Page 85 of Dangerous Intent

“How are you?” I rubbed her back. “I keep hoping things will get better so you can have a minute to catch your breath.”

“We’re never going to be normal.” She kissed my chest. “Are we?”

“I don’t think so, but I’d like for us to get to a place where we can at least pretend.”

“That sounds nice.”

“Soon.” I had no reason to believe any of what was occurring around us would be over soon, but I wanted life to get easier for her.

“Did your father really give you the order today?” she asked.

“I wouldn’t lie about that.” I traced my fingers down her arm. “Taking out a high-ranking member of a family is a big deal. The other families appreciate when it’s done respectfully. If it comes up later, my father will be able to say that I came to him.”

“My father didn’t ask permission when he came after you and Milo.”

“Well, he would have had to go to the other families and override my father.” I tightened my hold on her. “He knew that was useless.”

“So that means no one is supposed to come for you?”

“In theory,” I said. “It’s complicated. If there is a power play and someone has the backing, they could try to overthrow us, but they would have to have a really good reason.”

“Kidnapping me wasn’t a good enough reason?”

“Like I said, it’s complicated.” Normally, taking a family member was actionable in overthrowing another family, but Gian had too many enemies, and my father was the only option for the other families. Gian may have tried to start a war, but no one wanted to finish it with him.

“How complicated?”

“Your father was disrespectful for trying to take out two heirs of the Accetti family without consulting another family. He didn’t have any allies. We’re all competing with one another in a sense, but we also understand that working together and keeping the peace is beneficial to all of us.”

“What do you think happened to him?” She held me close. “Why did he stray so far away from the other families?”

“I can only speculate, but I think when he got caught up in this trafficking operation, he saw the potential to overthrow my father. Power, money, being in charge—it motivates men like me and your father.”

“You’re more honorable than my father.”

“I follow a code because that’s how my father runs things, and that’s what he taught me, but I’m not innocent in any of this. You saw what I was capable of today.”

I was no saint. My family did plenty of questionable things in the name of business, but the Accettis ran an organized syndicate, and we didn’t come for anyone who didn’t come for us first. We had high standards, and we expected all of the families to follow our example.

Gian broke the trust of all of the families when he brought sex trafficking into our territory. He, Angelo, Collins, and whoever else was involved had to be stopped.

“Thank you for letting me say what I did to Angelo.” She propped herself on her elbow. “I needed to say it out loud.”

“I’m sorry for what your father did to you.” I twisted a strand of her hair around my finger. “I’m going to find Collins and whoever else is involved in what happened here today, and I will stop them.”

“I believe you.”

“You’ve been through enough. I want to give you peace and happiness.”

“You do.” She set her hand on my heart. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been because of you. There isn’t anyone else I’d want to spend my life with.”

“Maybe we should think about going home and spending our life there.” I kissed her. “I want to get out of this house.”

“My mother and I are going to gut it and make it brand new.” She smiled. “She needs a fresh start too.”

“I like that idea.”

My phone buzzed from somewhere inside my pants pocket. Lissia reached over me as I sat up and leaned against the foot of the bed.