Page 112 of Cara

Sitting up, I shake my head fervently, unwilling to let himthink that, even if it might be true. “X, I just meant that I'm a stranger to her. If Rosa’s okay with it, of course I want to meet Isabella. She’s your baby.Of course,I want to meet her.”

“It doesn’t have to be tomorrow.”

“Well, if I'm staying here—” His eyes widen a fraction, prompting me to rephrase, “I mean, since Iamstaying here, tomorrow is as good a day as any to do it.”

He’svisiblyunsettled.

How I’ve managed to do that in under a minute is beyond me. It has to be some kind of record.

Placing my hands on his neck, I exhale the discomfort out of my body. “I'm sorry. Nothing is coming out right. Please don’t overthink this. Tell Rosa I’d love to see Isabella if she’s okay with it.”

“Soph…”

“I mean it.” I shake him, grinning wider. “Just do as I say.”

Xavier seems as if he’s not ready to let it go, but when his phone rings in his hand, I restrain a sigh of relief as he stands and approaches the desk. The dim light hides the items he brings to me until they’re in my hands.

A cell phone… and a gun.

“Let me remind you thatItaught you how to shoot. Not thisIsaac.” At the instant roll of my eyes, he wipes the discomfort from our conversation off his face and flashes me a megawatt smile. “You still a good shot?”

It’s freeing to unequivocally confirm that with a “Yes.”

He points to the phone. “My number is on speed dial. You call me at any time, and I’ll answer.”

“Okay.”

“The group’s numbers are there too.”

“Courtney’s?”

“Yes. Although I think it’s best if she comes to see you here until the news of your return is made public. If your father can get your hands on you privately, he will. We need to make ascene so he can’t retaliate easily.” He bends down to kiss me. “Also, a Fed will be here later tonight at our request. It’s for show. He’s one of ours. He’ll clear the investigation, claiming you’ve been in Italy. No one outside the Familia will question it.”

“And in the family?”

“They won’t be bold enough to ask me, but they might approach you.”

“I’ll change the subject.”

He nods. “That’s best. It’s widely known that Vito and I are feuding, so many of them probably already know why you disappeared.”

“But they… don’t know what happened?”

“There were rumors.” His lips seal into a tight, unforgiving line. “The boys know… So does Dario.”

“Dario?”

“My consigliere.”

“You had to tell him?” I do my best to conceal how much I wish he hadn’t.

“I didn’t tell him. I didn’t tell anyone. Dario only knows because my father was…” Xavier averts his gaze, as if exorcising a haunting memory. But in an instant, he dispels the storm. When he meets my eyes again, there’s a chilling resolve. His face is a fortress, impenetrable and fierce. “Dario won’t say anything.”

His inability to complete that sentence, tied to Arturo Marcello’s name, conveys more than words ever could. Like him, I’m seeing the past—the horrifying, nameless faces of my assailants.

“What is it?” Xavier asks softly.

“Are those men still employed by you?” My eyes dart to the window. “Are they here?”