Page 72 of Merciless King

Piper shakes her head. “You can’t. If anything happens to him, you'll be the prime suspect."

I curse under my breath, frustration building that she doesn’t see what needs to happen. Why is she giving him so much power? Why is she protecting a man who nearly killed her?

Straightening to my full height, I square my shoulders, my eyes hardening with lethal intent. "I'll handle Gabriel my way.” My tone should tell her that there won’t be any argument. “He was given his chance and he fucked it up. Now he pays.”

Piper's eyes widen with alarm. "Elio, no. You can't. If you hurt him, it will only make things worse."

I cup her face in my hands, my thumbs brushing over her cheekbones. “You have to trust me. I know what I’m doing.” God, I don’t want to spell it out for her. The underbelly of my work is dark, seedy, and violent. I hide it well. It makes society see me as a legit businessman, doubting the rumors of my less than legal actions. Sometimes, it makes people underestimate me, think I’m a pussy, which I use to my advantage. Right now, I’m hiding the ugly side of me because I don’t want Piper to fear me or judge me. Yes, she knows about my ties to organized crime, but like the rest of society, she can ignore it because she hasn’t seen the reality of it.

“You’re not the only one who doesn’t want to lose you again.”

Her words help soften the raw edges of my soul. “Piper… he can’t hurt me except through you and Elysse. Any accusations, I can likely get out of. And if I go to prison, it will be worth it if you’re safe.”

"We'll find another way to handle this. Together. We can sit down with your lawyer and develop a solid legal strategy, find a way to protect ourselves and Elysse without resorting to violence."

I grimace at the thought of involving lawyers and the fucking legal system. In my world, disputes are usually settled with fists or bullets, not courtrooms and paperwork.

“And what happens when he makes an attempt to get you or Elysse? The man I heard on the phone will follow through, Piper. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday. He’ll be breathing down our backs until he’s dead.” I don’t know how else to put it. “Are you willing to risk that? To risk Elysse’s life?”

Her eyes flash with annoyance. “Don’t try to guilt me. I know what’s at stake. But I can’t be a part of murder. And what will Elysse think?”

My own irritation flares. “Am I the only one here who is willing to risk it all—your love and respect, Elysse’s love and respect, jail time, my own death—to keep you and Elysse safe?”

She looks at me in confusion. “I…”

I lean close to her, having difficulty reining in my anger at her stance. “Tell me, Piper, would you kill him if he had Elysse in his clutches right now? Or would you be negotiating?”

“I would do anything to protect her.”

I shake my head. “No, you wouldn’t. You aren’t. That man just threatened your child, and you still think you can reason?—”

“I’m trying to protect you.”

“I don’t need your protection, Piper!” I bark the words out.

She flinches.

“Fuck.” I run my fingers through my hair, walking away to take a breath. I turn back, and the way she’s looking at me makes my heart crack open wide. I wouldn’t say it’s fear. It’s more like she doesn’t know me. Or perhaps she’s wondering what she doesn’t know about me.

My phone rings. I want to ignore it, but I can’t. “Yeah.”

“Are you on your way to the Rinella meeting?” Matteo asks.

Fuck again. I nearly forgot. For a moment, I consider canceling, blowing Vincenzo off to deal with this family emergency. After all, the Rinellas haven't exactly been playing nice lately, with Vincenzo's petty attempts to mess with my business.

But as much as I'd rather focus solely on protecting my family, I know I can't let things with the Rinellas spiral further out of control. The last thing I need is a full-blown Mafia war on top of everything else.

No, I have to play this smart and meet with Vincenzo and try to smooth things over before they escalate beyond repair. If I can get the Rinellas off my back, I'll have more resources and manpower to devote to handling Gabriel.

“Just about. I’m at home,” I tell Matteo.

“I’m near there. I’ll swing by and get you.”

“Good.”

I take a breath trying to hide my frustration, my pain. “I can see you’re wondering whether I’m a monster too. I suppose I am. Would you protect me as vehemently as you protect the man who had his hands around your neck?”

“Elio—”