Page 57 of Stolen By the Enemy

I don’t have siblings, so their relationship doesn’t make sense to me, but there is very little excuse for yelling and swearing at this woman who has done nothing to him personally.

She was stuck here with me. There is no reason why she couldn’t enjoy some of that time.

“Luca, this is not your business. I still refuse to let your sister go home without this deal. Nothing has changed.”

I try to remain calm while talking to him, knowing that escalating the situation is not going to help.

“Everything changed, Marco. Fucking everything!”

He’s lowered his voice to an acceptable level but is spitting at me through his teeth.

I just want to get them into the office, have them sign the fucking deal, and send all of these problematic Baldinis home.

Then, finally, I can sort out my own life.

“Let’s just get this done, okay?” I turn my focus to Enzo, who is quiet, although he still looks furious.

“No, fuck this shit. I don’t want anything more to do with this fucking disaster.” Luca makes a move to go towards Grazia and my guards step in front of her.

I see her instinctively take a step backward, clearly overwhelmed by this situation.

“Luca, stop being a fucking cabrón,” I say to him, my own voice starting to rise slightly.

“You’re here to sign a piece of paper and take your sister home. There is no room in the schedule for your temper tantrum. If this mark makes you so angry, then you can keep a better eye on her when you are back home.”

Luca turns suddenly and faces me, his hand on his hip.

“A better eye on her? What are you trying to say? That I should have been watching my sister’s every move while I was getting married? At a wedding that was invite-only, where we let our guard down because we were supposed to be able to trust everyone who was there?”

I sigh. “I am just saying that if you think you are in charge of your sister, then you should act like it. If you’re not in charge of her, you shouldn’t be worried about who she is fucking.”

Luca moves his hand quickly to his gun and pulls it out, pointing it at me.

He’s fast, but I’m faster.

I meet his gaze with my own gun drawn, pointed at his head, and I take a step toward him.

Enzo tries to step in between us, but his guard pulls him back, placing a hand on Luca’s arm and looking back at me.

My own security steps forward and I hear Grazia cry out, begging us both to stop.

I stare at Luca, not willing to be the first to back down, but he has the exact same look on his face.

Enzo is facing Luca and says something to him too softly for me to hear. Luca’s eyes flit to his brother and then back to me.

Finally, he slowly lowers his gun, his security guard standing in between us as protection for him.

There’s silence for a few minutes, and no one moves. The only sound I can hear is Grazia sniffling, but even she’s frozen on the spot.

It seems like the rest of the staff in the house has heard the commotion and is also waiting to see how this plays out.

“This is done,” Luca says, breaking the silence in the house. “The deal is over. You can have her.”

He looks over at Grazia and her face twists in pain when she hears him. “You’re not getting any more of our money or our business.”

Surprised at his immediate choice to leave his sister in this house, without any promise that she will be safe, I nod slowly.

“That’s your decision to make. Get the fuck out of my house, then.”

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