Page 61 of His Savage Ruin
"Twenty minutes," he says again, releasing me and heading for the door. "Don't make me come back and dress you myself."
"Would you?" The question slips out before I can stop it.
He pauses with his hand on the doorframe, glancing back at me with something dark and promising in his expression. "Try me and find out."
After he leaves, I dress quickly in a silk blouse in deep emerald and a black skirt that hits just above my knees. I'm buttoning the blouse when there's a knock at the door, and before I can answer, it opens.
Marco stands in the doorway, his face carefully blank but his eyes hard. "The Don says we're leaving in ten minutes."
"I'll be ready." I keep my voice steady even though something about the way he's staring at me makes my skin crawl.
He should leave now, but he doesn't. He just stands there in the doorway watching me finish with my buttons. The silence stretches out uncomfortable and wrong.
"You know, Romeo's having trouble with simple tasks now." His voice is conversational, almost casual, which somehow makes it worse. "Can't hold his gun properly. Can't tie his boots without fumbling."
My hands freeze on the last button. I don't want to have this conversation, don't want to think about Romeo's missing finger and the blood on the marble floor. But Marco's waiting for me to say something, and the silence is getting heavier.
"I don’t know why you’re telling me this, Marco.”
He doesn’t say anything, so pressured by my guilt I add, “That's not my fault."
"Isn't it?" He doesn't move from the doorway, doesn't come closer, but his stare pins me in place anyway. "He talked to you. Made one comment. And now he'll carry that punishment for the rest of his life."
Guilt twists in my stomach even though I know I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't tell Matteo to hurt Romeo, didn't want anyone to get hurt. But Marco's looking at me like I personally took the knife to his friend's hand.
"I didn't ask Matteo to do that."
"No. But you didn't stop him either." His jaw clenches. "You stood there and watched while my friend cut off his own finger because of you. And then you went right back to the boss like nothing happened."
The accusation stings because there's truth in it. I did stand there. I did watch.
I lift my chin anyway, refusing to let Marco see how much his words are getting to me. "If Romeo can't follow the rules, that's between him and Matteo."
"Therules." Marco's mouth twists. "You mean the rules where no one can look at you without losing body parts? Where the don acts like you're some kind of queen instead of just another woman in this house?"
Just another woman. The words hit harder than they should, probably because part of me agrees with him. What makes me so special? Why am I worth protecting when Romeo wasn't worth mercy?
"I don't make the rules here."
"No, you don't. But you sure as hell benefit from them." He crosses his arms over his chest, still blocking the doorway. "Everyone in this house is talking about you. Wondering what you did to make the don act like this. Wondering what you're hiding that's worth all this protection."
My pulse kicks faster. Does he know something? Has he heard something? Or is he just fishing, trying to see if I'll give something away?
"I'm not hiding anything." The words come out too fast, too defensive, and I see Marco's eyes narrow like he's caught the lie in my voice.
"I'm watching you.” He says quietly. “And sooner or later, whatever you're hiding is going to come out. It always does."
Before I can respond, Matteo's voice cuts through the tension from somewhere down the hall. "Marco. Is there a problem?"
Marco's whole posture changes instantly. His face goes blank, professional, like we were just having a normal conversation about nothing important. "No, Don Romano. Just letting Signora Moretti know we're ready to leave."
Matteo appears in the doorway a second later, and he looks between us with those sharp eyes that miss nothing. I can see him reading the tension in the room even if he doesn't know what caused it.
"Then go make sure the cars are ready. I'll bring her down."
Marco nods once and leaves without another word, but the look he gives me as he passes promises this conversation isn't finished. Not by a long shot.
When we're alone, Matteo crosses to me and puts both hands on my face, tilting it up so I have to meet his eyes. "What did he say to you?"
