Page 121 of Ruthless Redemption

“Keira told you she gave me a phone?”

“Who do you think told her to plant it?”

“Why?” Why offer support when all your other actions are cruel?

“Because I want you to be safe.”

“Yet you’re the one who trapped me here with the son of my husband’s murderer.” My words are barely audible. It’s the pounding pulse in my chest that’s loud.

“Did I make a mistake?”

For the sake of my pride, I wish I could lie.

For once, it would be nice if Cole was wrong and I wasn’t the one always messing up.

“No. But did you do it for my sake or yours?” This isn’t the conversation I planned to have. I don’t want to fight again—especially since I’ll be walking back into the heart of the Italian mafia within hours. But now that we’re here, I need answers.

“I did what I thought was best for you.”

“So it wasn’t to gain power over a man who has skills you could exploit?” I ask. “You didn’t want him for yourself? To use the blood on his hands to your advantage?”

“I’ll admit, the strategy had benefits no matter the outcome. But my intent was your happiness.”

“You had no idea how I felt about him, Cole. All you knew was that he was Emmanuel’s son. That he’d lied to me. That he was the Butcher. How could you—”

“That’s not true,” he cuts me off. “I knew that when you came home with a bruised face while being with him, you lied for his protection. Youlied, sister, even though you’d come close to being ostracized for the same actions in the past. Iknewthat you were risking the very little forgiveness we’d given for your mistakes. And after all the shit you’ve been through in your life, I fuckingknewit wouldn’t have been easy for you to trust any man, let alone a lover.”

I clench my stomach to counteract the tightness consuming my chest.

“You fell for him, Layla. And once I spoke to him, I knew he’d done the same for you. There aren’t many men who would threaten to start a bloodbath for a woman, but he’s one of them.”

A bleak smile pulls at my lips, my sorrow and gratitude circling like vultures.

“Did I make the wrong choice?” he asks.

I should say yes. I should make him suffer for the days I went to hell and back wondering where my future might lead. I should give him a taste of the medicine I had to swallow while being stuck under the roof of a man I had to hate while still being neck-deep in love. “No.”

“Good.”

The conversation pauses, the waves of the ocean filling the thickening silence.

He clears his throat. “Is that all you called for? To set the record straight?”

“There’s more.” There’s so much more I struggle to formulate the right words. “I just… I guess with all that’s gone on, I’m struggling with my mortality and want to make sure you’ll always be there for Stella. No matter what happens in the future.”

“Why?” Sharp curiosity enters his voice. “What’s going to happen?”

“Nothing… Then again, who knows when it comes to my track record on shitty choices, right?” I fake a chuckle. “I guess my parental instincts are feeling a little frazzled now that I’ve made the decision to be with someone who has a past as checkered as ours.”

“Layla,” he warns. “Tell me what’s really going on.”

“I just did.” The lie stings, the bitter taste coating the back of my throat. But I won’t risk him getting involved in our plans for Emmanuel. I’m sick of delays and roadblocks. “I’m emotional, that’s all.”

“Then come home. Bring Langston. We can sit down and discuss arrangements for your future.”

“My future isn’t up for discussion.” And besides, after Matthew cast a vivid picture yesterday, I’ve found it hard to imagine my life if I return to Portland. I want D.C. I want fashion shows in Milan and seduction in Florence.

“Then come home and properly introduce your man and his punk-ass sidekick.”

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