Page 84 of Becoming His Pet

“Then you’ll help her set up shop somewhere else. I won’t let you tell me no on this. It will be a gift to you both.” His suggestive tone didn’t get past Nora but before she could comment on it, Greg had already agreed.

“I’m not sure I can take—”

“I’m not asking you, I’m telling you. Don’t take my generosity as a weakness. You’ll be sorely disappointed to find out how wrong you are.” Victor’s eyes darkened. This was a man who would not accept no for an answer, and Nora doubted he ever had.

“Of course, Mr. Santinelli. We’ll be glad to accept your gift.”

Victor’s stern expression morphed into a soft smile. “Good to hear it. I will have someone reach out when the plans for the memorial are finalized. It will take a few days.”

“We don’t need a full service,” Nora said. “I-I don’t have any other family. Just me.”

“And me,” Greg said. “Something small.”

Victor nodded. “Yes. That will be good, I think.”

“I have one more question. Dr. Smith. What happened with her?” Nora asked.

“Dr. Smith?” Victor’s brow wrinkled.

“Her name is Anna Jenson. Bernie kidnapped her when she was in her early twenties. She’s been working with him for over fifteen years,” Greg explained. “We didn’t hand her over to you.”

Victor thought for a long moment. “Where is she now?”

“Her family has taken her back home. She’s no danger to you,” Greg said with finality.

“How can you guarantee that?” Victor asked with a stern voice.

“For fifteen years she lived with the threat of something happening to her family if she did anything other than what Bernie told her to do. She never had a moment of peace,” Greg went on. “She never knew who Bernie worked for and has no connections to the Santinelli family. She has a lot of healing to do.”

Nora remembered Dr. Smith. Recalled the soft way she dealt with her, how she made a horrible situation almost bearable. Nora had told Greg what happened with her and asked him to make sure Dr. Smith found a safe place to go. And it seemed he had done just that.

“I will let her go, then.” Victor nodded.

“If there’s nothing else?” Greg placed his hands on the table, getting ready to get up.

“If you should need something, you can find me through Nikko,” Victor answered. “And if I need something. I’ll find you.”

As threats went, it wasn’t toe-curling, but Nora wouldn’t be hoping to see Victor Santinelli or any member of his family again anytime in the near lifetime.

Greg held Nora’s hand to the car and opened her door. Finally, the air came easier to breathe and the tension eased out of her body. They’d managed to get through that without getting shot.

Once they pulled away from the restaurant, Nora looked out the back window.

“No one’s following us. It’s over, trouble,” he said.

“You’re back to calling me trouble,” she said, turning back around in her seat.

“I have a feeling you’re going be back to causing me a lot of it soon.” He nodded.

“I’m sorry this all happened,” she blurted out. “I’m sorry your brother had to send his family into hiding, I’m sorry I’ve been nothing but trouble for you.”

Greg didn’t speak, just pulled the car into an empty lot and parked.

“You’ve had a shit time of it lately,” he said, turning in his seat and capturing her face with his hands. “You may be trouble sometimes, you may be irritatingly stubborn, and need a little firmer hand than others, but you are worth every bit of it.”

She swallowed. Feeling his touch on her skin soothed some of her frayed edges. But she knew what was coming for her, what was next. She had to part ways with him.

“But you can’t keep doing it,” she whispered, filling in his sentence.

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