Page 23 of Lies like Rubies, Part One

My jaw trembled as I crawled to him, furious and heartbroken. He threw a pillow on the floor between his legs, and I knelt on it.

Instead of giving me another order, he dragged my cheek against his thigh and stroked his fingers through my hair.

“Quiet, kitten.”

I shuddered against him.

“Go ahead and cry if you need to.”

As if his words opened floodgates, a sob escaped me, an animal sound of pain and terror. Tears streamed down my face as I whimpered out all my fears on his leg. He sat quietly, letting me cry, gently scratching my scalp as I clutched at his pants and sobbed my fool heart out on his leg.

When my tears finally subsided, he hauled me to my feet. “Finished?”

I stared down at him, blinking. How the fuck had he done that? He’d gotten me relaxed enough to cry, then put me right back together again.

Someone knocked at the door. “José,” he murmured. “My second in command.”

I nodded, and Dante called for him to enter.

José was a wirey man with a shaved head and tattoos covering every inch of exposed skin except his face. “Boss, he bribed the reception,” he said, looking over me but not commenting otherwise. “I’ve got one of my men manning the desk and the receptionist in the trunk of my car.”

No.

“My father owns this building. The Russos need to handle this one,” I said softly.

“Sofia, this is José Ramirez.” Dante introduced us.

Ramirez nodded. “Nice to meet you, ma’am. What do you want me to do with him, boss?”

I pursed my lips. “Call Lorenzo,” I finally said, feeling the walls closing in. How long would I be able to keep this a secret from my parents and avoid moving back onto their compound? “No, I’ll call him. You all need to leave.”

Compassion swept across Dante’s face before the hard cruelty I was accustomed to replaced it. “Don’t let him make you do anything you don’t want, kitten.”

If only it were that easy. I nodded sharply and turned to fetch my phone.

“Make him install a thicker door with a goddamned deadbolt. Tell him you want one of the elevators to be exclusively for your use, work only with your card, with a full-time guard outside to check IDs. And for Christ’s sake, fucking keep your weapon on you all the time, kitten.”

“I have a four-year-old,” I whispered.

“Then your four-year-old better get used to you wearing a shoulder holster,” Dante snapped. “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”

He was right. Of course, he was. Whether I left Yorkfield or not, Lizzie needed to be comfortable with guns, and she’d certainly need to learn to use one when she got bigger. I didn’t let my heart break at the thought, instead slapping metaphorical plaster and duct tape over the gaping wound. I reminded myself that I’d already promised this monster of a man that I’d do anything to keep my daughter safe. Wearing a gun around the apartment was small potatoes compared to the Faustian bargain I’d made with this devil.

10

LORENZO

Sofia was fucking lying again.Again.

“Wait out here,” I snapped at the soldiers I brought with me and stalked into her apartment. The moment the door slammed shut, I shoved her against the wall.

“What the fuck is going on, Miss Russo?”

Sofia didn’t even goddamned blink as I caged her between my arms, my breath mingling with hers. “I told you. Sergio visited my apartment.”

My eye twitched. “Why was the receptionist waiting for me in the trunk of Dante Oscuro’s car?”

Her eyes flew to mine, widening for an instant in surprise before returning to their cool assessment of me.

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