Page 10 of Dangerous Intent

Memories of her pained expression when I told her that Gian was dead and the way she trembled against my side when I held her at the cemetery clouded my mind.

I couldn’t allow my emotions to derail the loyalty I felt for my father.

“I won’t discuss this here.” I took her by the elbow and guided her down the hall. “We’re leaving.”

“No!” She yanked out of my hold.

“Lissia.” I gritted my teeth. “I will explain everything when we get home. But right now, you need to get in the car and go with me.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you until you admit what your family has done.” She placed her hand on her hip, expelling more defiance than I would have liked. “If your family didn’t do what Angelo has accused you of doing, then just say that and we can go.”

“It isn’t that simple,” I said as Milo and my father approached us.

“Marchello,” my father said. “Is there a problem?”

“Yes.” Lissia moved toward him. “I want to know who killed my father.”

“I see.” My father glared at me, probably disappointed that I had no control over the woman I was going to marry, before he turned back to Lissia. “I can answer your question, but I’ll do it on my terms, not yours.”

“What are your terms?” she asked.

“I don’t discuss my affairs in public.” He took a step toward her, forcing her to retreat and bump into me. “If you’re going to be part of my family, you need to show some respect.”

Don’t talk back to him.

“Marchello, I’ll meet you at the main house,” my father said.

His guard, who had been waiting in the background, opened the front door for him.

“I trust you’ll have the situation under control by then.” My father looked at Lissia. “And I trust you understand thatyouare thesituation.”

She let out an exasperated breath.

When my father exited the house, the guests who had been observing us from the living room diverted their attention. They didn’t dare look into my eyes.

“Milo,” I said. “Lissia’s coat and bag are upstairs in her old room. Can you retrieve them and bring them back to the house for us?”

“No problem.” Milo ran his hand through his hair. “Do you need me to do anything else?”

“Let Rosalie know we left and that Lissia will call her later. Have Ricardo stay here and help with managing the staff for cleaning up.”

Lissia’s silence worried me, but not as much as the dread building in my gut over the inevitable family meeting we were about to attend. I wasn’t afraid of my father. But the reaction Lissia would have to learning who was responsible for her father’s fate gnawed at me.

I removed my jacket and draped it over Lissia’s shoulders. “Let’s go.”

Dom greeted us on the porch.“Are you ready?”

“Yes.” I guided Lissia down the steps as Dom went to get the car.

“I know it wasn’t you,” she whispered. “But you’ve known from the moment it happened who it was.”

“You’ll have all the answers when we get home.”

Whether you want them or not.

* * *

As we approachedmy father’s study, I stopped and turned Lissia to face me.

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