Page 81 of Vicious Vows

“Not at all.” I entered my childhood home, taking in the familiar scent of fresh linen and lemon. The cleaning staff must have been here this morning.

“I am happy to see you.” He hugged me. “I was very worried about you.”

“When?” I asked. “After you had me shot, or after you threatened to cut me off?”

“What did you expect from me?” He released me from his hold. “You are literally sleeping with the enemy.”

“That justifies you shooting at me?” I glared at him. “I haven’t heard you apologize for that.”

“I didn’t shoot at you.”

“You ordered them to kill Marchello, knowing I could have been with him.”

“I didn’t know you would be with him.” He motioned down the hall. “Let’s go to my study.”

I followed him down the long hallway, noting the familiar boxes in the family room.

“You’re decorating for Christmas?” I asked.

“We always do the week before Thanksgiving.” He entered his study. “Did you forget?”

“No.” I thought for a moment. “I guess I lost track of time and didn’t realize Thanksgiving is next week.”

“Well, you’ve been preoccupied.” He sat behind his desk. “Will you be joining me for the holiday?”

“Not unless you can accept Marchello.” I didn’t see us sharing turkey and stuffing.

“That’s not going to happen.”

I plopped down in the chair across from his desk, looking around the room that used to seem so daunting as a kid. Now it was just an ordinary room that a ruthless man who was far colder than I ever realized occupied.

“What brings you here?” he asked.

“You owe me.”

“Do I?” He chuckled.

“In addition to getting me shot, you tried to marry me off to a crazy man.” I pointed at him. “That’s what started all of this.”

“Don’t point at me.” He sighed. “Your impulses started all of this. If you hadn’t gone running off to Marchello Accetti, I wouldn’t be in the middle of a war right now. You would be home where you belong, and I would be in a position to take over the New York organization.”

“It’s not yours to take.”

“Does your lover brief you on such matters?” he asked. “Are you running the business with him?”

“Of course not.” Although, I might be able to do a much more efficient job than any of these men could. “I see what’s happening. You and Danny went after Marchello, and he had to retaliate.”

“He took you.”

“You would have gone after him whether he took me or not. This had always been about gaining control. You want his ports.”

“Where did my shallow, spoiled brat go?” He leaned back in his chair. “The one who didn’t care about my dealings. Your number one priority is material items.”

“I’ve done some growing up in the last few months.”

“Then maybe you should come home and work with me. You’re a Gallanti, not an Accetti.”

“I won’t work against Marchello,” I said.

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