Page 112 of Rio

“But what does that achieve?”

“The only reason he wanted to hurt you was to punish me because of what I did with Dex, Matteo, and Enzo.When we got together to help Dani’s father.I told you the old man forces us to attend family dinners, keeps us in different apartment blocks, keeps us divided.Us working together, shocked him.That’s why he did this.He couldn’t get to Dex, because Dex and Dani are strong, they love each other.He can’t touch them.So he came for me.He wanted to teach me a lesson and make me the scapegoat, to warn the others.”

I stop, and stare at her, needing a reaction, but she looks at me blankly.Her face is so pale.Her eyes dull.There is no spark, no vivacity.The fucker did destroy her.I step towards her, needing to hold her, and comfort her.

“Don’t.”She backs away, her voice a warning.

I stop, halted by her cutting tone.She doesn’t want me anywhere near her.I understand, but I feel defeated, because she doesn’t believe me.I unfurl my hands, only realizing now that I’d been fisting them tightly.I’ve failed to convince her.

“I just wanted to tell you, in person.”I walk towards the door feeling like a failure.I flew here thinking she’d understand, but this all sounds so crazy, so unreal, she doesn’t believe me.

How can she, because only a Knight would understand the depth of the old man’s manipulation and deceit.

***

It’s late, when I turn up outside Dex’s apartment.He looks shocked to see me.

“Jesus.What the hell happened to you?”

I walk inside.

“You look like shit, bro.What’s going on?”

Dani appears, and the way she looks at me, tells me I must look like death.I feel like it.

I head towards the mini-bar and pour myself a drink, then another one, and then I tell them both how my day went.The meeting with the old man, the visit to Raquel, peppering in just enough about the eco-resort and the injunction, and the data file, to explain everything.

“What the—brother, are you serious?”Dex gets up and stomps around, looking like he can’t quite believe it.Dani sits on the couch, speechless.She lowers her head into her hands.“You saw Raquel?”

I nod.

“And your father planned all of this?”she asks, stunned.

“Your soon to be father-in-law,” I clarify, not that I want her to have second thoughts about marrying Dex.

Dani looks worried.“How was Raquel?”

“She’s not really talking to me.”

Before I can even finish, she reaches for her phone and starts talking to Raquel.My hopes lift.Maybe Dani can comfort her.Make her feel better.Dani slips away from us, needing privacy.I understand it.Raquel won’t want to talk if she knows I’m around.

Dex looks at me.“What are you going to do, brother?”

“Need to find a way to deal with him.Can you fucking believe this?”

“No.”Dex’s jaw clenches, and his body tenses like he’s about to punch something.I sit back on the couch, contempt and revulsion simmering in my veins, wondering why the old man always fucks up our lives.“You’d think he’d stop trying to control us.”It’s something I’ve thought about a lot.“He knows he can keep us here.He has control of the money.The empire.”

Dex blows out a breath.“I’m so tempted to walk the fuck away.”

“Me too.Sometimes.”

“Why don’t we?”

“Because we’re better together.Because we’re family.And because...do we want him to get the better of us?”

Dex shrugs.“I don’t want him to die, but sometimes ...”

“I don’t care how he lives,” I snap.“He ruined the lives of my mother.Your mother.This isn’t a normal family.This is a crazy dysfunctional clan.”I swipe a hand through my hair, pacing.I can’t shake the image of what he’s done.Of what we lost.“He destroyed Aurora, his wife, your mother, and he wrecked my mother’s life.We were all so young.Just kids.We didn’t understand.And now he’s still trying to wreck our lives.”