Page 83 of Venomous Vows

Adrian stops when he’s within arm’s length of me and frowns. “I’m taking you out to dinner. Didn’t you receive my text?”

No.

I haven’t checked my phone in hours. Since Celine isn’t working at the bakery with me, I’ve had to employ a temporary person to fill in for her because I can’t run the place by myself. In fact, I’m about to hire another one because the workload is too big and I’m barely able to function correctly.

“I’ve been busy,” I deadpan, then decide to throw one jab in. “You know, since you captured my friend and insist that she’s fine.”

“She is fine,” Adrian divulges simply. “She’s alive.”

“Then where is she?”

“About a hundred yards from you at all times. She won’t be working for you anymore.”

“That’s my partner, Adrian. Celine was here with me when I started this business. We’re fifty-fifty?—”

“I bought her half out to make it legal. She has no ties here anymore.”

I gape at him because that wasn’t his decision to make. And this wasn’t how things were supposed to go.

Adrian reaches out, using the crook of his index finger to close my mouth. “My soon-to-be wife can’t afford to have traitors in her midst. Especially with what I do.”

“Adrian—”

“Yes,piccola diavola.”

I’m trying to be understanding here, I am. If Celine did what she did and advised The Disciples where I was, it could’ve put Marcella and me in severe danger. A position I’m not equipped to be in.

“I haven’t gotten to speak to her.”

“What do you need to speak to her about? She betrayed you.”

“That’s whatyousay,” I retort. “But I’m still not understanding why she did it in the first place. What happened to her for it to get that far and?—”

“You were right about the mother,” Adrian quips simply. “They threatened her life and something about burning her house down. They used her parent as leverage and she caved.”

Thank God.

I mean not for what they did but because Celine doesn’t secretly hate me or something.

“That makes sense,” I reply. “So she didn’t have a choice.”

Adrian cocks his head to the side and those soft green eyes narrow a bit in confusion. “Everyone always has a choice. She chose wrong.”

“Well, what else would you have her do?”

“Anything but put you at risk. Don’t you folks call the cops?”

A small scoff escapes my lips, but he’s not wrong. Celine could’ve called the police, but I have a feeling they kept her from doing that too.

“I’ve moved your father.”

My blood runs cold at his simple and casual comment of touching my father next without consulting me about it. This whole intervening shit is getting old quickly because I’m not used to, what people would call, the assistance.

“From my sources, he’s received death threats and obviously hasn’t said anything to you about it. I moved him to the house, as well as your sister. They will be safe there until I’ve dealt with the situation.”

That’s…sweet.

In Adrian’s own way.

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