Page 13 of Devil's Embrace
I smiled without humor."You saw me standing over a dead man in an alley.Saw my face.You know my name."
She flinched at my directness but recovered quickly."We don't know anything about you.We just want to go home."
"Mama," Mina whimpered from spot besides Vincent."I want to go home.Please."
Emory's gaze darted to her daughter, then back to me.I could almost see the calculations running behind those hazel eyes—weighing options, seeking leverage, looking for any weakness she could exploit.
"The child is tired."I stopped my circling to stand directly in front of Emory.From this position, I towered over her by nearly a foot, forcing her to crane her neck to maintain eye contact."Halloween night interrupted.Such a shame."
Emory shifted her weight, trying to position herself between me and her daughter despite the distance Vincent maintained.A futile gesture, but intriguing in its instinctive protectiveness.
"Mommy, why are we here?"Mina asked."I want to go home."
Emory's composure faltered for a moment, pain flashing across her features before she controlled it."I know, sweet pea.We'll go home soon."
"Don't lie to the child.It creates false hope."
Her eyes flashed with anger."What do you want from us?"
A reasonable question, one I was still formulating the answer to myself."For now, your silence.Beyond that remains to be determined."
I moved closer, invading her personal space deliberately.My tailored suit did little to conceal my muscular build—a fact I used to my advantage in intimidation.Most people instinctively backed away.Emory held her ground, though I could hear her breathing quicken.
"You're Luca Moretti.As in the Moretti crime family."Her eyes widened, as if she’d just put the two together."I've seen your picture in the newspaper.With your uncle."
I reassessed her instantly.Knowledge made her more dangerous, but potentially more useful."And what do you know about the Moretti family, Emory Scott?"
"Only what everyone knows.That you're powerful.Dangerous."
I smiled coldly."Then you understand your situation perfectly."
"Mommy?"Mina called again, her voice cracking."The man is scaring me."
Emory's facade cracked slightly, maternal instinct overtaking self-preservation."It's okay, baby.Just look at me.Don't be scared."
I studied the interaction with clinical detachment.The child was Emory's weakness, and therefore a point of leverage.Yet something about the girl's innocent fear created an unexpected discomfort in me.Children weren't targets in my world.They were to be protected, or at minimum, ignored.
"I have a proposition.Your cooperation in exchange for the child's comfort."
Hope flickered in Emory's eyes, quickly replaced by suspicion."What kind of cooperation?"
"Information.About what you saw.About what you know.Complete honesty."
"And in exchange?"
"The child will not be harmed or traumatized further."I gestured to Vincent."She'll remain in a comfortable room with appropriate food and care."
Emory's bound hands twisted, searching for a position that caused less pain."And me?"
"You'll be questioned.Thoroughly."I let the implication hang in the air between us."Your answers will determine what happens next."
Her gaze darted around the foyer, taking in the armed guards, the security cameras disguised as decorative elements, the sheer impenetrability of my fortress.I could see her realizing the hopelessness of her situation, the mathematical certainty that there was no escape.
"You don't have to separate us.I'll tell you everything you want to know.Just let me stay with my daughter."
I considered this briefly.Keeping them together would minimize the child's trauma, potentially making Emory more cooperative.But it would also give Emory something to fight for, a reason to resist or lie if she thought it would protect her daughter.
"No.Separation is necessary for now."
