Page 47 of Secret Betrayals
“If it's alright,” Gabriella says, her voice lowering, “I’d like to show you something. But it would be best if fewer eyes were present. Things are about to get complicated.”
Her eyes, for the first time, land on Heather. Linger. Then flick back to my father. Then to my mother. Then back to my father again.
I don’t like that shit.
“Whatever you got to say, you can say in front of my family,” I snap. “If you think you’re running this show, bitch, you got another thing coming.”
Gabriella stares at me for a long beat. Silent. Calm.
Then she shrugs. “Very well. You have more than one rat.”
She barely gets the words out before my father bellows, “EVERYBODY OUT! Immediate family stays!”
His voice echoes off the walls. I know this move. It ain’t just about secrecy—it’s about protection. We haven’t had time to identify the traitor, if there is one, and he’s not taking chances. If keeping my ma, Luna, and even Heather close means they’re safe, so be it. He’s never led us wrong.
“Sebastian,”Gabriella says something to him in Italian and its pissing me off.
Sebastian pulls a device from his back and starts waving it around the room like we’re in a spy movie.
“They’re not armed,” I mutter, annoyed.
The other kid—the quiet one behind the laptop—speaks without looking up. “That’s not what he’s checking. Chill, bro.”
I snap my head toward him. “I ain’t yourbro, boy. You better watch how the fuck you speak to me.”
He stiffens. Gabriella says something in Italian, and he returns to typing. Still tense, like he’s ready to lunge at the first wrong move. Once the room’s cleared, Sebastian finishes his sweep. He checks my parents, brother, and niece… then walks over to me. I hold his stare. He ignores it and waves the device.
Then he steps up to Heather.
The scanner lights up and emits a faint sound. Heather stiffens.
He turns to Gabriella. They share another silent conversation. It’s starting to grate on me—this telepathic shit they keep doing. Gabriella shakes her head. Sebastian’s jaw ticks, but he backs off. Puts the device away, pulls the gun from his waistband, and keeps it at his side. He throws a glare at Heather. Then at me.
Nephew or not, I’ll knock his little disrespectful ass flat if he keeps testing me.
Gabriella walks toward us. Nitro moves in, just a fraction, eyes locked on Sebastian.
“My son was scanning for transmissions,” she says, voice crisp. “Everyone was cleared—except one.” She looks at Heather. So do I.
My father stiffens beside me.
But I’m not ready to take this woman’s word as gospel. For all I know, she and that boy rigged the whole damn thing. Make it look like Heather’s the mole. Create doubt. Stir chaos. It's too convenient. Gabriella shows up, talking about nearly a million in product missing, Talon gets hospitalized, and nowHeather’s the problem.
Fuck no. I don’t trust it.
“So as I was saying,” Gabriella continues smoothly, “you have more than one rat. Some knowingly... others maybe not.”
I glare. “And what the fuck does that have to do with—spit it out. We’re sitting in a goddamn hospital waiting room while my brother, our Prez, is in surgery. I’m about done with the riddles, withthem—” I point to the boys “—and withyou.”
She just stares at me again.
Another damn staring contest.
Fourteen
I’d be proud if I wasn’t so damn pissed.
Idon’t want to be here a second longer than I have to. Already, I feel different. And I fucking hate it. No matter how much of a boss I am or how many years have passed, it’s jarring—confusing—to feel anything, especially for him. I’m not supposed to care about Talon. I’m not supposed to worry if he lives or dies. That part of me was supposed to be dead and buried. I worked damn hard to kill it.
