Page 60 of Legacy

“What other things?”

His focus homed in on me, making my heartbeat accelerate. “Why do you want to know?”

“We’re a couple. We discuss troubles. Isn’t that how it works?”

“Is that what we’re doing, Avra? Sharing our troubles?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

“Is this going to be a fair exchange?” His question sliced along my skin, making it clear we were entering more than a negotiation.

“What is it you consider fair, Eli?”

“Let me see.” He held my gaze as he crept slowly,methodically, around the large island as if he were a predator. “I give you information. You give the same. No lies, no evasions, only truth.”

“I’ve never lied to you.”

“But you’ve never given me the whole truth.”

“You haven’t asked the right questions to garner the answers you seek.”

“All of the same can be said in reverse for me.”

“Fine. Let’s have a question-and-answer session. Brutal honesty is all that is allowed.”

The intensity of his presence caused goosebumps to prickle over my skin. “Ask your first question.”

“How well do you know them? Are you friends with them, or is it just Ozias? Are you in business with them as well?” I asked.

“Can I assume you’re referring to Cristo Caras, Morisi Bella, and Pella Korba?”

I nodded.

He padded closer, coming within arm's reach, his presence a heady sensation on my nerves. My eyes connected with his, and a pulse of lust burned across my skin.

Getting right up into my space, he shot his arms out around me. He dropped his hands to the counter, caging me in, bracketing me.

I gazed into his face as he point-blank put me on the spot.

“Is this an assessment so you can kill them for their part in your father’s assassination?”

I lifted my chin slightly, not afraid to answer. “Yes.”

“It will cause an uproar. It will destabilize territories.”

So, he’d thought of this too.“I don’t care.” As he narrowed his eyes, I went on. “People need to know they can’t go against the Vitalis Family and get away with it.”

He pressed his lips together, exhaling through his nose as he looked me up and down. His gaze lingered on me, igniting a spark of desire. Even when I had no right to think about anything but standing my ground, his warm proximity never failed to arouse me.

“Are you officially claiming the status as godmother of the Vitalis Family, Avra?”

I swallowed, hearing that title for the second time today. Just like before, the weight of those words stacked on my conscience.

“I did this before we married, Eli.” I allowed my cheek to brush against his as he moved closer.

His hands settled on my hips. “Are you waging war? One target at a time?”

I smirked, loving the proximity of his large body to mine. “You should know the answer to that already. The Vitalis’s power remains. Once my plan is complete, no one will forget the price of betrayal. It’s all about collecting the pieces to set us back on top.”

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