Page 481 of Hate Mates

But instead he stands,stroking my hair as he leans in. “I expect from now on we won’t have to discuss the rules.”

Chapter Five

MASSIMO ROSELLI

My father furiously paces as I watch him from the entrance to his study. He explodes once noticing my presence. “Who the fuck gave you the authority to take the youngest daughter? She’s nothing! Everyone knows Anna is the one who holds the only key to old man Cassone keeping his legacy alive.”

Perhaps a minor lapseof judgement on my part, but still, one Cassone is as good as the other. “Sophia will work just fine. A daughter is a daughter in old man Cassone’s eyes.”

He grabsa cigar and lights it. “The youngest daughter has her head in the sky, thinks she’s going to change the world, something she’s not. Anna has trading power. He needs her to survive in our world to maintain his power. Capische?”

I pourmyself a drink of whiskey from the crystal decanter and swallow a sip of the Delmar before placing the fine Italian glass on the black marble bar. “Think about it. The older daughter isbetrothed to Barcelo. Starting a war with them at the same time we’re going up against the Cassones? To what end? We have business dealings that we don’t want to fuck up.”

My father fumes,blowing each puff of smoke as he sinks into his favorite leather recliner and the white rings of smoke float into the air. “It’s always the oldest daughter, it’s tradition. It’s what we do!”

One day,he’s just going to have to let go, and today may as well be that day. “The older daughter is sick. We have Sophia. She’ll stay until the debt owed is paid, and we will return her and save face. All is well in the world as we fucking know it.”

His eyes narrow.“I have it on very good authority that she was home and you simply didn’t check.”

I huff out an exasperated breath.Let the old man think what he wants. No matter what happened, after she turned those golden amber eyes on me, that fire raging for all to see into the mirror of her soul, Sophia was coming with me. “It wasn’t a good idea to take Anna, knowing she was sick.”

“Who says she is sick?”

“The detail saidshe’s made two trips to the doctor in the last couple weeks alone. Her sister confirmed what our soldiers learned.” My jaw locks tight at his constant interference and need for control. “If I thought we should take Anna, I would have checked to see if she was home, which I didn’t, because I already knew she was there. I just didn’t care. I don’t appreciate beingput in charge and then questioned at every turn. If I’m going to run the business one day, you need to start letting me handle things.”

He blowsout another ring of smoke, watching it float through the air of his study, the only room in the house Mamma will allow him his guilty pleasure. “Where is she?” he growls.

My father actsas though he doesn’t know exactly what happened or where she is. “I’ve taken Sophia to my villa. I have plenty of space and didn’t think you’d want to worry Mamma by bringing her here.”

His eyesnarrow and his face turns even redder. “The warehouse, that’s where we keep her, capische? This is not a holiday! You want me to let you be in charge then remember how we do things in the family or I’ll get one of your brothers to do it for you!”

My jaw locks tight.One more threat like that and he can shove the damn job right up his ass, the cranky old bastard. My eyebrow lifts. “Do not tempt me, father. Not today. She’s being heavily guarded and there is no threat of anyone taking her back. Besides, we’re utilizing the men I already have in employ without any need to put others at the warehouse or spread our soldiers any thinner. A win-win if you ask me, but of course you did not. Good night, father.”

His face turns beet red.“Until I get my money back and since you decided you could keep an eye on the enemy better than our men, you will do just that. You better not take your fucking eyesoff of her or fucking lose her until I get my fucking money back! Capische? Consider her your personal fucking responsibility.”

I shrug,turning on a heel. “As you wish, father.”

The driver is still parkedin the same place he dropped me. Thank fuck for Georgeo. Always knows exactly when to hang around. I slide into the luxurious leather of the sleek black limo’s rear seat. “Back to the house.”

“Yes, boss.”

I pullup my phone and connect with our capo in charge of the soldiers ordered to watch the youngest Cassone daughter, the one who has caused me nothing but grief since I met her, yet the one that I can’t get out of my mind. “How are things at the house?”

His voice lowers. “Hang on.”

I holdthe phone away from my face, unaccustomed to being on hold for anyone, much less someone paid to do exactly as I fucking say. Benzo returns to the phone. “Sorry boss. She’s a fucking little hellcat. You want me to give her a sedative or something to calm her the fuck down?”

She wasfine when I left, a little quiet, perhaps embarrassed, but other than that, fine, or I wouldn’t have left. My chest heaves as I imagine any number of things that could have went wrong. “What happened?”

He’ssilent for just a moment longer than normal, but I’m done waiting for answers. “What the hell happened?”

A heavy sighcomes across the phone. “One of the soldiers got a little personal with her and she fucking lost her shit. He’s going to need stitches, boss.”

My chest tightenswith an unfamiliar rage picturing a myriad of things that could have happened to the dark-haired beauty while I was gone. “Who the fuck put hands on Sophia?” I growl, because when I find the bastard, he is as good as dead.

Chapter Six

SOPHIA CASSONE

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