Page 50 of Scarlet Angel

“No. Everything my father does, he does with our community, with our country, in mind.”

“Remind me, what’s his net worth?”

“His shipping business is legitimate. You’re the bookkeeper. You know that.” He half snorts, and then there’s silence. A different silence. He just figured it out.

“Scarlet. They will not let you leave. If you blackmail them, they’ll kill you. You might as well put a gun to your head and pull the trigger.”

Oh, I know.

CHAPTER13

NICK

My business line rings. It’s one that I use for all business calls, and it’s the one that would be most likely to undergo surveillance.

I read the name.Bloody hell.

“Massimo,” I answer. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Your employee murdered my brother, yet you’ve been quiet.”

“Please let me express my deepest condolences for your loss.”

“Fuck you.”

Goddamn Neanderthal. “Massimo, I had no involvement in your brother’s death. Be rational. Your brother was certifiable. An unstable twat. Yes, my employee killed him, but in self-defense.” I pause for effect. “But I am sincerely sorry for your loss. I hope you received the flowers I sent and the donation to the church.”Quiet my fucking ass.

“Your contribution is most appreciated.”

Doesn’t sound like it.

A beat of silence passes. I wait. He called. “And Willow? You held one of ours.”

What the fuck?“First, we didn’tholdWillow. She married Leo, and that marriage, as I understand it, received your blessing.”

“Yet I wasn’t invited to the ceremony. Did you not find that odd?”

“Bloody hell, mate. What do you want? I had jack shit to do with that marriage. If I were to guess, she married Leo to avoid marrying your psychotic brother who was also what, forty or fifty years older? Look, you do you, but to me, that’s cocked. If you’re seeking to cast blame, look elsewhere, mate. I had fuck all to do with it.”

“Yet you now have the cousin. Are you looking to marry her?”

“Why the hell would you think that?”

“You’ll send her back?”

“Massimo. Let’s be clear. I do not work for you. As for Gagliano’s niece, she’s not your property. She is a guest in my home. If you have an issue with Scarlet, call her. Not me.”

“You’re innocent in this, are you?”

“Innocent in what?”Bloody fucking wanker.

“Harboring her.”

“She’s not a refugee. She’s a woman with free will.”

“Send her home. She belongs with us. Send her home, or there will be retribution.”

He did not just threaten me.

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