Page 27 of Borrowed Bride

“Hm.” After a few passes of the towel, Gianna drapes herself back against my pillows and it’s killer that I have to get dressed rather than return to bed with her.

“I will honor my promise,” I assure her. “We will deal with the heir issue later. Right now, Leonardo is my focus.”

“And the snitch,” Gianna replies softly. She fixes me with a soft gaze. “You believe me, don’t you? That it’s not me.”

“Yes.” I nod, buttoning up my shirt. “You accepted my deal because you didn’t want to die. It would be counterproductive for you to reveal a secret and earn a quick way to a painful grave.” Dressed, I lean over her naked body and gently kiss her collarbone. “Have a good day.”

“You too.” She waves lazily at me and my chest squeezes at the sight. What I would give to return to her warm body and tender arms.

Instead, I have business to attend to. For the past few days, Leonardo Simone has been blowing up my phone with pictures of random women, along with the taglineIs this your sister?Each time I get a ping, my heart punches up into my throat as I fear he will send me a picture of the real Emilia.

So far, it’s been no one of note and I know he’s just fucking with me. He’s enjoying feeling like he has something on me, so I need to get to the bottom of it. I need to find out who betrayed that Emilia is alive. I questioned her entire team, and none ofthem had any phones beyond the ones I had given them, with no evidence of calls outside the home.

Emilia understood my concern, but I could tell she was pissed I spent hours interrogating the four people that have spent the past twenty years keeping her alive and safe.

Trust is hard to come by, and someone here has broken it. Whoever it is, I will crush them to fucking dust.

Striding through the estate, I’m on my way to the kitchen when another notification pops on my phone. Expecting it to be from Leonardo, I almost ignore it. Knowing I can’t, I check my phone and my gut clenches. It’s a message from one of the men I have tailing Leonardo who confirms Leo has stopped off at one of his warehouses and hasn’t moved for an hour.

Do I confront him? Do I end this game right now, head-on?

Yes, I do.

I send orders to Anton and Ben to keep Gianna safe, and head for the garage. Leonardo’s games end now.

When I arrive,there’s already a tense stand-off between my men and Leonardo’s men. I’m quickly informed that Leo was in the process of leaving so my guys stepped in to stop him since I was already en route. I thank them and stride into the building. The sharp scent of wrought iron, lead paint, and something acidic assaults my nose as I walk deeper into the building, passing countless wooden crates and forklifts on pause since the arrival of my men.

I walk around the corner and find several of my men with their rifles up and aimed at Leonardo and his men, of which they lack numbers. Odd considering this is Leonardo’s territory, but clearly he’s shoddy at running it.

“Oh,” Leo snorts, rolling his eyes the moment he sees me. “It’s you.”

“What a greeting. Are you always such a charmer, Leo?”

“It just comes naturally,” he mutters. “The hell are you playing at, Barrone? It’s like you’rebeggingfor a war.”

“You think? We’re just having a friendly conversation,” I say, striding in front of my men until Leo and I are face-to-face. “I’m not the one playing fucking mind games here.”

“Oh, you got my text then?” Leo smirks. “You could have just called. You didn’t have to come all the way down here.”

I glance around, noting the numerous crates that are open and cast to one side, and the number that are still awaiting retrieval. A single spark and this place would burn faster than a bonfire.

“Stop with the games, Leo. You wanted my attention, you fucking have it. So out with it. What is it you think you know?”

“Do you think it will be that easy?” Leo rolls his eyes and crosses his large arms over his chest. “I know you, Marco. I know the sick and twisted games your family are involved in. There’s no way I’m giving this up easily without making yousufferfor it first.”

“So you have nothing,” I sigh, trying to force him out of his bluff. “I should have known. Simones are nothing but empty threats and hot air, I should have known. But toying with my dead sister? You have a death wish and I’llgladlyoblige.”

“Ah-ah!” Leonardo holds up one hand, pausing my step forward and he reaches for something in his pocket. “You don’t want to do that because the second you spill a drop of my blood, this goes public to all of the other families. You’re strong, Marco, sure, but even you can’t take on everyone.”

I eye the white paper in his hand as the back of my neck prickles. He’s right, in a sense. We can’t take on every family in the state. At the moment, we can barely handle Leo thanks to myfather’s poor planning. Gritting my teeth, I remain silent. I want Leo to think he has me, so that he will keep talking.

I know it’s worked the moment he smirks.

“I saw you at that party. People talking to you about guns and drugs as if they don’t know the truth.”

“The truth?” I prompt.

“Everyone knows the real Barrone meal ticket is sex trafficking,” Leo spits in disgust. “Everyone knows your currency ispeople. Slaves. They just don’t talk about it.”

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