Page 106 of Redemption

“Aria has nothing to do with any of this.”

Alistair walks up to me. “Your daughter has everything to do with this. She has the power to control half of the criminal underworld. And I plan to raise her to.”

I lose control and slap Alistair in the face. “You will not touch her.”

He grins at me, then puts his hands around my neck, walking me backward until I am slammed into the cold brick of the wall. “You have no power here, Mirabella. Maybe you should have stayed with your uncle.”

I kick him in the balls and shove him off me. “So what? You are just going to kill me, kill your son. Raise my daughter as your own. Groom her like you did Kilian. Make her feel worthless? I know how you raised Kilian. You’ve groomed your youngest son for nearly his entire life to take over this business. You’ve been harsh, cruel, merciless. You never treated your older sons that way. And this is what happened to Kilian.” I gesture toward him.

“I find it funny that you are still standing up for him. Such loyalty you have to him even after I told you his truths.”

“None of what you said is true. I know him, I know he wouldn’t have done any of that on purpose.”

“Maybe, maybe not. But you really think he can’t be loyal to me? That he hasn’t been playing you this whole time? You are a foolish girl, Mirabella.”

“He hasn’t been. I know him. I know him better than you do. And right now, he’s torn between his loyalty to you and being happy.”

“Happiness is a gift, Miss Renzetti.”

“No, happiness is a part of life, Alistair. And you’ve deprived him of that since he was sixteen years old.”

“And are you happy? Daughter of a Renzetti.”

“When I am with your son, I am. When I am with my daughter, I am.”

“You mean his daughter.”

I ignore his statement. “You’ve ruined his life enough. There are other people that can take over your syndicate. People that want it. You’ll just have to live with the fact it’s not in your name. Bancroft will hold the same power it does over people but you will know the truth.”

“I don’t give a shit about the syndicate anymore. Not when my intentions are to use your daughter to take over your family’s business.”

“The only place my daughter is going is home with me.”

He pulls a gun from under his suit jacket and aims it at me. “You made a mistake coming here, girl. You should know by now I always get my way.”

Before he can pull the trigger, I slide out the knife I hid beneath my clothes, so close to the gun they took from me. A distraction was all that gun was.

I throw the knife into Alistair’s chest just as the gun goes off, the bullet nearly missing me as he staggers back.

The guards from outside storm in through the door. I dive for Alistair’s gun as he tries to pull the serrated knife from his chest. I slam my elbow into the ground and pry the gun from his fingers, then flip over and shoot down the first guard. The second aims his gun at me but I roll forward, the bullet hitting the ground behind me. The gun slips out of my hand as I slide across a pool of blood.

I pull my other knife out and slash at the guard's legs, taking him down, then taking his own gun and shooting him in the head.

I run for the door, knowing more guards will be on their way. I slam it shut and lock it from the inside and pray they can’t open it from the outside.

I run to Kilian and remove his gag and slice off the ties binding him to the chair. I step back as he stands up. He limps toward me and I can see the pain on his face, but he cups my cheeks and kisses me with such reverence I feel my own legs shaking.

“Kil,” I whisper against his lips.

“Mo stór. That was so sexy.”

I wrap my arms around him as all the tension I’ve been holding in my body since he left the house in Mallorca disappears.

He groans and I pull back. “You’re hurt.”

“It will heal,” he mutters as he pulls me back into him.

“We need to find Aria.”

---