Page 89 of Ruthless Vengeance
One by one, they appear looking curious as they find Andre and me standing like a pair of statues by the front door.
Rosa looks exhausted after her homecoming last night, with traces of glitter still lingering on her eyelids, but she hasn’t stopped grinning since.
Clara holds Zoe on her hip, and Lila is doing the same with Holly, though she rests her free hand protectively over her still inexistent bump.
My entire world stands before me, and if I don’t get this right, Cillian could wipe them all out in one go.
I do my best to keep my expression neutral, but from the way Clara narrows her eyes at me, I know she can see straight through my façade.
I take a deep breath and try my best to keep my voice even so as not to panic the girls. “Until further notice, none of you are to leave the house. Not for school. Not for coffee. Not even for groceries.”
Rosa’s eyes narrow, and she folds her arms over her chest. “What the hell?”
Andre steps forward. “There’s a threat. And it’s serious. We’re not taking any risks.”
She pouts. “For how long?”
“For however long I say. But at least for the next week or so.”
Rosa’s mouth drops open, and I brace myself for an explosion.
“But school, mygraduation! You can’t just?—”
“You think wewantto do this?” My tone is harsher than I intended, but I don’t have time to pander to my little sister.
The clock is ticking and each second I stand here fighting her, the less time I have to come up with a plan to take down Cillian.
“Do you think I like being the guy that has to ruin your plans? Believe me, Rosa, I don’t. But I’d rather you hate me than end up dead because someone wanted to use you to get to me.”
Rosa throws her hands up in the air, looking on the verge of tears. She storms toward the stairs. “It’s always life and death.Always.”
I start to call after her, but Clara reaches for my hand. “Don’t. Let her go.”
“She needs to understand?—”
Clara squeezes my hand to try and calm me down. “She does understand. But she’s seventeen, Marco. She’s allowed to be upset. She’ll follow your rules, but let her be mad about it for a little while.”
I exhale, dragging a hand through my hair as I watch Rosa disappear upstairs.
Clara’s right. She always is when it comes to emotional stuff. But it sure as hell would make things easier if Rosa didn’t fight me on every single thing.
Andre moves to Lila’s side, kissing her on the temple. “Honestly, that went better than I thought it would.”
Lila hands Holly over to him. “How long is this for?”
“The next forty-eight hours are going to be crucial. But we’re doing everything we can to limit the fall out.”
Lila’s face pales as she leans into Andre for reassurance. “Okay.”
I look down at Clara and frown when I notice the faint circles under her eyes.
I reach out to stroke my thumb over her cheek. “Are you still feeling off?”
Clara shifts Zoe to her other hip. “A little.”
“Did you not sleep well?”
I was up most of the night, my thoughts too loud to shut off, but Clara slept peacefully in my arms until the sun came up. Though from the looks of it, she’s far from well rested.
