Page 25 of Red Retaliation
Liam’s sneer dissolves as Steve’s huge frame rises from the chair, realizing what it signifies. He pushes himself further back into the chair like it will prevent him from being forcibly ejected from the premises. “You can’t be fucking serious?”
“Deadly serious,” I snarl. “Threatening to go behind my back, overturn my decisions and call your own shots amounts to traitorous shit. And wanting to rape a woman under my fucking roof is another! You’re just lucky I haven’t already killed you!”
“For fuck’s sake!” Liam jerks out of Steve’s grip, but there’s no point. He can’t win. Steve is one of the few people who could overpower me, and that’s saying something. “You’re acting like you give a toss about the bitch! She’s a fucking Galvatore!”
“I knowexactlywhat she is!” I scream.It’s all that’s been on my mind since she entered this fucking place.
“Red, don’t do this!” Oscar stands up. “Don’t take the enemy’s side over your own brother!”
“This is about protecting my fucking firm, nothing else!” I bark, fury igniting. “You talk about enemies? It seems like I have plenty here. You’re a gnat’s knacker away from joining your brother, Oscar, so if I were you, I’d shut the fuck up!”
My chin jerks in Steve’s direction, giving him the irrevocable instruction to get my brother out of here before my calm exterior cracks further and I smash Liam’s skull open. I don’t want to do that because he’s my brother, but I’ll not have people in the fold who aren’t on my page.
As Steve drags Liam from the chair, his feet scuffle in a pointless attempt to remain in contact with the floor. “You’ve gone fucking mad!”
I push into Liam’s face. “If I hear one more word from you, I’ll come for you and kill you.”
“Red,please!” Liam yells, seeing sense as he’s dragged towards the door. “Things got out of hand. I got carried away. I...”
“If you even so much aslookat Arianna or another woman like that again, I will personally hunt you down and remove you!”
Oscar grabs my arm. “Where will he go?”
“Not my problem,” I hiss, shaking off his grip. “I don’t give a toss as long as it isn’t here!”
I can hear Liam yelling for some time as Steve pulls him down the corridor with Oscar following, to the fire exit.
Feeling drained, I drop into a vacated chair and scrape my fingers through my hair, freeing it from the band to fall around my shoulders. I say nothing, even though Del expects me to. The silence is heavy and crushing.
“Fuck!” Del eventually hisses.
“It had to be done,” I say hollowly. That it did, but it makes me feel no less gutted that I’ve had my brother ejected from the firm; gutted that he’d eventhinkof attempting to override me; and gutted that he’d lay his unwanted hands on a woman.
Thatwoman especially.
It angers me that Arianna has somehow governed the ability to fire my rage to this extent. I don’t allow anyone to do that, so why her? I don’t know, nor do I appreciate it. But none of that changes the base facts: Liam was out of order and had to be dealt with.
That’s what I’m telling myself, and I’m sticking to it.
“I will not haveanyoneundermine me!” I fix my glare on Del. My feelings about this joint disapproval of how I’m doing things, goes forhimas well. I knew Del disagreed with my decisions, but enough to go against me? “I won’t have anyone here who doesn’t back my orders.”
“You already know I think that woman being here is a bad idea.” Del shrugs. “But from what you’ve just said, she’s going. Either way, I don’t have to like it. You’re the boss, as well as my friend, so I’ll always back you. You know that.”
I nod. I did know that - well, IthoughtI did, but I’m beginning to wonder. “Liam will remain removed until he’s had a rethink.” I roll my shoulders to ease the tension in my neck. “There’s few people I extend the option of a second chance to, but I’m telling you now that if he doesn’tgenuinelyaccept his attitude needs rebooting, then brother or not, hisremoval will be permanent!”
Del’s mouth fixes into a thin line. “The question now is how to keep that he’s been slung out under wraps.”
“I’ve already thought about that. Steve knows to keep an eye on Liam and make sure he doesn’t play his face.” I glance in the door’s direction. I can no longer hear my brother’s protestations, which means he’s out of the building. “But I meant what I said. If Liam sees the error of his ways, I’ll accept him back. If he doesn’t, then I’ll face that prospect and what it means at that point.”
Now, if it hasn’t happened already, I need to ensure the body lying in my cellar goes in the incinerator. It’s Edoardo Bristoni’s problem to explain that he has no son to bury.
And that’s the only silver lining in this shitheap of a day.
CHAPTER
16
Arianna
