hand over the tape. I threw him out, but he broke into my office a few nights later and stole it, along with my laptop. He hacked into our system and wiped all traces of the video from our servers. I assumed he had sent it to you.”
Sierra flops back on the couch, looking at me with shell-shocked eyes. “I told him everything when I discovered I was pregnant, but I had no idea he would go to Vegas to retrieve the video.” She worries her teeth between her lower lip, and concern fills her face. “I wonder why he never sent it to me or why he never made contact with me again?”
I have a fairly good idea why, and as my eyes meet Salerno’s knowing gaze, I see the truth.
“He probably destroyed all the evidence rather than risk having it fall into the wrong hands,” Saverio says, confirming they didn’t find it when they caught up to him.
Maybe I should say something, but the knowledge that Tony is dead, at Salerno’s hand, will not keep the peace, and it will only hurt Sierra. Maybe I’m wrong to let her believe Tony is out there somewhere living a full life, but I don’t see how revealing the truth benefits anyone.
Tony died protecting Sierra’s honor, and I owe him a debt I can never repay.
But I can do this for him.
I can let him live on in Sierra’s memory instead of admitting the truth and watching her blame herself for his actions. I didn’t know the man, but I heard enough to know he was a decent, honorable, loyal man, and he wouldn’t want Sierra knowing the truth.