Page 95 of A Shade of Evil

“Now, for the real reason I’m here.”

As we take our seats, I wonder what’s on his mind and something about the expression in his eyes tells me I’m not going to like it.

“Serena.” My blood runs cold and I say roughly, “What about her?”

“She will need your help.”

“Why?” I say quickly because if our sister is in any danger, I’m liable to stage a fucking war.

He sighs heavily and I note the worry in his eyes.

“I had a visit from Dimitri Constantine. You are aware his sons were following your decoy.”

“I was aware.” I stare at him in anger, and he hisses, “They heard word there’s a contract out on your sister.”

“What the fuck!” I jump up and my grandfather roars, “Sit the fuck down and keep your head. Your anger won’t help her now.”

I do as he says but there is no way in hell we are putting Serena in danger and he taps his cigar on the desk and says in his customary drawl, “They came to me with the information, knowing I will take steps to protect her. We have a good relationship with the Constantine’s, and I asked them to help. Dimitri sent his sons, and they pulled in a few favors, which led to us discovering Jefferson’s lock up. They were working on my behalf with Killian to wrap up this mystery and discover what they could about the person responsible for targeting your sister.”

Killian nods. “They were close to discovering Jefferson’s secrets and knew of his interest in Allegra. They were following that day to watch over her, knowing that Jefferson had no regard for her safety. They didn’t realize we had placed a cop in as a decoy and just wanted to make sure she was safe.”

“Will somebody please tell me why all of this was going on and you neglected to tell me?” I say irritably, and Killian answers as my grandfather looks on with interest.

“Because the woman at the center of it is too close to you. Anybody watching you both would have seen that, and we wanted to keep our investigations under the radar. When you are close to someone, it becomes personal, and mistakes are made. We were doing it to protect you both.”

“I don’t need protecting.” I hiss, so angry I almost can’t see straight.

My grandfather shakes his head. “You need protecting against your own ignorance with a statement like that.”

He stares at me with a hard expression in his eye and, as always, I back down under the force of it.

His eyes flash as he snarls, “Your sister is the same. She will learn nothing of this threat.”

“Why? She needs to protect herself, and knowledge is the best defense.” I say foolishly because questioning the Don’s instructions isn’t the best idea in the world.

He merely shakes his head, followed by a deep sigh.

“Shade. You have a lot to learn. There are reasons why we do things in a certain way, and it all boils down to the same point. We use knowledge to protect, to defeat, and to secure. Serena is headstrong, like you, and if we tell her she is in danger, she will make certain she puts herself in the firing line to flush them out. She will be safer in ignorance with us watching her back and, with the help of our friends, the Constantines, we will discover the man responsible and remove him.”

“The man?” I lean forward. “It could be a woman.”

Killian adds. “Doubtful but Shade is right. We must consider all the options.”

“Then consider them but make it fast.”

My grandfather leans back and I hate the pain in his eyes as he says sadly, “I’m getting too old for this shit. Now the Stevenson problem has been resolved, we move onto Serena’s. Use every resource you have and when she is back from visiting your mom, I want this city to be the safest one in the world for her.”

“You are seriously letting her go ahead with her visit.” I say incredulously, and my grandfather nods.

“As soon as she is on the plane, she is protected. I will send someone with her, and Australia is the perfect place for her to hide. Stoner’s ranch is in the middle of nowhere and he is the perfect guardian to keep her safe.”

“Does he know?” Kill says, and my grandfather shakes his head.

“No. Only us and the Dimitris. That is all, and I am relying on you all to work together to keep your sister safe.”

He stares at us with an evil gleam in his eye and hisses, “Nobody messes with the Vieris and lives to boast about it. Do what you must but do it fast. Serena is now our number one priority, and we must move fast. I am relying on you. Don’t let me down.”

He stands and we follow his lead, and he moves before me and grips my face in both hands and stares at me with a dark expression mixed with love. I have always marveled at his ability to be the most commanding presence in the room, both fearful and demanding of respect, and yet I am always assured of his deep love for his family.

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