Page 68 of Obsessions of the Heart

“No. In fact, I was only able to get her out of the way on time since we were going to have coffee on campus. You can check the security camera to confirm.”

“I’m looking at it now. You were at the Bean Machine at 8:10 AM.” Her immediate response came as expected, but I still rolled my eyes. Of course she would be on it like a little psycho with a bone.

“As you can see, they timed the attack while in a dead zone, so I wasn't able to get anything.”

“Shit. I can’t even catch any indicators of when they left campus.”

I didn't want to say that I had already looked that up as well since that might anger her.

“Layrin will need more protection while we figure out who’s behind this, so I’ve decided to have her move in with me.”

The line went dead for a full ten seconds before Cinzia exploded. “Oh, fuck that, you asshole! You can’t just make those kinds of decisions. I know you’re the Prince of Foedus, but that doesn't give you the right to boss Lay around!” I cringed at her choice of nickname, but I didn't want to use the one we’d given Rin and risk her adopting it too. Rin was only to be used by us.

“So, are you proposing to take her to Alpha Sigma Xi?” I spat, knowing she would have nothing to come back at me with. “There’s no way you could think that dinky dorm is going to keep either of you safe, which means you’d use your family connections to keep her safe, right?” Her hesitation was palpable, and a salacious smile creeped up my face.

“Oh, so you don't completely trust her around your family? You don't think Luca would refuse to give her up if Foedus is behind this? You think Elio and you could take down your whole family if your mother disagrees with you?”

Her breathing sped up, and I could practically hear her crunching her phone in her hand. It was time to put the final nail in the coffin. “Do you really think the youngest Ricci can control the whole house to protect one innocent girl?”

“Fuck!” she screamed, and I knew I had her.

She took a turn I knew she would since threats were her MO. “If she tells me you fucking touched a hair on her head, I will fucking kill you. I will find this magical house that you’ve hidden from satellites and cameras, rain down fire on the whole place, and smoke you the fuck out in order to find her. Do you hear me? You can’t stay hidden forever.”

“Now, Cinzia, I can promise you in blood that neither I, nor anyone working for me, will harm Layrin in any way. We will not do anything to her that she does not ask for or want. She will be living like a princess while she recovers from her minor injuries, and I will escort her to and from school in the future. She will, of course, be able to contact you whenever she wants with her phone.”

She grumbled about how much of a bastard I was, and I couldn't help but chuckle. God, did it feel good to put a Ricci in their place.

“Can you and I declare a temporary truce while we protect Layrin from dangerous outside forces?”

She took a beat before groaning. “I really hate that I’m saying this, but fine. You and I will have a truce, for now, but I’m telling you this is separate from having Ricci support. It's just me.”

I nodded like she could see me. “And Elio?”

An exaggerated huff sounded from the other end. “Yeah, you're going to have to broker that on your own. Elio’s a loose cannon, and his position in the family is not… the most stable.”

“Oh yes, he’s the bastard child of your uncle, right? The famous Italian Casanova charmed an Irish singer, and out came Elio.” I tutted. “I’d think your family would care more about skill than silly things like names and bloodlines.”

She cruelly laughed. “You would think.” Then she changed subjects. “What about your uncle?”

“He’s out of the country and shouldn’t be back for a while. Plus, I’m the head of the Ambros family, not him.”

She puffed again. “You and he are co-heads until the naming ceremony.”

“Which is next month,” I growled, not liking that she knew so much.

“If you live that long. Word on the streets is that he’s looking to kick you down a peg or two.”

“How about you worry about your family, and I’ll worry about mine, eh?” When she didn't say anything, I took that as confirmation. With our business concluded, I added in a show of good faith, “I’ll keep you updated on her progress, and as soon as she’s up from her nap, I’ll have her call you. Acceptable?”

“Yes, you damn robot. Fuck. I never thought I would be in league with Ambros.”

“And yet here we are,” I teased before I clicked the end button. We had a lot to plan before Rin woke up, and I wanted everything to be perfect.

Chapter 23

Istill had my eyes closed, and every cell in my body was screaming for relief. Memories flashed before my eyes—coffee with Ravi, waiting by the curb, a car revving up, then a blacked-out sedan coming my way.

Gasping awake, I looked around. Was I in front of the school? At the hospital? Dead?

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