Page 37 of Cruel Redemption

He tried to reach forward, but the chains caught on the ring. We both winced. I moved my hands closer to clasp them over his.

“I think Baxter Barnes has a handle on it.” He stared at my knuckles and the rough bandage wrapped around my finger from the radiator cut. “You don’t need to be there. I think you should stay away from this.”

My eyes widened. “Are you kidding me?”

“No. One of us has to stay clean.”

“Not be there for the bail hearing?” I withdrew my hands and glared at him. “I need to talk to the investigators. I can clear your name. There shouldn’t even be a hearing. You were with me. I was almost taken. They need to know I was attacked too. It changes everything.”

He shook his head. “Stay out of it,” his voice was quiet. “Don’t come near this. Keep Amato Global out of it.”

“Enzo is my assistant. Amato Global is already in it.” I was angry that he was trying to push me away. He didn’t want me near this? It was bullshit.

“You know what I mean.” He crooked his head to one of the corners. “The families don’t know about our renewed friendship.” I could read between the lines. He was worried the announcement of our partnership would rub some of the patriarchs the wrong way without the right timing. I hadn’t even said yes, yet to the merger. There was no strategy in place.

“At this point, I don’t give a damn about the other families. We need to find Enzo. We need you out of this jumpsuit,” I pledged.

“I’ll be out tomorrow. We’ll have time,” he replied. “Now, go.” His voice rumbled across the table.

I was hesitant to move. Why had any of this happened?

“Go,” he urged. “And stick with Ciro.”

“He’s waiting outside the station for me.” I knew the ten minutes were over. I heard footsteps behind me. The man with the limp and the keys had returned. I wanted to jump across the table and kiss him. Hold him. Tell him everything that was swirling beneath the surface. But there wasn’t time, and that kind of intimacy couldn’t be on display.

I stood, cleared my throat, and took a step back from the table.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” I smiled. The guard took a position next to Luka and I knew I had to get out of this room. His chains felt like mine.

Twenty-One

Amara

When Ciro pulled out of the parking lot, I squeezed my eyes together. Could I block out the building? The fact that Luka was still inside? The fact that I was the one leaving him behind this time?

“I need you to take me to the Hilton,” I instructed Ciro. “The one out by the interstate.”

“Why?”

“I need to speak to Enzo’s parents.” I scrolled through my phone absently. “They’re staying there. According to this article it’s where they’ve set up the central command tent.”

“You think that’s a good idea?”

“I’m his boss,” I shot back. “They should know the entire company is in shock and supporting his family. I’ll offer a public reward for his return.”

“That puts you in the spotlight.”

I shook my head. “I’ll offer it to them, his parents, as an anonymous contribution to bringing him home,” I explained.

Ciro made a U-turn at the next light, sending us in the direction of the Hilton.

We had twenty minutes in the car.

“What was in Philadelphia?” I asked.

“A connecting flight to Paris.” His eyes darted to the rearview mirror. “You know why I was going there.”

“I do, but you didn’t make it to France. So what else was there? It’s not a coincidence you were routed through there,” I commented. I knew he could be evasive, but I always expected the truth from Ciro.

---