Page 80 of Savage Claim

Looking at my wife, the woman who I loved more than anything or anyone, I pitied her, andthatkindled an angry fire in my belly. Gemma didn’t deserve to have her sister begging for her like this. I stood and came to where Isabella knelt and reached down, pulling her back to her feet. I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “The answer is no,dolcezza,” I said, and she sobbed. “But I’ll give you time to say your goodbyes.”

Her eyes met mine, and whatever she saw in my face made her realize that I was absolutely serious. “Okay,” she sniffled.

I cupped her face, keeping her face tipped up to mine. “Her death will be quick and painless,” I told her. “But if you interfere in anyway, she’ll go down to the basement with Elio, and I’ll make you watch.” Horror stole over her face; I had made my point. I kissed her forehead again. “Now, go.”

I watched her as she stumbled out of the room, and then I went back to my desk. I opened the locked bottom drawer and pulled out a pill bottle. I promised Isabella that Gemma’s death would be painless, after all.

Now, should I crush the pills up and put them in her dinner or force them down her throat myself?

CHAPTER 52

Isabella

Icouldn’t stop trembling. Lorenzo hadn’t told me how long I had to say my goodbyes, so I needed to think and plan quickly, but my mind was reeling, making it hard to think.

I wasn’t going to be able to get Gemma out of the estate on my own. But who could I ask for help? Elio and Damian were out of the question: they were Lorenzo’s right and left hands. The same went for Amalia. She would never cross Lorenzo, especially for Gemma.

I really only had one option.

Running for the stairs, I could only hope that Cristian was willing to take a risk. I knocked on his door, wincing at how it echoed in the empty hallway. It only took him a few seconds to answer, but it felt like it took centuries.

“Cristian,” I breathed out. My brain and body seemed to be at war with one another: my brain was spinning far faster than my body was allowing.

“Isabella?” Cristian’s eyebrows pulled inward. “What’s wrong?” He looked down. “Is it the baby?”

I shook my head. “The baby is fine,” I assured him. My voice was hoarse from fear. “It’s Gemma.”

A complicated look flickered over his face. “Isabella, I don’t think I’m the one to come to about your sister.”

“You’re the only one who can help me.”

“What?”

“Gemma called the FBI.” The words struck Cristian like a punch to the face. “Lorenzo is going to kill her.”

Cristian didn’t even bother to tell me that I was wrong: he knew his brother better than that. “What did he say, exactly?”

“That he would make it painless unless I interfered,” I told him. “He’s giving me time to say goodbye.”

Cristian frowned, deeply troubled. “You should be spending time with her.”

I sobbed, shaking my head. “I can’t do that,” I said.

“You’ll regret it if?—”

“No,” I cut him off. “Icannotlet Lorenzo hurt her.”

Cristian stared at me, blinking over and over. “You know that won’t end well. If you go against Lorenzo, he’ll make it ten times worse.”

His threat rang in my mind. “I know, but I can’t let her die.”

Cristian stared at me as if he had never seen me before; I wanted to sink into the floor. This could blow up in my face so badly if he turned around and went running to Lorenzo. “Why are youtelling me this?” he asked, voice cautious, practically begging me not to say what he knew I was going to say.

“I need help.”

He immediately shook his head. “I can’t.”

“Then, she’ll die,” I shot back, “and I don’t know if I’d ever be able to come back from that.”

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