I’ve been expressly forbidden from accessing that particular floor. Uncle Marco’s orders are not questioned, and me being as new as I am to my position, the last person I want to piss off is my uncle.
Now that I’m suspicious about what the real family business might be, questioning anything is downright dangerous.
Lethal comes to mind.
“Ever think to call the cops?” Hollywood leans in, closing the distance between us.
The Chief of Police was recently at a meeting hosted by Marco at the Belvedere. I may be slow at putting two and two together, but I’m not stupid.
My entire life is a sham. I thought my family was in the hotel business. My eyes and ears are open now. The truths I’ve discovered are uncomfortable and dangerous.
I’m part of a crime family, a stooge who until very recently was completely and totally oblivious about everything.
I hate that the most.
The people, who are supposed to love me, kept me in the dark my entire life. They lied to me, and I don’t know what to do about it.
I’ve never felt this lost in my life, and the one person I can talk to about everything is missing. I lift up a silent prayer; please keep Sybil safe.
I straighten my spine and firm my chin. I’m ready to go to war to save Sybil. I don’t care who’s responsible for her disappearance. I don’t care what these people think about me. None of it matters. I need allies, but I don’t know if I’m with friend or foe.
What matters is Sybil, and I’ll move Heaven and Earth to rescue her.
11
LIAM
The raven-haired beauty with sapphire eyes is something else. Tough as nails and fucking fierce, she grabs a man’s attention and holds it tight.
But she’s a Rossi, and the Rossi’s are as dirty as they come.
In other words, she’s dangerous, but she’s also afraid. Her voice trembles, revealing her fear.
I should keep my trap shut, but there’s something about her that makes my blood boil. Maybe it’s her zero fucks attitude? Or her unbridled tenacity to find her friend. Her animosity for all of us thickens the air.
She’s fierce, fragile, and phenomenal.
“The cops?” Her caustic laugh is not what I expect.
“Yeah, princess. The cops.” I can’t help but push. “That’s what you do when you see something illegal.”
Her gaze drops to the floorboard, where it settles. I get it. She’s unwilling to spew her filth to my face.
Typical.
But then her huge, expressive eyes lift, challenging me. Her raven-black hair tangles around her shoulders and falls down her back in gentle waves. Strands of hair fan across her face, caught in those long, thick lashes of hers which sweep across her sculpted cheeks.
Her fingers curl, balling her tiny hands into vibrating fists, and fury builds in her gaze.
“Most of them are bought and paid for, so no, I didn’t go to the cops.”
Her outrage explodes, making me suck in a breath. I stagger with the betrayal swirling in her eyes. That’s honest pain, unable to be faked.
Who hurt this woman?
“You should’ve done something.” I should back down, but I don’t.
The woman is a Rossi. Despite her pain, she doesn’t get my compassion.
She flinches with the way I sling my words at her, using them as weapons. Her shoulders slump as if physically wounded, and her knees pull up to her chest. She wraps her arms around her shins, seeking solace in her own embrace.
“You have no idea what it means to live in my world.” Her eyes shimmer in the dimly lit interior of the van. “Take your judgment and shove it up your ass.” Her words bite and sting.
Wolfe clears his throat. “We have a problem.” When Maria looks up, he points at her. “You need to fix it.”
“Me?” Maria’s eyes widen. “I’m not the one stealing women.”
“We’re not stealing them either, princess.” I lean in, knowing my size will intimidate her, but she holds her own, staring me down like a fighter. “We’re rescuing them.”
“The men following you, are they your security detail?” Wolfe rolls right over me.
“That’s funny.” Her caustic laugh returns, but there’s pain rimming her eyes. “They’re unwanted protection.”
“That’s one and the same, sweetheart.” I rub at my neck where she karate chopped me and refrain from cupping my balls. They pulse with residual pain, the kind that twists my insides.
“It’s totally different.” Maria crosses her arms, defiant and holding up rather well, considering we basically kidnapped her.
Not our best moment, but there wasn’t time to have a sit-down and chat with armed security barreling down on us. The worst possible outcome would’ve been a firefight in the middle of Mitzy’s flash mob.
I say we basically kidnapped her, but I’m the one who dragged her into the van. Circumstances dictated what happened next.
“Doesn’t matter. From their viewpoint, it looks like we abducted you.” Wolfe leans back, dark eyes simmering with irritation. “We don’t need that kind of heat breathing down our necks, especially from the Rossi’s.”
“What are you going to do? Pump me full of lead and drop my body in a dark alley?” Maria responds with a flippant retort.
Damn if her ire and spite aren’t sexy.
As for the rest of her, she’s smokin’ hot.
I’d do her in a heartbeat.
“We could dump her on the street.” I offer an obvious solution.
Wolfe gives me the eye. It’s a really bad idea, especially considering the neighborhood we’re driving through.
“We’re not dumping her on the street.” CJ, who’s been quiet up to now in the passenger seat, takes command.
“Then what are you going to do with me?” She cowers on the floor, tugging her arms and legs close, making herself as small as possible.
It kind of makes me feel like a jerk, intimidating her. In general, I’m chivalrous when it comes to women. I adore the fairer sex and put them on a pedestal. I don’t generally threaten them and make them feel like shit.
“We’re taking you with us.” CJ gives me, Wolfe, and Maria the same hard look. It says to shut up and deal with it. His word is final.
But bringing Maria back to Rose Manor, temporary headquarters for the Guardians while we’re in New Orleans, is crazy. He’s basically inviting the enemy into our home base.
“Liam, bind her hands and put a blindfold on her.” CJ issues orders, and I follow them.
“Give me your hands.” I grab a few zip ties and point at her hands.
“No.” Maria sniffs with indignation.
“Look, princess, CJ says you’re getting hooded and bound. Don’t make me gag you, too.”
“You’d just love that, wouldn’t you?” She’s got spunk, and I love every bit of it.
“You don’t want to know what I love, princess.” I gesture again at her hands. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
“There’s no way in hell you’re touching me.” Maria glares at CJ.
It’s the perfect distraction. I launch at Maria, spinning her around in a flash. Facedown, cheek pressed to the floorboard, I yank first one hand, and then the other, behind her back.