I clench my jaw and think about my mother. About how devastated I was when she pulled that trigger on herself. Real emotion shines in my eyes as I regard the nurse.
“He went to be with Mamá during his nap,” I choke out.
“Oh, honey,” Tammy cries out. “He died?”
I nod and the woman hugs me. I let her. To be honest, it feels good to be drawn in a motherly hug. Resting my chin on top of her gray head, I let out a heavy sigh.
“You know Father. He’s so proud. It was his wish to keep his death quiet when the time came. Cremation. No service.”
She pulls away and furrows her brows as she cups my cheeks. “I’m discreet, honey. We’ll get it sorted together. Just tell me what I need to do.”
“Let me be the one to tell my brother,” I mutter. “To tell everyone.”
“Do what you have to do, dear. I’ll go upstairs and make sure he’s decent.”
“Thanks, Tammy. Don’t worry about not getting paid. I’ll have Aris wire you a bonus as a thank you for all you’ve done.”
She smiles at me. “The Demetriou men are good men. I’m proud to have worked for this family.”
We’re bad men, but I don’t want to spoil the moment with the truth.
I give her a nod, dismissing her. I sip on my coffee as I watch out the window for Adrian. It takes a quick call to Franco to have him come deal with Father’s body, and another call to the family attorney, Thomas, to inform him of the official change of power. The next person to know needs to be Aris. And it’ll need to be told in person. No one wants to hear their father is dead over the phone.
I’ll go back to the office, deal with some other affairs, and then drop by this evening to deliver the news over dinner. Kill two birds with one stone. It’s time to see what lies Aris has been telling, and if I know my brother, the lies are plentiful. I’ve just never really cared too much until now.
But now?
Now I care a whole lot.
I’m going to uncover every hidden truth.
And once everything is all laid out on the table, I’m going to make those who’ve been playing games against me pay.
Blood. Sweat. Tears. Limbs.
They. Will. Pay.
Every last one of them.
Talia
As I drive down the driveway, the winding road takes us to the front gate. I hold my breath, praying it opens from the inside. Over the last year, I’ve planned the best I could, but because I couldn’t see this far, I could only plan to leave. As the gate slowly moves to the side, I spot a black SUV driving up behind me. What the hell? There’s no way Selene caught up that fast. When I glance in my rearview mirror, I spot a man in the driver’s seat.
Without waiting for the gate to completely open, I press my foot on the gas, refusing to let this guy, whoever he is, catch up to us. Damn it! How did I not see him? Aris must have someone guarding the house, but he’s never been where I can see him. I’ve checked so many times.
Zoe sits in the passenger seat, babbling to me, as I drive down the curvy roads. I have no clue where I am or where I’m going, but my goal is to get to the city so I can ask someone for help.
I look in the mirror again, and the SUV is catching up to me. There’s no way I’m going to make it out of these hills unless I pick up my speed. I glance over at my little girl and she smiles up at me. I need to protect her. I need to get us to safety.
With one hand on the wheel, I reach over and grab the seatbelt, drawing it across her lap. It’s not ideal, but it’s the best I can do in a shitty situation. I press my foot harder on the gas and increase my speed, but when I glance back, the SUV is less than a car away from me now. I’m never going to make it.
All this work, all this planning, and I missed something. I slam my fist against the steering wheel. I was so fucking close. Aris is never going to give me this much leeway again. I had one chance and I messed it up.
The front of the SUV hits my back bumper and the vehicle swerves.
No!
My eyes briefly fly to Zoe to make sure she’s okay before they’re back on the road.
I can do this. I can get away.
He lays down on the horn. He wants me to pull over. I make it around the bend before his bumper hits mine again. Zoe lurches forward and I use my hand to hold her against the seat. I can’t keep going. Whoever this guy is isn’t going to stop until I pull over, and I can’t risk him driving me off the road. I can’t put my daughter’s life in jeopardy.
Prickly tears of defeat burn in my eyes as my heart rate races.
I don’t want to give up. I’m not ready to give up.
When my gaze flits back over to my little girl, my eyes land on the gun in the center console, and my thoughts go to Kostas. He wouldn’t even hesitate. If he were in my shoes right now, he would kill this asshole. It’s me and Zoe or him. And I’m choosing me and Zoe.
I can do this.
I am Talia Demetriou, wife of a fucking mob boss.
I pull over on the side of the road and get out, not wanting him to make it over to where my daughter is. I flip the safety off and wait for him to exit the vehicle. And when he does, I’m momentarily stunned. Estevan Galani. The man my husband shot in the dick. Of course Aris would hire a damn enemy to guard his house. Those two roaches deserve each other. At least one of them is about to be exterminated. Kostas can deal with Aris.
Pointing the gun right at him, I pull the trigger.
Pop!
The gunshot echoes loudly, making my ears ring and Zoe scream. He stumbles back, but doesn’t fall. Fucking damn roach. Crimson swells where I clipped his shoulder.
“You bitch!” he growls, pulling his own gun out.
Before he has a chance to hurt either one of us, I pull the trigger again and again and again. Until he hits the ground. I stare in shock at the bullet holes littering his chest.
I shot him.
I fucking shot him.
My hands are shaking, and my body is numb. I just killed a man. One who would’ve done the same to me, I remind myself. As I turn around to run back to my vehicle, I run right into a hard wall. No, not a wall…
“That wasn’t very smart,” Aris says.
I lift the gun to shoot him, but before I can, he snatches it out of my hand.
“Get your daughter from the vehicle, now,” he barks, “and get your ass in my car.”
My eyes dart around me, wondering if there’s any way I can still escape. There are woods on both sides, but there’s no way I’ll make it to grab Zoe and run without Aris stopping me.
As if reading my thoughts, he snarls, “Don’t even think about it. Get your fucking ass in the car.”
We walk a few feet, when I hear a moaning sound. That asshole is seriously not dead?
Aris hits me with a hard glare, then stalks over to him. With the same gun I used, he points it at Estevan’s forehead and shoots. His brains explode, and I lose everything in my stomach.
Everything’s a blur as I pull Zoe from the seat and clutch her to my chest. I can feel the tears falling, but I’m numb to them. I sit in the front seat of Aris’s Porsche and inhale my sweet baby’s hair.
Please don’t hurt us.
Please don’t hurt us.
Zoe is no longer crying now that I’m soothing her, and she babbles to Aris when he falls into the front seat. He says something to her before peeling out and taking us back in the direction we came. When we get back to the house, Selene is sitting on the couch with an icepack pressed to the side of her head.