Page 45 of Merciless King
Lana rolls her eyes. "Really, Elio? You’ve torched an alliance with Vincenzo to get your rocks off with your high school sweetheart? What are you thinking?"
I meet her gaze head-on, my resolve unwavering. "You tell me I need to be more of a leader, so here it is, Lana. You will speak to me with more respect. You’ll treat Piper and Elysse with respect as well. This is not your home, and I’ll have no qualms about forcing you out if you insist on being such a bitch.”
Her eyes flare with heat, but then she sniffs. “For once, you’ve found your balls.”
“Does her husband know she’s moving in with you?” Matteo asks.
“Oh, my God, she’s married?” Lana’s momentary retreat reverses.
I scrape my hand over my face. “I don’t have time to explain everything, but the short version is that yes, she’s married to an asshole who beats her but has felt powerless to leave because of the child.”
It occurs to me I haven’t given all the important details. “The other thing you need to know is that the child, Elysse, is my daughter.”
The silence that follows is deafening. Lana's eyes widen in shock, her mouth falling open. Matteo looks equally stunned.
"What?" Lana finally manages, her voice barely above a whisper. "How is that possible?"
I sink into the chair behind my desk, suddenly feeling drained. "Piper found out she was pregnant, and our parents paid her parents a shit-ton of money to leave town, to keep me from finding out. I only just learned the truth last night."
Lana shakes her head, a rare display of empathy crossing her features. "Elio… God. I knew Mom and Dad were assholes, but… wow. I'm so sorry.”
“So this is more than just saving her from that fucker she married,” Matteo says.
I’m reminded that I asked him to investigate her husband. “What have you learned?”
“Same stuff you found out… he’s the son of a rich family from New York. Got advanced degrees in business and economics in England. He now works for an international finance firm that transferred him here a few weeks ago. He married four years ago.”
“Anything I don’t know?”
“He’s a serial cheater. He was arrested five years ago for shoving his girlfriend, not Piper, down the stairs, but the charges were dropped. It appears the woman was paid a lot of money. She now lives in a villa in Italy. Right now, he’s in Las Vegas. Bet you can’t guess what he’s up to.”
I don’t have to guess. What does anyone do in Vegas? Drink. Gamble. Fuck. What did Piper see in this man? Why didn’t her parents help her escape him?
“The question is, will he be a problem for us?” Matteo gives me a pointed look, letting me know my plate is full of issues to deal with already. "Men like that don't give up control easily."
“What do you mean?” Lana asks.
“Will he come after them?”
“He can try,” I growl. But he has a point. I can’t assume Piper’s husband will go away without a fight. “Let’s increase security here at the house.” Already, I’m dreading the discussion with Piper in which I have to tell her that she’ll need to lie low until we can be sure her husband won’t do anything to retaliate. She’ll see it as my taking away her power, her independence.
“Look, I don’t mean to be a bitch. I’ll do my part to welcome them into our home, but right now, we need to deal with our guys sitting in a jail cell,” Lana interrupts.
“What do you suggest?” Matteo’s question is patronizing, but Lana ignores that aspect.
“We need to hit Vincenzo where it hurts.”
“We’re not even sure he’s behind this,” I point out. “I don’t want to further aggravate him if I don’t have to.”
She purses her lips at me. “Who else could it be?”
“Well, considering our inside men aren’t doing shit, perhaps they’re part of it.”
That shuts her up, which annoys me further. Her lack of faith in me, her belief that I'm a pussy, pisses me off.
“I’m not inept, Lana. Maybe I don’t live up to your Michael Corleone idea of a Mafia leader, but I know what I’m doing.”
Lana scoffs, shaking her head. "Sometimes, you have to get your hands dirty to protect what's yours."