Page 86 of Seductive Sin

I grit my teeth. “Savannah is my world.”

“And you think she’s not mine? She’s my only daughter. I’ve already lost both my sons. She’s all I have left. My legacy.”

“So you sold her to the highest bidder?”

“Damn it!” His fist comes down hard on his hardwood desk. “You really think this is that simple, don’t you?”

I take a step toward him. I’m taller than he is, broader. But I don’t underestimate him. He’s powerful. And in his eyes is a hint of desperation.

That’s what this is about.

Never underestimate a desperate man. He’s already lost two sons. In organized crime, women are worth less than men. He may truly feel he’s got nothing left to lose.

“Miles McAllister tried to rape her that night,” I say quietly, taking another step. “My buddy and I got to her before that happened, thank God, and I swear to you, if that piece of shit ever lays another hand on her, I’ll take care of him myself.”

Gallo’s gaze falls to a bookcase in his office.

Are there hidden cameras and microphones in this office?

Of course there are.

“Watch what you say in this office, Mr. Bellamy.”

Yeah, not smart. The whole place is probably wired.

“Nothing I say here will ever be admissible in a court of law. You and I both know that.”

“You think I give two shits about any court of law?”

Good point. This is a man who’s selling his daughter into matrimony. Clearly the law doesn’t trouble him. Not a bit.

“I want answers.” I demand. “Savannah herself thinks there’s more at play here. You let her off twice, and then you let her out of family obligations for good when she moved to Summer Creek. Why the fucking change of heart, Gallo?”

He stares at me, his face unchanging.

But he’s not indifferent. Not by a longshot. His eyes flicker with unease. I can recognize almost any look on a person’s face after my time inside. My life and the lives of the guys on my cellblock depended on it.

“Look, Bellamy,” he says, his voice calm but strained. “There are things at play here that you don’t understand. Things that go beyond a simple marriage alliance between families.”

I narrow my eyes, attempting to read between the lines. So Savannah was right. What is her father hiding?

“Enlighten me, then,” I say, my tone firm. “You promised Savannah her freedom, and now you’ve reneged. You sent fucking gunmen to my place to take her.”

He presses his lips together. “I had nothing to do with that.”

“Do I look like I care?” I point at him. “This is all on you, Gallo. Your daughter’s trauma is on you.”

Gallo goes back behind his desk, sits in his chair, steepling his fingers.

“Listen,” he says, his voice taking on a softer edge. “I know you care for Savannah. And I do too. But there are forces at work here that we can’t control. And sometimes, sacrifices have to be made for the greater good.”

I clench my hands into fists. Sacrifices? What kind of twisted logic is that?

“Savannah is not a sacrifice,” I say through gritted teeth. “She’s a woman. A person. A human being. She’s your fucking daughter.”

He opens his mouth to reply, but I hear nothing.

I see nothing.