Page 89 of When She Loves
Cleo hates her father. She wouldn’t stay silent to protect him. But she’d stay silent to protect herself.
Whatever she sees in my expression makes her let go of my arm. She takes one step back, then another.
Alarm bells are ringing in my head. “What did you do?”
Her cheeks are flushed. “Okay. Listen. I can explain.”
I start to advance on her, my suspicions confirmed. “Do you know how many times people have said that to me? I’ll let you guess how those conversations usually end.”
She backs away from me. “Two weeks ago, Papà made me an offer.”
I match her step for step. “What kind of an offer?”
“He…” She swallows. “He asked me to spy on you.”
My body freezes. A deep pit opens in my stomach, filled with razor blades and ice.
“To what end?” I grind out.
Her eyes fill with tears. “He wanted me to find a weakness so that he could get rid of you.”
I can’t help but laugh. This is too good. Garzolo, that fucking backstabbing snake. I should have known a man like him can never be trusted. But this was really his best plan? Get his daughter involved?
My eyes narrow on Cleo. She makes me feel like I’m going crazy. Did I really just think I’d do anything for this woman? That’s not how this works. I know that’s not how this works.
I’m a don, and my first duty is to my position, not to her. But she is my wife, and she is supposed to be fucking loyal to me.
A tear slips down her cheek. “I didn’t do it!”
My stomach swoops with relief, but it’s short-lived as I rewind our conversation. “Two weeks ago? You’ve been sitting on this information for two weeks?”
She presses her lips together, trying to hold back her emotions. Emotions I don’t fucking understand, because the way it seems to me, I should be the one upset here.
I advance on her. “Did you find anything? Did you spot any weaknesses?”
Her pulse pounds against the side of her neck. She takes another step back. “You don’t have any.”
“You and your father aren’t on good terms. He must have offered you something in exchange.”
“He did. He offered me freedom. I wouldn’t have to marry anyone else. He said that after he managed to kill you, he would disown me, and that I could go to Italy to be with Vale and Gem.”
Go to Italy? In what fucking universe would I allow that to happen? Oh right, the one where I’m dead.
The thought of her living a life without me somehow triggers me far more than anything else she’s just said. My anger pulsates beneath my flesh, my vision narrows, my breaths come out short and quick. There isn’t enough oxygen in my lungs.
This is a possibility she considered fortwo fucking weeks?
Cleo tries to take another step back, but there’s nowhere to go. Her calf hits the edge of our car, and she yelps as she loses her balance.
I eat up the space between us with two long strides and force her back against the car door. Above us, a fluorescent light flickers. It’s the only movement in the empty garage.
Did I bring this on myself by being so lenient with her? Has she forgotten who she married?
She glances at the hand I’ve got pinning her shoulder, exposing her neck to me. I lift my knife and press the cool blade against her delicate throat. She stiffens. Sucks in a breath.
Sandro’s head pops out on the driver’s side. “Boss?”
“Get the fuck back inside.”
