Page 74 of Unruly Obsession
“Watch over her while I’m gone.” I shrug on my long black coat since my suit jacket is completely soiled with her father’s blood.
Sky whistles behind me, following me through the house like a pest. “Are you going to tell me what you’re up to?”
My silence is answer enough, and he comes to a stop at the door to the garage, leaning against it as he crosses his arms. He looks menacing, his gun glinting from underneath his leather jacket.
“Remove your mask so you don’t scare her if she wakes,” I order as I walk toward my favorite Lamborghini, the one with no registration plate.
He shakes his head but does as he’s told. “You’ve changed, Lorenzo. I don’t know if the boss will be too impressed by you going on solo missions.”
I start the engine, ignoring him. I, of all people, don’t need to be reminded of my boss’s expectations. But I couldn’t stop myself even if I tried. Luca Armani’s safety has always been my number one priority, and I’m kidding myself by using the short time I have left as Lily’s bodyguard as an excuse to take out Henrith Taylor when my boss specifically requested I strike up a deal with him instead. It became impossible the moment my suspicions about him hurting her were confirmed. The only reason I didn’t finish the job then and there was so she didn’t have to witness it.
It didn’t take me long to find out that Henrith Taylor didn’t go to any private hospital but was instead treated in his home. It’s stupidity, really, whether dictated by him or his wife, because breaking into their estate is far too easy.
I kill the engine, contact Izak, who’s talented with all things security, then simply climb over the fence and drop onto their front lawn. Henrith had evidently become paranoid over the last few months, having installed new security cameras, most likely scared of someone coming for his head instead of his daughter's.
I slip through the back door and then silently drift through the mansion. I think about what Lily might’ve been like as achild, and how her ray of sunshine still survived the depths of this vile home. She was always so reluctant to come back here. I understand the sentiment and find it harder to separate my own memories of my father from what she might feel toward hers.
I finally locate Henrith, and the first thing I notice is the IV drip attached to his arm. His face is swollen and has stitches. I come to a stop beside the bed, looming over him.
It takes me back to the night I stood over my own father, a bottle still in his hand from trying to attack my brother. I told Lily he’d stopped after Luca told him to never raise a hand against us again. I lied to make it cozier for her ears, but the truth of the matter was, my father only lasted another week before falling prey to his own vice and violent rage once again. It was the reason why I decided to kill him sooner than I anticipated. He didn’t just stop because someone told him it was bad. Men like that never change. Her father would never change.
I knew the moment I killed my father that I’d have to step into his role. I didn’t want to be the same as him, living amongst the shadows, even when I knew it was the most natural calling for me. I thought if I gave it longer, I could provide more opportunities for my brother.
But I realized no amount of time would change that. If I wanted it to happen, I had to make it happen myself.
And I was willing to do the same for Lily.
Henrith's eyelids open groggily, and those blue eyes that look too similar to Lily’s find me in the dark, as if he already knew I would be there, waiting. Instead of beaming with light and kindness like Lily's, his are only filled with hatred.
“I’m surprised you’re not screaming for help,” I say with a cold calm.
“Would it make a difference?” he croaks. “You’re one of Nicholas’s men, aren’t you?”
Being labeled as anything but one of Armani’s men revolts me, but I don’t correct his presumptions.
He shakes his head slowly. “My stupid son messed it all up.”
It comes as no surprise that even on his deathbed, he’s willing to throw his son under the bus in hopes it might save his own sorry ass.
“It’s a lot of money you owe,” I say, taking a stab. I don’t know the precise amount, but if it’s enough to put a hit out on his daughter's life, we’re talking millions.
“Just give us another month. I’ll give you double.”
That cruel tendril of anger unfurls in my stomach. He still thinks this is all about him and his money when it has everything to do with his daughter. I couldn’t give a shit about what he owes, but I remind myself I have to be patient just a little longer.
It kills me every second he still breathes, but I have that need to be loyal to Luca. He might have my head for this, but if I can provide him with any information, it might be enough of a trade-off. Not that I care about my own ass, but if I can extend security for Lily until those who are still pursuing her are truly gone, I'll spare a few more minutes to listen to this old piece of shit.
“What did your son do?” I ask, flipping the vial in my pocket between my fingers. Focusing on it is the only thing keeping me calm.
Henrith scoffs, which turns into a coughing fit. “I had the money and told him to meet your men that night. Instead, he gambled it away like a fucking moron.”
I don’t let my expression shift, but I think back on the few encounters I’ve had with Vince. The night at Dmitri’s, him having no money to spend and asking me to spot him. I’d flagged it then, but for him to be so stupid as to gamble all of that money…
“Tell me, Henrith, how much is it you suspect you owe us now?”
Henrith weakly shakes his head. “Twenty million.”
Enough to keep the business afloat, but I wonder how much of that Vince gambled and how much he put into his side of the business to look superior to his father. That doesn’t entirely sound like an uncalculated move. Unless, of course, he was trying to take his own father out.
