Page 207 of The Owner's Temptation

I don’t answer.

“Don’t fuck with me, Lucian.”

I nod once at him. “My girl do that?” My eyes linger on the harsh scratches that had to have come from Sienna. My little warrior angel fought back.

He glares at me and I smile smugly.

“Knew you wouldn’t be able to handle her.”

His face nearly turns purple. “I know you have him!” Spit flies from his mouth as he screams.

“I don’t,” I say flatly, voice like broken glass. “You’re fucking paranoid.”

“You think I’m stupid?”

“No,” I snap. “I think you’re a desperate, arrogant piece of shit who’s grasping at shadows because your empire is crumbling, and you need someone to blame.”

His mouth curls into a bitter sneer. “You stole my brother’s life and now you need my fucking son?”

“You know damn good and well this is not about your fucking brother anymore.”

“You’re so full of righteous bullshit,” Lorenzo spits. “But it’s always been like that, hasn’t it? You pretending to be more superior than the rest of us while hiding your sins under tailored suits and expensive clubs.”

“I’m not pretending anything. I just clean up better than you.”

“Give me my son,” he growls, stepping forward.

I don’t flinch. “Let me see Sienna.”

His eyes narrow.

“I’m not playing games, Lorenzo,” I bite out. “You show me she’s alive or I start carving your fucking eyes out, so you’ll really never see your son again.”

Too far? Not even fucking close.

“She’s fine.”

“Prove it.”

“I’m not here to prove anything.”

“Then I’m not here to negotiate.”

We stand there—two kings with proverbial knives pressed to each other’s throats. The air between us is sharp with rage, the kind that’s been simmering for years.

Decades.

This has been coming since the moment I walked away from the family. That meant walking away from Lorenzo too.

And now here we are.

At the bottom of the mountain, deciding who’s going to die on it.

The gravel stirs behind me as I hear engines. A lot more than one.

The high whine of performance tires followed by the roar of multiple vehicles charging in fast.

I whirl around, hand on my gun. “Call your fucking men off Lorenzo.”

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