Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 65433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 262(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 262(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
“I don’t think he dreamt of going in a fucking box. What did you sign exactly? We can get you out of it, get the marriage annulled. They’re holding you against your will. It’s not the fucking dark ages, for fuck’s sake.”
“I don’t care about the money.”
His eyebrows disappear into his receding hairline. Dad had a full head of hair. He clearly did not pass that gene down to my bother.
“You’d better learn to care if you’d like to see Emma again. I’m taking guardianship of her.”
“You’re not. You can’t. You’re not even blood.”
“Ah! Your eyes are opening. Finally. Your mother was unfaithful, Vittoria.” He spits the word unfaithful. “And she was punished.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m trying to help you.”
“This is you helping me?”
“Were you in on the kidnapping? There is video footage. In fact, that one there”—he gestures beyond the glass wall—“will be arrested…” He pauses, checks his watch. “In about three minutes.”
“What?” Panic has me turning to look at Bastian and Amadeo, who, although in conversation with Bruno, are watching us intently.
He grins, cocks his head, and looks me over as if seeing me for the first time. “There is video footage of him kidnapping Emma and the idiot nanny. Of his men knocking that shrink out. Do you even know who the fuck you’ve gotten yourself tangled up with, Vittoria?”
“You can’t have him arrested.” I need to warn Bastian, but Lucien grabs my arm.
“What did you sign?”
“Let me go. Do you even care why we’re here? That our father is dead?”
He seems surprised by the question. Like it’s an odd thing to ask. The elevator dings, and I half turn.
“There they are,” Lucien says, tugging me close as Bastian and Amadeo’s attention turns to the elevator. “You didn’t know him like I did, Vittoria. Our father was a cruel man. You don’t know the things he did. What he was capable of.”
“He wasn’t like that.”
“Do you ever wonder about his reaction when your mom was killed? How he didn’t really seem all that surprised or upset. Well, I mean, he was surprised that little Emma made it, I guess. But don’t you wonder?”
“Get off me!”
“Ah.” He smiles, holds me tight but turns me so we watch together as a dozen men in SWAT gear rush in with their weapons ready and have the few soldiers Amadeo and Bastian brought on the ground in minutes. They slam Bastian against one wall and Amadeo against another.
“Stop!” I call out, trying to free myself of my brother but unable. I watch powerlessly. I can’t hear a sound through the solid glass wall. Amadeo fights for his brother, Bruno is held back, the soldiers kept down while Brady and the other lawyers stand back and watch as if they knew all along. Bastian is handcuffed and forced toward the elevator by two men as two others hold Amadeo back.
Lucien tugs me toward him, making me face him. “You know people are killed in custody all the time. Accidents happen more often than you’d think.” He laughs a strange laugh, something that sends a chill down my spine. An image slices through my skull, a shudder of memory, of sight and sound. That laugh. That terrible laugh.
My knees buckle, and I grab the back of the chair nearest me. I remember when Amadeo asked me what seems like a lifetime ago if I was afraid of my brother. I’d told him I wasn’t. But it wasn’t true, not really. I always knew our father would protect me from Lucien. But it’s not that I wasn’t afraid of Lucien.
“Let go of her!”
The door slams against the wall so hard it jerks me out of my thoughts. I blink, look up at Lucien who is grinning down at me, his grip so tight on my arm I know I’ll have another bruise to add to the collection.
“You don’t deserve my help, you know that?” he asks, any enjoyment vanishing. When Amadeo is close enough, Lucien shoves me to him and backs away, clearly afraid of Amadeo.
“He’s going to kill Bastian,” I tell Amadeo frantically. He catches me and holds on to me as our soldiers rush in along with the lawyers. I turn into Amadeo’s arms and press myself to him. He looks down at me, pushing hair that’s fallen out of my chignon back from my face. “Lucien is going to kill him.”
Amadeo tries to push me aside to advance on Lucien. I hug my arms around him because I see the look in his eyes. I see how dangerous his rage is. If he gets near Lucien, he’ll kill him. He will beat him to death with his bare fists, and I’ll lose him, too. The police will arrest him too.
I clutch at his face with both hands to make him look at me. “We need to go. We need to get to Bastian!” It’s taking all my strength to just slow him down. “Amadeo. Please. Look at me. I need you. I need you!”