Page 82 of Becoming His Pet

“No, you wouldn’t. You were only about two, I think. Yes, right before your mother went missing.”

She froze at the mention of her mother.

“You, you knew my mother?”

“Well, we’d met. Your father didn’t bring your mother or you around very much. He was just a small part of the business back then, a foot soldier. I didn’t see him very much either. He was wise to keep you two away from his work. And after your mother went missing, he kept you away completely. He was a good man. He protected his family and never broke his loyalty to me.”

“I didn’t know what my father did for work. Other than Bernie, I didn’t have any extended family,” she found herself explaining.

Victor’s eyes went hard at the mention of Bernie.

“Bernie was—a disappointment.”

Greg ran his thumb along Nora’s palm, settling her nerves.

“What happened to him?” Nora asked blatantly.

“Nora.” Greg squeezed her hand. “Why don’t we see what Mr. Santinelli wanted to talk about before we start asking questions.”

“It’s okay.” Victor waved a hand. “You were smart to bring Bernie to me. And his associate,” he said to Greg. When he turned his gaze back to Nora, he softened again. “He’s been dealt with, that’s all you need to know.”

“I think I’ve had enough of everyone else deciding what I need to know or what I don’t need to know.” Nora pulled her hand free from Greg and pressed her palms to the table.

Victor’s lips curled at the ends. “You’re right. She’s a fighter.”

Nora turned to Greg, looking for an explanation.

“What is he talking about?” Nora demanded.

Greg gave a quick glance at Victor before he proceeded. “I served with Mr. Santinelli’s nephew last year.”

A sick feeling crept down Nora’s body. “Was he one of the men that didn’t—” She didn’t finish her question but sank in her seat. If Victor held Greg responsible for his nephew’s death, it could mean bad things for both of them.

“No. He’s fine. Lives in New York now,” Victor answered before Greg could.

“When John called me, the last day we were at the cabin, and told me Bernie’s connection to the Santinelli family, I got in touch with Nikko, his nephew. Mr. Santinelli called me. That’s the conversation I think you overheard.”

Her heart pounded in her chest.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She whispered the question, feeling a sense of betrayal.

Greg grabbed her hand again. “If I remember correctly, we had something else to deal with at that moment. And you never asked me, you came to your own conclusions before I could explain. And in the moment, I couldn’t remember every conversation I’d had the day before. I was too busy trying to keep you from getting into that SUV.”

Her face heated at the memory of what they’d done after she’d come into the kitchen after his call.

“What did you have to deal with?” Victor asked, breaking the tension between Greg and Nora.

She blinked and looked away. “It was nothing.”

Greg chuckled. “It was personal.”

“Why did we leave then? Why bother with Bernie if you knew he was going behind Victor’s back?” Nora asked.

“I asked him to go along with whatever Bernie’s plan was, but to give me an update the following day. Bernie was never to actually get his hands on you. I couldn’t get a hold of him, and my men were tracking him down,” Victor explained.

“John and I were able to get to you faster. Mr. Santinelli called his men away. That’s why there wasn’t anyone there that afternoon. No one to stop us from getting our hands on Bernie,” Greg explained.

Nora shook her head. Even in the crime world there was a hierarch. “You knew what he’d done to my mother.” Nora clenched her hands. She needed to keep her wits about her, keep her temper checked or she wouldn’t get the answers she needed.

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