Page 131 of Dangerous Intent

“We need to figure out who Diego is. We need all the information we can get on him.”

“We’re going to get that.”

“You have to keep the dealership afloat and keep the cartels happy.” We had so many balls in the air. “Dad is too deep into dismantling the trafficking operation to come home now.”

“He doesn’t need to come home.” Milo loosened his tie. “We can handle this.”

“If we divide and conquer, we can.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“I can’t take Lissia back to New Jersey or New York. Diego will have eyes on us there.” I glanced down, spotting Lissia’s bloody footprint on the tile. “He’s already gotten way too close to her. He probably staged the arrest tonight, hoping I would have been detained a little longer.”

“He’s clearly not someone we can underestimate.”

“Exactly, which is why I have to go underground with her,” I said. “I can’t keep her in plain sight and hope Diego doesn’t find another way to come for her.”

“We’re prepared this time.”

“I want to be more prepared.”

The more I knew about this bastard, the better my strategy would be. Once Collins turned up missing, Diego would come looking. I wasn’t going to make this easy for him. I wasn’t going to leave Lissia out in the open with a target on her back.

I had to get ahead of this and make Diego regret the day he ever thought coming for my family was a good idea.

“What are you saying?” Milo asked.

“It’s time for you to take the throne.”

THIRTY

Lissia

I wipedthe steam from the cracked mirror, being careful not to cut myself on the jagged glass. I didn’t want to see any more blood. The shower wasn’t as calming as I hoped it would be. Danny invaded my thoughts, making me relive every second of that dreaded encounter.

Would I ever forget what happened?

Once the fog disappeared, I examined my face. The large red welt below my eye would bruise in a few hours. But that wouldn’t be the only reminder of what had happened here tonight.

I killed him with my own hands. What choice did I have? He was going to…

Stop it! What’s done is done.

Danny came here looking for a fight, and I gave him one.

I stared at my reflection, coming to terms with what I had done.

The woman in the mirror wasn’t the girl who’d been sold at an auction. She wasn’t even the woman who’d first stood at Marchello’s side, trying to fit into a world that didn’t make sense. She was something new, something forged in blood and fire. I didn’t know if I liked her, but I knew I needed her to survive.

I didn’t take what I had done lightly, but I lived in a brutal world where ugly things happened. If I didn’t learn to adapt, I could find myself in far worse trouble.

“You did what you had to do, princess.” Marchello appeared in the reflection of the broken glass. “Don’t doubt yourself.”

“I took someone’s life.”

“Did he give you a choice?”

“It all happened so fast.” I closed my eyes, trying not to see the knife in Danny’s neck. “I thought I would just back him off so I could get away, but I think I hit an artery or something because he bled so fast.”