Page 42 of Broken Saint

I gave her a look that communicated about the same.

"You really aren't interested in the fact that the Rossi's and the Cullotta's are smuggling blood diamonds into the US?"

I pushed up from her headboard and sat up straight. "Wait. Blood diamonds? Are you sure about that? Hell, do you even know what that means?"

She looked at me blankly, but I wasn't buying it. If she was serious about renegotiating, she would not come to the table without doing her research. That would be foolish and insulting, and Nova struck me as neither of those things.

"Do youreally believe your father is working with terrorists? Because that's a dangerous line to cross. Although it would explain why the FBI is so interested in your family."

“The FBI?”

He rolled his eyes. One minute he was convinced she wasn’t naïve and the next he had to wonder.

"Where are these diamonds now? You have them here?"

"Of course not," she said, her voice a little more forceful than before. "That would be stupid and risky."

I narrowed my eyes at her, suspicion warring with disbelief. She looked like she was lying to me again. Had I not personally gone through every inch of this suite already, I would not believe a word she'd uttered. Although there was always the unlikely possibility that I'd missed something.

"Then where?" I demanded. "And stop fucking lying to me before I get angry and decide you are not longer worth the effort and slit your throat." Watching her skin go pale at my threat made a certain darkness twist alive inside me. I could end this game we were playing at any time. No one in the organization would care if the pretty little daughter of Anthony Cullotta didn't survive. As long as the rest of my mission was completed, it was all that mattered.

"Do I look that stupid to you? I'm not telling you where they are until I'm certain you won't kill me for them first. You just threatened my life, for Christ's sake." She scrambled off the bed and shoved her inhaler into a bedside drawer.

I smiled at her back as she retreated. If she thought that was a serious threat, she had no idea what she'd gotten into. "How do I know they are for real then?"

She pulled her cell phone out of her skirt pocket and swiped the screen in a quick pattern to unlock it. I eyed her carefully. Smart girl, not to use her thumbprint or an easily hacked code to access it. That would make it much more difficult for someone like me to break in. Not impossible, though. While those thoughts were running through my head, she made a series of taps on the screen before she turned it to me and flashed a picture in front of my face.

There, in full color, was a huge pile of diamonds in varying sizes. There were even a few uncut dark ones. Those black diamonds especially caught my eye. I would enjoy those in my personal collection.

"What is this supposed to prove?" I asked, deliberately goading her. "Anyone can grab a picture of diamonds off of the internet."

"You can see that's my hand in the picture, asshole. I took that myself, and as well as my business has done, I cannot afford even one of those diamonds."

I shrugged, remaining non-committal. My excitement was growing, but I would never let on. Between whatever secret she and her father were hiding and now these diamonds, I could see this mission leveling up with every passing moment.

"I still need to see them with my own eyes."

"That's not going to happen any time soon. Not until I think I can trust you."

I grabbed at my heart as if she'd hurt me. "I am your fiancé, and you don't trust me?"

She smirked and turned her phone back around. "I think we already had that conversation. Moving on." She shoved that phone back in her pocket and I fought the urge to use force to get what I wanted. I had no doubt that as strong as she was, she would crumble under brutal show of force. But what fun would that be? There were other players in the game to torture first.

"So, what do you want, Nova? You've got diamonds that belong to two powerful famiglias who will kill you over them, no questions asked. How do you imagine this playing out?"

"First, you and I have to come to an agreement. We're not getting married. Second, if you will help me get out of this, I will gladly give the diamonds to you. I need to be out of the mafia life for good. I can't deal with my father coming back again with another man for me to marry because it's for the good of the family. It's bullshit. Even criminals need to step into the twenty-first century and get over this."

"Is that it?" I couldn't quite tell if she was done.

"Sort of." She hesitated, looking unsure if she wanted to continue.

"Tell me." I insisted.

"I want to get my sister out, too. She's being held hostage until her eighteenth birthday in a few months. I don't think I need to elaborate what will happen then."

I stood from the bed and crossed the room to Nova. She didn't flinch or cower despite how I towered over her. If she was afraid of me, she certainly didn't show it.

I gently gripped her chin and tilted her head back until our gazes met. "You’re asking me to give up a lot."

"Not really. I'm a nobody to you, Ronin. Besides, wouldn't you rather pick your own wife?"

I looked at her intently, considering that question. I really didn't think I needed one. I wasn't in the position of needing an heir and I liked my freedom. But for the second time in my life, I could almost picture something more. And like it or not, Nova was the complete package. Looks, money, smarts. She would make an interesting foil. For a time.

"I think I already have..." I bent low and took her by surprise by pressing my mouth to hers. Yes, I’d made up my mind...

---