Page 82 of Vicious Vows

“But you would work against your own father?”

“No, that’s not what I want.”

“What do you want?” he asked.

“I want peace between our families. I want things to go back to the way they were before Nico left.” I stretched out my legs. “Before I went with Marchello.”

“Do you know how that would make me look to the other families? How would I appear in front of my own soldiers? Marchello has undermined me, disrespected me, and shares a bed with my daughter who he claims to have kidnapped twice.”

“We could put all of that in the past. If you agree to help me, I’ll talk to Marchello. I’m sure we can negotiate a treaty. You don’t have to look weak in front of anyone.”

“You have grown up, haven’t you?” He took off his glasses and set them on the desk. “I only wish you were fighting this way because you wanted to protect me.”

“I do want to protect you, but you made the first move when you ordered that hit. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking I’d get you back.” He pounded his fist on the desk. “Do you believe that I meant for you to get hurt? Do you know what I’m going to do to that incompetent arms dealer when I find him? As soon as he saw you were on that terrace, he should have aborted the mission.”

“There should have been no mission.” I raised my voice. “You said you didn’t want to hurt me, but didn’t you think that by killing Marchello, I would have been devastated.”

“You would have gotten over it.”

“Who are you?” I got up from the chair and stormed closer to the desk. “This is not the man who raised me.”

“Lissia, this is exactly the man who raised you. I just had the sense to keep you out of my affairs. Don’t be fooled. You are my daughter or else you wouldn’t be here trying to barter some absurd deal between me and Accetti.”

“If I don’t do it, neither of you will.” I had to save them both because being in the middle was going to kill me. “You have to stop this war.”

“What do I get in return for that?”

“You get to keep me.” I gazed into his eyes, searching for the man who raised me. He wasn’t the best father in the world, often throwing cash at me and giving in to my every desire, but he always looked after me. It wasn’t until he tried to force me to marry Danny that things changed. “Isn’t that enough?”

“As long as you are with him, that will never be true. He would no more put the sword down than I would. There is too much at stake for him.”

“That’s why you have to be the one to do it.”

“No!” He clenched his fists. “How dare you come here on his behalf. He has cost me too much as it is. I won’t allow him to take any more.”

“He was defending himself.”

“And now you’re defending him.” He knocked a pile of papers to the floor. “This has to stop.”

How ironic that my father would say I was defending Marchello. Hadn’t I done the same for him against Marchello?

“The man you come here to defend would kill me in a heartbeat. I hope you know that. If someone calls you and tells you I’ve been murdered, you’ll know it was by the hands of an Accetti. Will you defend him then?”

“I’m trying to stop both of you from killing one another. Please help me.”

“How do you propose I do that?” He stood and then bent down to pick up the papers he had pushed to the floor. “I know you have an impulsive plan. You always do.”

“I’ve given this one some thought.”

He came around the desk and stopped in front of me.

“Do you know why Nico is off-the-grid?” I asked.

“I’ve heard rumblings that his own cartel forced him underground.” He leaned on the edge of his desk. “When that happened, it left his territory open. A few other families could have joined forces with me and stepped in, but they refused. I don’t know if it had anything to do with why Nico went missing, but some know more than others.”

“Could you find out what they know?”

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