Page 82 of Lies like Rubies, Part Two (Savage Jewels)

Nick gently unclenched my fingers from around the photos and the envelope, prying them out of my hands and handing them to Dante. The comfort of his thumb rubbing over my knuckles grounded me, when all I wanted to do was rage and cry.

No.

No more tears. I was done with crying when life threw shit at me. Time to pick up that shit and throw it back.Harder.

I stiffened my spine and met Dante’s furious gaze. “If your house is bugged, then you’re not holding up your end of the bargain as far as Lizzie’s concerned,” I said, ragesnapping in my voice as I bit out my condemnation. “Hire that freelancer that Nick’s in touch with and have her comb through your security footage. I want to know how the fuck he got these pictures. The last thing I need—we need—is for photos of the games we play to circulate widely. People won’t understand.”

Lorenzo scoffed. “I’m part of it, and Istilldon’t understand.”

Dante smiled, “Are you giving me orders again, kitten?”

I cocked my head. “Yes.” I tapped a finger on the photos lying on the table. “You fucked up. You promised me you’d keep my daughter safe when I sold you my soul, and you’ve failed to do so. Not a single one of you has made a commitment to me beyond the moment we catch Sergio. You said you were my general, Dante. Fucking act like it.”

Dante’s eyes narrowed before crinkling with amusement. “All right, kitten. You’re in charge. Just remember, it’s still my money paying for things, and you’re still my stupid little slut.”

The gall of this man. I wasn’t stupid. I knew he was desperately trying to seize some of the power in our relationship back from me. “Your money’s paying for this because I sold myself to you in exchange for my daughter’s safety.” I slammed my hand down on the table, shaking the plates and cutlery, dragging my men’s attention back to me. “And you’re failing at that, Dante!”

The restaurant quieted, my outburst drawing their attention like moths to a flame.

Our waitress returned to the table, skittish at the violence written on all our faces. “Dessert?” she asked.

“The check,” Dante snapped as he tapped out messages on his phone. “My men will secure the perimeter and scour every inch of the house tonight.”

“No,” Lorenzo said. “Someone in your organization is compromised. Or mine. We need an outsider, someone we can trust.”

“Nick’s hacker,” I repeated.

“And until she’s available?” Dante asked.

“We know the angle the photo was taken from. I can do a preliminary sweep for hidden cameras with the equipment I have in my apartment.” Lorenzo said. “It’s the more detailed sweep that’ll require a professional, one I no longer have access to, since I left the Russo organization.” My heart ached for him, but his gaze was firm and resolute.

“Let’s go, then. I’d like to minimize the disruptions to Lizzie’s sleep.”

34

LORENZO

Half-a-dozen video and audio transmitters.Fucking hell.I ran my fingers through my hair, resisting the urge to deck Dante, who was on the phone with his man, José. He’d put Sofia through hell over the last six weeks, no matter how much she swore she liked the sexual servitude, and he hadn’t fulfilled his end of the bargain.

“I want access to security footage since we moved Sofia into this house…No, I don’t want to move her tonight!…Lizzie doesn’t need another move, Sofia has her last final tomorrow, and she fucking graduates on Saturday!…Fucking hell, José. No, I’m not saying this is your fault, but I am demanding your help to fix it. We have to keep her safe.”

Whatever José said after that, it struck Dante dumb. The next words out of his lips astounded me. “Yes, I fucking care about her, you asshole. And you better fucking help me make this right before I rip my Yorkfield operation away from you.”

When he would have thrown the phone across the room, I slipped it out of his hand. “You’re going to want this later,” I told him, still seething.

He clenched his jaw but allowed me to set the phone on the table beside us without commentary. His eyes were black with fury as he contemplated the devices before us.

“I found one in Lizzie’s room,” I managed, more calmly than I felt.

When I dropped the cameras on the table in front of Dante, he barely looked up, so engrossed was he in sending out orders via text message.

“Out with it,” he demanded, when he finally looked up at me.

“You put Sofia through hell in exchange for your protection, and you didn’t deliver. Again.”

Agony painted itself on Dante’s stricken face before he snapped back into control. “That’s none of your fucking business, Lorenzo.”

“To the contrary,” Sofia said, emerging from the shower, looking rosy and delectable, wrapped in a silk robe. “I gave you my soul, Dante, and yet, Lorenzo found cameras in my daughter’s room.”

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