Page 18 of Cruel Secrets

Aiden’s jaw clenches and he gives a tight shake of his head.

“So, if you aren’t willing to budge and you know that he’s willing to kill to get what he wants, what are you offering him?”

“Money. Power. New Jersey.”

Laughing, I shake my head and pace away from him. “New Jersey? What the hell makes you think he’s going to want New Jersey when he could have New York by slaughtering all of us? I think you need to take a harder look at what it’s going to take to bring this war to an end.”

“I never gave much thought to ending the war before. It’s seemed like something that has to continue. Dad wouldn’t want us to back down. Not after all that he did to get us where we are now.”

I scoff, tucking my free hand in my pocket, and watch sparks fly out of the barrel, only to die the moment they hit the dirt patch surrounding it. “Dad didn’t know what he was doing. We’re stronger now. We don’t need to be starting wars with Noah Rinaldo. In the grand scheme of things, he’s nothing and he’s never going to gain the power you have now.”

“Dad ran the family for decades. He wouldn’t want us to give up the fight with our oldest enemy.”

“And during that time, he did nothing to stop a fucking war. He sat back and allowed his family to be killed for the sake of a portion of the city.”

Aiden glances at the gold watch on his wrist. “I think it’s time I get going.”

“I think you’re right about that.”

For years, I didn’t give thought to the way our family fought with others to gain power and control. The countless bodies piling up at our door meant very little to me.

Now that I have a daughter to think about, I’m tired of seeing dead people. At least to some degree. We have other enemies lurking closer and the government is going to raid us one of these days. There are a million different things we have to prepare for.

At the end of the day, Noah Rinaldo seems like a small problem. Assassinate him and then we can stop waiting for him to attack. I won’t have to worry about how to protect my daughter from her uncle.

I don’t want her to have to know what it is to look over her shoulder every single day and worry that today may be the day she dies.

All I want is for Bianca to be able to look at her family and know that we’re in control of New York and that nobody is ever going to get to her. Not her uncle nor any of the others who would dare to challenge us.

And that means that Aiden is going to either have to wipe the Rinaldos from the face of the earth or he’ll need to strike an alliance with them.

I walk with him to his car, not saying a word until he’s opening the door. “You’re going to keep up the search for Noah, aren’t you?”

“Yes. I know that we need to find him. I’ll consider what you said about the negotiations as well.” Aiden rubs a hand on the back of his neck. “I know it’s going to take a lot to get Noah to come to the table, but I can’t give up everything our family has worked for either. Everything Dad attempted to do would go down the drain if I break up our territory.”

“Well then, you’re going to find yourself building your empire on ruins.”

Spinning, I head toward the backyard, grabbing the mugs before going into the house and putting them in the sink.

Gia appears at my side out of thin air. “Why did you volunteer to stay with me?”

I glance down at her for a moment, not sure what to tell her and what to keep to myself. I’ve already searched through her belongings and there’s nothing she’d be able to use to communicate with anyone else. She doesn’t know where we are even if she could talk to Noah.

Sighing, I shove away from the sink. “Because I did.”

“That’s not a reason and you know it.” She crosses her arms, pushing up her breasts and dragging the neckline of her shirt a little lower.

I open the fridge, pretending to dig for something so she can’t see the way the front of my jeans begin to tent. She’s playing a dangerous game and right now I don’t have the patience to be nice to her.

Not that she deserves the kindness either way.

Gia makes a strangled noise in the back of her throat. “You’re infuriating. I don’t see why it has to be you when someone else—someone more tolerable—could be here to watch me and Bianca.”

With a grimace, I turn, hand wrapping loosely around her throat as I pin her to the wall. It’s the only way I can keep her attention on my face instead of the way my traitorous body still craves her.

I trail my thumb over her erratic pulse, just long enough to remind her—and myself—of the power I still hold.

Her tongue darts out to lick her bottom lip, her gaze darkening as she looks up at me through half-hooded eyes. Her chest rises and falls as she holds her head steady. Defiance radiates from her, luring me in, making me want to teach her a lesson.

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