Lorenzo shot a look toward Dante before taking another deep breath. “I had to know what I was dealing with, Sierra. What your father told me and the fact I wasn’t able to get Dante on the phone prompted this trip.”
“Why, boss? What’d he say?” Dante asked as he began to unbutton his shirt.
The additional hesitation was palpable.
“That his daughter had been killed inside her vehicle, the car torched with her inside.”
I was taken aback, a shiver skating down my spine. “What?” I took a few steps closer, swaying back and forth. This couldn’t be real. “What did you say?”
“That’s crazy shit, boss. Why would anyone do that?” Dante mumbled and I was thinking the same thing.
Lorenzo stormed toward me, yanking my arm once again. “Are you fucking with me, Sierra? Did you make yourself bait for the Movinos? Did you father convince you to do something stupid?”
His grip was firm, his fingers digging in. “What? No! Of course not. In case you haven’t figured out, my father and I aren’t that close. He thinks he can run my life. I say otherwise.”
“You’ve lied to me before.”
“I don’t think she’s lying, boss. She’s genuinely terrified,” Dante added.
Lorenzo locked eyes with mine and for a few precious seconds, I could see all the pain and worry, frustration for being unable to find out if I was okay. In his usual fashion, he pulled me against his chest, tangling his fingers in my hair and lowering his head. The scent of him was intoxicating, the longing I felt burning between my legs.
Every part of me was on fire, my nipples aching to have his mouth sucking on them, his fingers twisting and pulling until I cried out in pain.
But as he curled his upper lip, I knew this wasn’t the passionate man from before. He was furious with his inability to control, to embark on retaliation for everything that had occurred.
“I need to trust you, Sierra. I want very much to do that. How would they know where your car was? Why would they want everyone to believe you’re dead?”
“I made a promise to you. I refuse to lie. I don’t know what happened or why my car was burned. I swear to you.” My God, I was pleading with him.
“Boss, she’s a reporter. Did you ever think that maybe someone wants the story she was working on to come out?” Dante asked.
Very slowly Lorenzo turned his head, glaring at his Capo.
“I told Dante what I was working on,” I murmured, almost embarrassed for doing so, as if I’d broken another unspoken rule. It was only partially the truth. I told Dante just enough to try to get any information out of him. Dante was a true soldier, merely listening and little else.
Lorenzo growled before turning his attention back to me. “An interesting idea.”
“Think about it. If she appeared to be dead, no one would figure out she was still working on the story. Maybe this entire situation is much bigger than we’d anticipated.” Dante tossed his shirt, grimacing as he stretched his arm.
“Far too many missing pieces.” Lorenzo walked toward the window, peering out. “You’re certain you weren’t followed.”
“Not a chance,” Dante said. “You know, we could use her supposed death to our advantage.”
“Yes. We could.” He released his hold on my arm, brushing hair out of my eyes. “I was sick when your father told me what he believed had happened. I had no way of knowing if you’d betrayed me.”
“You automatically resort to wondering if I was a traitor, Lorenzo? You must have no one you can trust.” My words seemed to reverberate in the room, creating an awkward silence.
“I’ve stayed alive by examining every side of an equation,” he answered casually. The man truly had no trust in anyone.
“My God.” I took a closer look at Dante’s wound, breathing a sigh of relief. Thank God his skin was barely grazed. “I wouldn’t betray you, Lorenzo. I came to you for help because you are the only man I knew I could trust with my life. And my heart.” I hadn’t anticipated saying the last three little words, but the moment he’d walked through the door, I’d known. I loved him. I’d done everything in my power to ignore my feelings, allowing anger to be the only emotion. He’d changed me all those years ago. He’d allowed me to feel free, something that had never happened before.
There was another moment of utter silence in the room and other than the crackling sound of burning wood, everything was almost deathly quiet.
I grabbed a swab, pouring a hefty amount of alcohol and dabbing the wound. The large man didn’t even bristle, even though I knew he had to be experiencing significant pain. “You’re lucky,” I finally said, yanking gauze from the kit. “You should get this looked at by a doctor later.”
Dante placed his hand on mine, squeezing gently. “Thank you, Sierra. I’ll be fine. I think you and the boss need to talk.”
“We have nothing to talk about,” I retorted.
The soldier refused to let my hand go. “Yeah, you do. I’ll keep watch, boss. Last weather report I heard said the storm should let up before morning.”
I gave him a heated look, enough so he let go of my hand, even though his gaze remained pointed.
While I wasn’t looking at Lorenzo, I could hear his heavy breathing. I added several pieces of tape to Dante’s chest and shoulder, surprised the man didn’t scream given the force I was using. I tossed everything into the kit, yanking the soiled material and heading into the kitchen. At least Lorenzo had stocked the place with copious amounts of alcohol. It didn’t matter it was after two in the morning. I deserved a stiff drink.
After tossing the swab into the trash, I attempted three times to turn on the light over the stove, my hand shaking so badly. I couldn’t believe that Lorenzo had challenged me in such an egregious manner. How dare the man. I wasn’t his enemy. I made a racket as I pulled out a bottle of vodka, slamming the thick cylinder on the counter before yanking a glass from the cabinet. While there was no orange juice or any other mix in the damn place, drinking the Russian substance just might calm my nerves.
And my anger.
I blinked back tears as I jerked off the cap, sloshing almost as much onto the counter as I managed to get into the glass. I knew my raging emotions were only partially due to the way Lorenzo had attacked me. I was supposed to be dead. Someone had actually wanted me to die. Who’d been murdered in my place?
My hand was shaking as I attempted to take a sip, every nerve standing on end. I finally slumped against the counter, closing my eyes.
“I never meant to hurt you, Sierra. However, a man in my position can never be too careful.”
“A man in your position?” I managed to retort. “Do you mean a coldblooded killer?” At that moment, I wanted the words to hurt him, to cut through his thick skin like a sharp knife. I heard his footsteps as he moved closer and bristled. Every part of my body wanted nothing more than to sink into his arms, yet my mind could no longer handle the circumstances. How was I supposed to process what he’d told me?
Lorenzo stopped within a few inches. He didn’t try to touch me or even crowd my space. But I could feel his hot breath. I could swear I was able to hear his rapidly beating heart. “When I was a boy, I asked my father to take me and my brother to the circus. I’d never wanted anything so badly. I’ll never forget the way he looked at me, as if he was amused at my question. He was always busy and attempted to send me to my room. I’d always obeyed him before simply because not doing so would mean severe punishment, but this time, I didn’t. I wanted to go to the circus so badly that I was willing to risk his wrath. So, I stood up to him, demanding an answer.”