Page 90 of Thorns of Blood

“Excellent choice.”

“Liana?”

“Nothing for me, thanks.”

He shot a questioning glance at Romeo who shook his head, then Kian strode across the office to his minibar and poured us both a drink.

When he returned, I took a sip of my drink before speaking again. “Shall we get straight to business?”

“Mm.” Cradling the drink in his hand, he leaned his elbows on his knees. His expression didn’t change, but I could sense his calculating mind. “I thought maybe I could give Liana a chance to explain herself first.”

My wife remained stoic, and I couldn’t help but feel proud of her.

“I’m shocked by your generosity, Kian,” she said, sarcasm lacing her voice.

He shrugged. “Considering you kept Amara safe all these years, I’d say I owe you.”

“But” hung unspoken in the air while the two locked eyes. I hated not knowing what it was that Kian held over Liana, but I trusted her. God help me, I did.

“But I think you owe me too,” Kian stated. “If I hadn’t disclosed your location to Giovanni, you would be dead.”

“I can hold my own,” she spat, pulling her shoulders back.

“Maybe against Killian, but not against Danil Popov and the remaining DiLustro gang. Not against Bogdan Dragovic.”

Bogdan Dragovic was the Serbian don who was devoid of emotion and ruled his criminal empire with an iron fist. He was notoriously reclusive and owned several soccer and football teams. Kian wasn’t wrong. Getting on the wrong side of him could prove to be a deadly mistake.

“I can handle the DiLustro gang. Even Danil.”

The unspoken meaning was left hanging in the air. Lia knew she was no match for Dragovic.

“Atticus is the one who led them all to you.” Kian’s lips curled into a cruel smirk. “You made a big mistake when you betrayed me to him.”

Well, fuck!

“I didn’t have a choice. Amara was dying,” Lia gritted, clutching her hands in her lap. “I would thinkyou, of all people, would understand.”

“And why is that?” Lia’s lips thinned as her eyes flashed dangerously, but she remained silent. “I promised Francesca that I’d watch over her daughter, not that I’d jeopardize my whole”—he made air quotes—“‘life’s work’ for her.”

“Are you fucking with me, Kian?”

Kian raised a brow, appearing impressed. “No, but it seems you fucked with my life when you made a deal with Atticus.”

“Listen, Kian,” I chimed in, sick and tired of this coded conversation. “Why don’t you tell us what you want so we can come to terms and move on?”

He glanced at me before returning his attention to Liana. “I warned you it’s?—”

“For Christ’s sake,” she spat out. “She’s your grandchild, and you’re holding it against me that I did everything in my power to save her? Fuck you, Kian.”

“Giovanni,” Romeo warned as I started out of my seat.

Kian, on the other hand, seemed at a loss for words. It took him a second to get himself together.

“You’re making assumptions, Liana,” he retorted wryly. “I thought you were smarter than that.”

She let out a sardonic breath.

“Men,” she scoffed. “You’re so blind sometimes. The facts are right in front of your face, but by all means, ignore them.”