“We were discussing business, Mrs. King,” Isabella immediately snaps.
“Oh,” Stella says. He sees her hand tighten on the decanter of juice she’s holding. “Well, great minds think better with refreshments.”
Isabella loudly scoffs not even trying to hide her disdain.
And what the fuck is up with Stella? Why is she playing the weak little housewife? She’s normally full of comebacks and cutdowns. God, he hopes with every bone in his body that she doesn’t feel so much guilt for her mistake that she’s willing to bow down to the likes of Isabella.
But Stella doesn’t crack. She hands Isabella the glass of juice with a smile.
“I’ll leave you all to your business then.”
It fucking breaks his resolve. Stella trusted them. She’s trusting them now and she’s been berated in her own home by this fucking bitch.
“Get the fuck out,” Derrick tells the siblings in his lowest voice.
Cristian still hasn’t even said anything about this business. He’s too busy with the brandy.
“We stand behind our decision. You have NO control over our business. You do NOT get to use our resources to grow yours!” Derrick reiterates the obvious.
Rory steps away from the front of the door, scowling at the siblings to let them know that it’s time for them to leave.
Isabella sets her glass down and reaches for her large handbag. She pulls out a yellow envelope and heads over to the desk.
“Here are the details about the shipment,” she says, throwing the envelope onto the desk. “We’re not asking,” she says as calm and as cool as ice. “Need I remind you that my uncle knows about this deal and is expecting to see the results. And if he knows, then I’m sure as head of the East Coast Famiglias, Don Mazzilli must know as well.”
She tosses her long, shiny hair back before waltzing over to him like she’s strolling in Soho. On a stretch, she tries to touch her lips to his. He turns his head again, jerking his head back and out of her reach altogether.
“I can still smell her on you,” she whispers for his ears only.
With those parting words, he’s jaw-dropped as she struts out like a cock that’s won the main fight. Cristian doesn’t even give a cordial parting as he hurriedly follows his sister. He saw the cheap asshole with a fancy bottle in his hand too.
I can smell her on you.
He remembers those words now. The first time she said it was that night. Is this her showing her green-eyed monster? Or was she specifically referring to Ariana?
“Glad I missed that shit show,” Chase says as he walks in. “Sorry, I wasn’t here. I don’t think I would have been able to hold my trigger finger at bay in their presence. Fucking snobs.”
“So are you two going to spill what the fuck is going on?” Rory asks, looking back and forth between him and Derrick.
“We’re not letting them run our business,” he replies.
“That’s not what I’m talking about!” Rory retorts. “Something happened. Otherwise, they wouldn’t walk in here thinking they have the upper hand like THAT!” he says, gesturing toward the door.
“We don’t deal people. This is something that we have always stood by,” he tells his brother, ignoring what Rory is truly asking.
“Then we know for sure that’s what they want?” Chase asks this time.
“Pretty sure because they want safe passage through Gaston’s western borders,” Derrick replies, not looking at either of their younger brothers. “She’s hanging Matteo and Don Mazzilli over us right now.”
“Well, do those two know what the shipment is?” Chase asks again.
“We can give them passage,” Stella says as she steps into the office.
Ariana trails in behind her. Her long beautiful hair in a tight ponytail, showing off her beautiful features and round eyes.
“I can talk to Ben and make the arrangements,” Stella tells everyone.
“What? No! They don’t get to dictate our business,” Derrick immediately replies.
“I agree with him, Stella. It’s a hard no. And what’s with you and Isabella? This is YOUR home. She does NOT and will not come here and make you feel anything less than a King.”
“Adam, you should know me better than that. Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies even closer. I’m not going to play my hand unless I have to. Let her keep thinking I’m the harmless Mrs. King. It hurts no one but herself.”
Good fucking plan! Bravo sister-in-law!
“Okay. Guys…back on track here?” Chase prods.
“I’ll talk to Ben about letting them get their shipment through his border,” Stella says again.
“You want to help her?” Chase asks incredulously.
“No,” Rory answers this time. “If we know where it’s coming through then we know how and when to intercept it.”
Stella nods at Rory.
“If it’s anything other than people then we can let it get through. If it’s people being trafficked then we take the shipment.”
“It’s solid,” he says. He had to give it to Stella. She’s still got it in her.
She reaches for the envelope on top of the desk.
“I’ll go through this and go over the information with Ben when he calls me tonight. You guys need to figure out what to do IF the shipment is indeed people. We need to figure out what to do with those people, what to replace the cargo with, and what to tell the Romanos as well.”
She’s done most of the leg work. The least he can do is use his almighty powerfully useless brain to finish the game plan.
He heads to the office desk with Derrick close behind him. Rory and Chase meet them there too.
Annndddd….shit hits the fan.
His stomach sinks the moment he hears his angel gasp. It’s a guttural gasp. One different from any other of her sounds that he’s heard.
Ariana’s eyes widen at the printout in her hand, her other hand covers her mouth even as the tears spill over the brim of her lashes.
“Ari,” he begins to say, except nothing else follows.
Looking at the size of the printouts shaking in her hand, he can only assume they are photos. The kind that can destroy a man’s life. Two men’s lives in this case. Maybe even more than that.
This was never about their business or any fucking shipments needing passage. Isabella could give a fuck about business. I can still smell her on you. Her words echo. This is Isabella’s fucking game and they’ve just become pawns on the board.
“What the fuck is this?” he hears Stella fuming from behind him.
The coward in him is too scared to turn around even when the life of his beloved brother is about shattering. And he knows…it’s about to shatter.
“Derrick?” Stella asks.
He’s torn in two. Between fixing his brother’s problem and Ariana, his mind chooses her. He can’t turn his attention away from her.
She hasn’t spoken a word. Hurt is written so boldly on her beautiful face. They’d just come to an understanding. They were just starting to begin the next step forward. She was starting to trust him and he…he’s starting to believe that he can have what he didn’t know he was searching for…that he can have…her.