Page 41 of Depths of Desire
Renzo’s right. The first thing we have to do is speak with Luna’s father and find out what the hell is actually going on. I hate being out of the loop. Hate it more than I can say. But Ican’t leave Luna alone—not right now. And it’s too dangerous to take her with me. That makes me useless. Left sitting like a caged animal while the rest of my family prepares for war.
I close my eyes and open a telepathic channel to my father, Renzo, and Luca.Let me in.My father doesn’t answer at first. I push harder. His fury hits me like fire. Fiery. Violent. Ruthless.If you hadn’t protected Luna,he seethes,we wouldn’t even be here.
And if I’d let her die on the freighter? Then what? We’d have no clue Malrick was involved. No idea Luna was part of any of this. And Renzo and Luca? Their wives would be burning the world down—starting with me.Teeth clenched, I shove my own anger back against his.Spare me your rage. This is not my fault. Let’s focus on the task at hand.
Luna’s father is here,Luca cuts in, always the diplomat when things get tense.I’ll set up a secure comm link. You can watch.
Thank you,I acknowledge trying to rein in my anger. I drop back into my chair, hands still twitching from the aftermath of fury. The screens on my desk light up as Luca’s link comes through. I click and join the feed. The video loads, grainy at first, before sharpening to crystal clarity.
Renzo steps into frame first, adjusting the camera so it captures the room clearly. I recognize the reinforced interrogation space in the lower level of the villa. Silver cuffs. Bolted chair. The kind of place no one walks out of unless Renzo allows it. There he is. Elio Benedetti, Luna’s father. His head hangs slightly, like he knows there’s no point in posturing. His hair is standing up in tufts, and he’s wearing pajamas. They obviously yanked him out of bed, not giving him the chance to change. First rule of interrogation…strip the quarry of any dignity.
If Elio lies even once, I want to be the one tearing his throat out. Personally. Slowly. I will make them hold him until I amthere, and then I will make him suffer unimaginably for the pain and fear he’s caused Luna.
Luca stands near the back of the room, arms crossed, jaw tight. Renzo is beside him, his expression icy. I have no doubt that waves of rage are emanating from them. Our father is already seated at the long steel table, fingers steepled, face carved in stone. Renzo is letting my father question Benedetti because Renzo is so angry he doesn’t trust himself to question the little fucker. It’s his way of showing restraint… not that Benedetti knows that.
Benedetti opens his mouth, but my father waves him off.
“Don’t speak until you are spoken to.”
Benedetti swallows whatever he might have been about to say and nods silently.
My father continues to stare at him for another long moment. Then he begins the interrogation with one word. “Why?”
Benedetti sighs. “It was so long ago. I never meant?—”
My father waves his hand one more time and repeats, “Why?”
“We wanted a child,” Benedetti starts again. “He promised me he could help…”
My father shakes his head. “Why?” he repeats again. His rage is a living thing, and it’s turned ice cold. His patience is running out.
“I…Because I wanted to get ahead. I wanted to be on the top,” Benedetti blurts out. “By the time I realized how deep I was in, it was too late. There was no escape.”
My father nods. “That, I believe. You could have, however, reached out to any one of us at any time and we would have helped you. We would have taken care of Malrick easily and quickly.”
“I thought you would kill me. You would take everything I have. I’ve worked damn hard to get where I am.” His voice isangry and his face flushes crimson. “I wasn’t giving it up without a fight.”
“And yet here you are. Put out to pasture by your best friend when he retired. You could have lived out the rest of your days quietly and at peace with your family, but choose instead to sell us out.”
“I didn’t have a choice!” he all but shouts. “When Malrick found out you all were taking over, he demanded that I feed him more intel. He threatened Luna?—”
“He did not.” My father’s tone brooked no argument. “He would not threaten her as she is too valuable to him. He threatenedyou.”
Benedetti’s complexion pales. “I…I…” His voice died out while my father waited. Finally, he sighs again and says, “Alright, yes. He threatened me and my way of life. What was I supposed to do? People depend on me.”
“You were supposed to reach out to Renzo and tell him what was going on. You were supposed to put the family first as you’ve sworn to do. You were supposed to be loyal.”
“I didn’t have a choice…” he mumbles again.
“There is always a choice,” Renzo says as he pushes away from the wall. He comes to stand beside my father. “I have a few questions,” Renzo says, walking slowly around the chair. “And you’re going to answer them. Clearly. Honestly. Fast.”
“I—”
“You speak when spoken to,” our father snaps out a reminder, his voice cold enough to freeze time.
I tap my fingers against my desk, the only outward sign of the fury simmering beneath my skin. If this bastard had been in front of me, I’d have already ripped his throat out.
Renzo drops into a chair across from him, all calm menace. “Tell me how long you’ve been feeding intel to Malrick Comescu.”
