Page 10 of Forbidden War (Forbidden 2)
KARINA
I’mon my way back to the main house, feeling just a tiny bit better (thanks to Candi), when Marco comes stalking out the front door toward me. It makes me wonder if he’s been pacing the foyer this whole time, just waiting for me to finish my lunch date so he can lock me up somewhere and keep an eye on me. My stomach drops.
And then, remembering what Candi said about setting boundaries, I lift my chin and prepare to stand my ground.
But, as usual, Marco completely throws me off before I can even open my mouth.
“Come with me,” he says, his voice urgent as he takes my hand in his.
“Where are we going? Is everything okay?”
“No. Something’s up. Armani wants all of us to meet in the dining room now.”
Shit. Did he find out that my family has Livvie? I need to tell Marco what I know. Come clean before it’s too late. He can be the one to decide what to tell his brothers. And if it makes me look bad, so be it.
“Wait,” I say, tugging my hand out of his. “I have to tell you something. It’s important.”
Marco stops in his tracks and turns to me. “Make it quick.”
“I talked to my dad last night. I called to tell him to leave me alone, and…I guess to see if I could feel him out about Livvie. See if he knew anything.”
Frowning, obviously not liking where this is going, Marco says, “And?”
“And he admitted that they have her.” I look away, guilt and shame burning my cheeks.
Marco lets out a long breath. “Okay.”
“I’m so sorry.” My voice cracks and my eyes start to sting. “I wanted to tell you sooner, but I was too scared, and then this morning you were gone, and I’m scared of Armani, and—”
Marco surprises me by pulling me hard against his chest and giving me a squeeze. “It’s okay, Karina. It’s going to be okay.”
I nod, sniffling into his shirt. “I should have said something right away.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. It doesn’t change anything, not really. We’ll tell my family together after this meeting, okay? Besides, it’s not exactly a surprise. Of course the Brunos went after Livvie. They’re hitting us where it hurts most. At least now we can focus our efforts.”
“Okay,” I whisper, pulling back to wipe my eyes and pull myself together.
Marco allows me a few more moments to collect myself and then leads me into the house. When I realize there’s an eerie, taut stillness in the air, I immediately feel apprehensive. I know this kind of tension, am intimately familiar with it thanks to my uncle. It’s the kind of tension that sours the air when shit has officially hit the fan.
Has another threat been made against the Bellantis? Has there been another murder? Or did one of my relatives finally reach out to Armani about Livvie?
We don’t get far down the hallway before I hear quiet sobs coming from one of the rooms ahead. My pulse quickens. I recognize the absolute anguish in the sound. This isn’t going to be good.
Marco gives my hand a squeeze and then opens the dining room door. We step into the room to find his entire family gathered there. Dante, the oldest Bellanti brother, has his arms around Frankie, whose face is buried against his chest. Marco’s other brother, Armani, shoots a venomous gaze at me. I know that look well. He’s a dangerous man, holding himself back by a thread. One that began to unravel a little more when I walked in. Marco told me that Armani thought I was a mole. Maybe he still thinks that. And how will he react when Marco and I tell the rest of the family that I know who has Livvie? Armani will immediately suspect me of foul play.
Cold prickles assault my scalp. Every instinct in me is screaming for me to run. But I can’t. I have to face this.
“Everyone is accounted for?” Armani asks tersely, eyes darting around at all of us.
“Everyone but-but Livvie.” Frankie speaks through tears, her words muffled against Dante’s chest.
Her words make my gut twist, but I say nothing. Not yet. Marco squeezes my hand again. It doesn’t help with my nerves.
I notice there’s another woman and man standing close together in the corner. I don’t recognize either of them, although…the woman looks enough like Frankie that I’m pretty confident the two of them must be related. Yet her face is so etched in grief that it’s hard to tell for sure. The man next to her has an arm around her shoulder, his face stone cold as he attempts to comfort the woman with quiet reassurances.
Armani moves toward the couple, eyes narrowed, his jaw set. His back is to me now, and something about that makes him seem even more dangerous. He’s a tall, broad man whose coiled strength is apparent. Marco moves slightly away from me, and at first, I think he’s trying to see around Armani, but then I realize he’s situating himself between his brother and me.
Just then, Frankie pulls away from Dante. Her voice is tight and shrill as she waves an angry hand at Armani. “Let me guess. You’re about to question Clayton’s loyalty.”
I can’t see Armani’s reaction, but his stance doesn’t change.
“Why are you pushing this? Charlie is my sister,” Frankie goes on. My suspicions are confirmed, then. The other blonde is Frankie’s sister. “Clayton is my brother-in-law. They love Livvie as much as any of us. They had nothing to do with this.”
I get a clear view of Frankie now. Her sweet face is streaked with tears, her cheeks flushed. Her dress pulls tight over her pregnant belly. As she turns to look around the room, her reddened eyes briefly meet mine. Such sadness. Such worry.
My knees weaken and my palms begin to sweat. My heart is pounding in my chest. I should have told them about Livvie already. I hate that I was such a coward about it. And I pray that Marco can smooth things over for me when the truth does come out.
