Page 22 of Between Steel and Secrets
“It was to protect you,” Harper whispers, unable to move from my grasp.
I release my grip, expecting her to run, but she doesn’t.
“How does going to the police protect me?” I growl. Has she lost her mind?
“I thought if I had evidence about Rylan’s kidnapping, then maybe Dante would be behind bars and you could play hockey. You’d be free from your father.”
I laugh darkly and take a step back.
Her suggestion is absurd.
“Dante isn’t the villain.” I grimace, knowing deep down that he is, but he’s not the worst out there. Massimo was far crueler.
“He runs the mafia, Luca!”
“He protected dozens of girls today, teenagers being trafficked and held against their will. Do you still think he’s the bad guy?”
“And what did he do with those girls? How did he protect them?” Harper asks the tough questions.
I head for the mattress, sitting at the edge of the bed. “That’s above my pay grade.” I don’t need to know the specifics, but Dante wouldn’t take over the operation and continue what Massimo started. He didn’t send us there to kidnap the girls and run our own illegal brothel.
“I’m not answering your questions. Unless you intend on working directly for Dante, you’re going to have to accept you can’t know everything.”
Harper comes to stand in front of me, her legs between mine.
She runs her hands through my hair, her fingers soothingly drawing me closer. My heart and body want her, but my head is conflicted.
“I’m not asking to know everything,” Harper says, her voice soft, calm, like she’s the one who has mastered control. “I’m just asking for your help in taking down your father.”
I laugh darkly and pull away from her touch. “I can’t do that.”
“Why the hell not? You can’t honestly believe you’re happy working for the devil. You aren’t happy working for him, are you?” She raises an eyebrow, skeptical.
Is she interrogating me?
I scoff at her question. “My happiness is the least of your concerns.”
“What does that mean?” She pulls back, like I’ve just set fire to the room.
She ought to run.
“I married you to protect you, Harper. In case you’ve forgotten.”
Her mouth parts and her jaw drops as she steps backward, keeping her distance. “I’m not stupid enough to think you married me for love, but you said … you told me you loved me. Was that not true?”
I did—I do—love her.
But right now, being in the same room with her is causing me more pain and grief than I ever anticipated.
“Luca?” Her eyes widen and she fumbles backward, bumping into the dresser. She turns away, clearly hurt, and glances down at her feet. “I don’t believe you.”
“I didn’t say anything,” I admonish, rising from the bed.
“You didn’t have to, your silence is brutal enough. I thought we were becoming something more, but clearly, I was wrong.” She spins on her heels and heads for the door.
“Where are you going?” I call out to her.
Her back is to me.
