Page 83 of Scarred Heir

Lissia and Marchello didn’t have a traditional meeting. Actually, nothing about them was conventional. They were water and vinegar and everything in between, but they were made for one another. I had never seen two people more suited for one another.

I glanced at Sable, whose smile lit up the room as she took in her surroundings. Amongst all the shit going on with my family business, she was my bright spot. The one distraction I thought I didn’t need. I had been wrong about that.

“How long are you staying?” Lissia asked. “Where are your clothes?”

“Dom is getting them from the car,” I said. “We’re nothere long. I have business to discuss with Chello that needs to be handled in person.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Lissia rolled her eyes. “Did you at least bring a bathing suit?” she asked. “Oh, and something to wear for dinner?”

“I…” Sable looked at me for assistance. “Did I?”

“You packed for her?” Lissia hit my arm. “How cute.”

“I had clothes sent to the house for her,” I said. “I didn’t give her much notice for this trip.”

“Oh! Milo has the best taste in clothes.” Lissia hooked her arm in Sable’s. “He once bought me a whole wardrobe when Chello and I were… Well, let’s just say Marchello took me against my will and I didn’t have any clothes with me.”

“How come he took you?” Sable asked.

“It’s a long story.” I shook my head. “One Lissia will have plenty of time to tell you while Marchello and I catch up.”

“That’s our cue to leave.” Lissia stuck her tongue out at me.

She gave Chello a quick kiss on the cheek, but he caught her hand and said, “Behave.”

“I always do.” She ran her hand along his jaw. “Sable, let’s go through your suitcase and see what Milo got for you.”

“Okay.” Sable waved at me as Lissia tugged her down the hallway.

“And I want all the details about you and my brother-in-law,” Lissia said. “Don’t leave anything out.”

“God.” Chello sighed. “Let’s go outside and get a drink.”

“How are things going?” I followed him to the patiowhere the bar cart was set up by the pool that overlooked the beach. “Is Lissia driving you insane?”

“What do you think?” He opened the top of the insulated cart and took out two beers. “She’s just being Lissia.” He handed me a beer. “But I wouldn’t have her any other way.”

“I know that’s true.” I twisted off the cap on the bottle. “How is she really?”

What Lissia had to do in Miami to protect herself from Danny wasn’t easy. No matter how strong a person was, taking a life, even in self-defense, could haunt them for a long time.

“She’s come to terms with what she had to do to survive.” He took a long sip of his drink. “I try to be the best therapist I can be for her.”

“You’ve had plenty of experience in ending people’s lives.” I raised my bottle. “We both have.”

“Yeah, but it’s different for us. We’re conditioned for it.” He sat on a lounge chair. “It’s our job. We protect what’s ours.”

“Lissia protected this family too.” I took off my shoes and then sat by the edge of the pool, dipping my feet in the warm water. “She did what she had to do.”

“She understands that,” Chello said. “It’s the nightmares that get her.” He shrugged. “It shreds my soul apart when she screams bloody murder in the middle of the night.”

“Christ, Chello.” I set my beer down. “That’s horrible.”

Lissia didn’t deserve any of that. Her asshole father had put her in the path of destruction. Gian Gallanti was terrorizing all of us from the grave.

“The nightmares are becoming less common,” he said. “She’s strong.”

“She’ll overcome it.”