Page 20 of Relentless Pursuit
Her eyes lit up. “No!” she shook her head, and her hair bounced. “No, please, Dominic. I didn’t lie about everything. I only kept my identity a secret.”
“You pretended not to know dons were real. You laughed and were carefree at your grandfather's masquerade ball. You pretended not to know him when the entire time you were his familia. How can I trust you now?”
A wounded cry fell from her lips, and she reached out and touched me.
That was my undoing. My anger slipped into sorrow for what I thought I’d found in her but lost in this moment of revelation.
She pulled my hand to her chest and laid it across her heart. Her heart ricocheted with intensity, and my pulse rocked with her rhythm as we connected.
“Please.”
“Please, what?”
“You have to believe me. I?—”
“That’s enough,” Riccardo interrupted.
I turned my glare toward him. “It’s enough when I say it is.”
“You are not the boss,” he said, then he pointed at Dameon. “He is.” He turned his eyes to Dameon. “We have a deal. Penelope is my granddaughter. She will be your wife. That’s the way this works.”
“No,” I said.
Riccardo’s eyes widened. I stepped away from Penelope and walked toward Riccardo. Davide stepped in front of Riccardo, his weapon still visible.
“Either you’re going to use that or put it away,” I warned Davide.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” Davide responded.
“Or what?”
“Everybody calm down,” Rolando finally inserted. “Let’s postpone until we’ve cleared the air and resume when we’re all confident about the transition.”
“No!” Riccardo shouted.
“I will never be confident with this betrayal,” I inserted.
“I haven’t betrayed you!” Riccardo shouted. “My loyalty is to Dameon and the Lucas Cosa Nostra.”
“I am the Lucas Cosa Nostra!” I roared. “You want my father’s permission, but my protection, and you will not have either of them for your treachery!” I bit down hard, grinding my teeth and spoke through a snarl. “This deal has expired, unfortunately for you.”
I turned and strode to the door, slamming a balled fist against its barrier.
“Mano!”
He opened, and a line of our capos awaited us on the other side, weapons in hand on the ready.
I glanced back at Penelope, who looked seconds away from breaking. I wanted to leave her there, needed to get as far away from her as I could so I could think. But instead, I reached for her, and she ran to me.
“Are you with them, or are you with me?”
“I’m with you.”
I turned her toward Riccardo. “Tell him!”
“I’m with Dominic!” Her voice trembled, and I twirled her back to face me.
“I’m giving you a chance to get away—from me, from him, from all of it right now, Penelope. If you want to go, I will not stop you. No one will. You will not be harmed. You will not have to live a life afraid. You will be free.”