Page 86 of Scorned Obsession

Bianca was mine.

“I need to talk to Renz. I need to talk to my family, Sandro.” She glared at me, but I continued to battle with myself. “You said it. Raffa has lost the loyalty of the Rossis. You’re in charge now.”

“Let’s talk in the study without her,” Gian told me.

We moved just inside the entrance. That was as far as I was willing to let my cousin into the house.

“Whatever you have to say, you can say it right here. And the study is still bloody in case you’ve forgotten.” It wasn’t, but it still reeked of the consequences of my murderous rage. “I need to call Dom and tell him it wasn’t us.”

“What? Do we know that, though?” Gian said. “Tommy seemed hell-bent on retaliation against the De Luccis about the club.”

“He’s not that reckless,” I told him. “I don’t know where Tommy is, but maybe you do, Gian?”

“How dare you insinuate I’d harm one of our own,” Gian snapped. “You’ll do anything to protect your wife. Are you forgetting the oath you took, Sandro?”

“I took many oaths that day, including my wedding vows, which, if you remember, I said after the made-man ceremony.”

Gian’s mouth curled into a derisive snarl.

“Call Dom.” Bianca's tremulous voice broke our staredown. There was a pleading in every single line of her face, not to mention her eyes that would make me do anything she asked at this instant.

I gave a brief nod. “Wait here. Sticks.” I exchanged a look with him that said “guard my wife.” I walked into the study. Sloane was coming tomorrow to do a thorough scrubbing. But I wondered if this house had served its purpose. No way did I want Bianca to remember what happened in this room each time she had to cross its threshold. I headed to the wall safe and opened it, reaching for a phone I hadn’t used since I married Bianca.

The call was going to be brief.

I powered up the device and swiped Dom’s number.

“Rossi,” he growled.

“It wasn’t us.”

“That speculation has come up.”

“Mutual enemies?”

“Or just yours.”

“Fuck you, Dom.”

The derisive chuckle grated, but I detected exhaustion and frustration in it too.

I asked, “Anyone hurt?”

“No.” He gave me a gist of the damage before he said, “We have Tommy Scavo. Straightforward exchange.Tommy for Bianca.”

“And if I say no?”

“That’s the price. Otherwise, I have nothing else to say to you.” He ended the call.

He didn’t even ask to talk to Bianca. Negotiations were over.

I wanted to smash the phone, but I powered it off and secured it back in the safe.

I wasn’t giving her back. They could see her, but only when I was at her side and they accepted me as her fucking husband. I felt cornered. I needed time to weigh my options, but the searing possessiveness for my wife was blinding me to every option except one.

Keep her.

“Did you get a hold of Dom?” Bianca asked when I returned to the foyer.

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