Page 87 of Shield

“Franco, answer the question.”

For a long moment, he says nothing, sucking on his teeth and staring me down. “How do you not see? Emily married the enemy, and that was useful to me for a while. But when her husband put that flash drive together to try to take Aurelio down, I had to stop him from ruining all the work I’d done.” He grunts and shifts on his feet, barely able to support his weight.

“But if you let him release that flash drive, then he would have gone to prison for murder at the very least. If you truly wanted to take down Aurelio, that would have done it. Why stop it from happening?”

“That wasn’t the plan,” he says drily.

“Whose plan?” asks Matti.

I wait, saying nothing. Something like satisfaction is mixing with Franco’s defiance. He wants to tell us what he did, what his plans were. He wants to gloat.

“When you took the flash drive and Aurelio wanted you dead and your little boyfriend wouldn’t follow orders, it was my opportunity to double down.”

Matti crosses his arms. “You weren’t expecting Aurelio to be angry that Mikey was killed, so you thought killing Siena would even things out for you if he found out it was you who brought down the plane.”

“This is all bullshit.” I can barely see straight. I can’t believe that some decades-old mafia beef was somehow responsible for Franco killing his own family. “There is no war. You just wanted to play gangster, make some money on the side,even if it meant being a crooked cop. You’re a fucking whore, Franco.”

“I’m the whore?” Franco hangs his head as much as he can and laughs hoarsely, his voice cracking. “My time with the Demonios was just the first phase of a larger plan that you’re too stupid to see. But you, you spread your legs for one of the top guys in the family who killed our father, and that’s different?”

Matti growls and moves closer to him. “Watch yourself, Franco. She may not want to kill you, but I don’t need a reason.”

“How romantic. He’s defending his woman’s honor,” Franco says mockingly, then turns his attention to me, his eyes cold. “You fucking disgrace. Are you going to trade in the Bellamorte name to align yourself with the right-hand man of our father’s murderer? Or are you just going to pump out his bastards while he goes home to a respectable woman who didn’t sell out her family for dick?”

A wave of nausea sweeps over me, my visit with Dr. Rossi an hour ago flashing across my mind. I shoot a look at Matti.

Franco’s face lights up with glee. “Holy fucking shit! I can’t fucking believe it!” He leans his head back as far as he can in the neck shackle and practically howls. “You’re already pregnant!”

My eyes are on Matti as his brow crinkles and his whole demeanor changes. He turns fully to meet my gaze, his eyes wide and questioning. He’s not happy.

I start to shake and drop the saw, the clattering of the blade on the concrete braided into Franco’s cackling.

36

Matti

When Siena drops the saw, I step away from Franco and turn fully toward her. Her whole body is trembling like she’s in shock, but her jaw is tight, her spine straight. She tears her gaze from me and glares at Franco with a cold murderous look I’ve never seen from her before, her hands clenched into fists.

Is she fucking pregnant?

I can’t move. I can’t speak. I can’t do anything but stare at this beautiful, strong woman. Holy fuck, if she is carrying my child, our baby is going to take over the fucking world.

Franco is chortling with laughter, ranting endlessly, but I can’t even hear what he’s saying. Siena turns toward me so slowly, it’s like she’s moving through water, her dark brown eyes huge. When our eyes meet, her strength seems to falter, replaced with something that looks like… fear.

Holy shit. That’s what happened with the doc today that she didn’t want to tell me. My girl is scared of what I’ll say about our baby.

“You fucking disgusting cunt,” Franco snarls. “You’re right.I should have fucking killed you first. I thought Emily would be the first one to have kids, kids who would grow up to be Demonio soldiers. Who knew you’d be the fucking slut who got knocked up first? And by the fucking underboss-in-waiting for the entire Demonio family. What the fuck!”

I can’t take my eyes off of Siena. I want so badly to hold her, to take her in my arms and kiss her so that she can understand how much I fucking want her, want this baby, want the family that she’s bringing into my life in a way that words just can’t convey.

But I don’t move. This is her moment, her announcement, her time to call the shots.

Her eyes glaze over, her lip twitching into a sneer, as she turns back to Franco. “You would have killed Emily even without the flash drive, wouldn’t you? Or killed her kids if she had them. Why? What did you think was going to happen?”

Franco stops laughing and shakes his head at her. “I am the one taking over this family. The Bellamorte name will live on through me and me alone. I’m going to spawn a fucking army, wipe every fucking Demonio and Demonio associate off the face of the earth, and take back my fucking birthright!”

Siena’s voice is like ice, deadly. “Are you delusional, Franco? Do you not see where you are?”

I can’t stop staring at her—this badass, gorgeous woman standing tall, radiating power. This is not the angry, erratic woman I first saw at the lake in South Carolina. She’s intelligent, calculating, and ruthless. It’s hot as fuck. I’m blown away that this woman is mine.

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