Page 20 of Fierce Hearts

Why he chose me as the stand-in, I'd never fully know. Maybe it was because he'd thought he'd manipulated me into exactly who he wanted me to be.

How wrong he was.

When he'd died, his will and desires were brought to light, and the family was up in arms about my supposed new status. I wasn't even eighteen, they believed I had no right to the position.

Ernesto had been furious, but many of the family had agreed he also didn't have a say to the title, not after his recent blunder at the time.

Marco had whispered to me to name him, he was older, and he'd make sure I'd be safe. Even if I was too young, I still had a say thanks to my father's will.

So I did. I'd renounced it immediately, passing on my title to Marco before the family, a man I deemed more suitable to lead.

Marco had stepped up in my place, and I'd been allowed to leave—a rarity in our world. Perhaps because I was a woman. Perhaps because Marco had convinced them I was more valuable as a legitimate connection later on, or that since I was still so young, I was no threat. Whatever reasoning he'd used, he'd set me free.

He'd been the brother I'd never had.

And now he was dead.

I'd tried to leave, tried to become someone else, something more. I'd gone to nursing school. Gotten a legitimate career. A life away from the family business.

But now the family had other ideas.

"Duty calls." Gray's voice brought me back to the present. He'd finished his call and was looking at me with an easy smile. "Sorry about that. Business never sleeps, especially when Leo's tied up."

I forced myself to focus. "Sounds exciting. New ventures?"

He nodded, relaxing into the seat beside me. "We're diversifying some of our shipping interests. Nothing too exciting, but it keeps the board happy."

"I'm sure it does." I managed a small smile.

"Remember that time we all went to that dive bar while you guys were in college?" he asked suddenly, changing the subject. "When you were determined to prove you could beat anyone at pool?"

The memory surfaced, pushing back the darker thoughts momentarily.

"Right, yeah, I remember." My lip curled slightly.

It was not long after the pair of them had confronted me about who I was, after having watched me as Meredith's friend for a year. Only then had I realized who Meredith was, how she was tied to the Donati, but I'd become best friends with her, and I hadn't wanted to end the only solid relationship I'd made since leaving my family years before.

I'd learned who Leo and Gray were, and as a sign of good faith, and that we all wanted what was best for Meredith, we'd organized to all get together since Meredith had passed a big test with flying colors.

"You hustled that group of frat boys out of two hundred dollars, it was a sight to see."

"They never saw it coming." I managed a soft smile at the memory.

Gray laughed, the sound warm and genuine. "And Meredith was your accomplice, pretending to give you terrible advice the whole time."

"We made a good team," I admitted, the memory bittersweet now. Those had been simpler days, although just as tense in some ways. We'd all come to an agreement to protect Meredith, and the two men had agreed to leave me be in peace, the entire Donati family willing to look the other way if I just looked out for Meredith. Something I had already been doing with our friendship.

"We all did," he agreed. "Though I think Leo was ready to step in when those guys started getting rowdy."

"Leo's always ready for a fight," I said, remembering how Leo had been composed yet tense, ready to move, to put any man on his ass if required, or in the ground. Even then, there had been something dangerous about him other than his last name. The blood that ran in his veins. The blood of a killer.

Something you recognized when the same kind of blood pulsed through your own veins.

"Not always," Gray countered. "But when it comes to protecting what's his? Absolutely."

"He loved her even then, didn't he?" I mused, recalling how he'd watched Meredith back then. I'd thought it was odd, especially when Meredith had explained their relationship, how Leo and her brother were such good friends since they were young.

"Yeah, I just refused to believe it," Gray said with a sigh, but he was smiling. "He's always looked out for us. For her."

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