Page 23 of Cruel Possession
Everyone settles down in their spots, pouring glasses of wine and laughing, talking about their days as if we’re nothing more than a normal family.
And then, Royce leans closer to me. “Why is Zoe in the basement?”
“She’s been down there a week, in case you care. Food and water. Bathroom breaks every four hours or so. Changes each day. Don’t want her to be able to keep track of time too easily.” I slice into my steak and pop a piece in my mouth, letting the flavor melt on my tongue.
Gia looks like she’s going to throttle me. “She’s been down there for aweek?”
“Yes.”
“And you don’t see any problem with the fact that you’ve been keeping my sister prisoner without telling me? You think it’s just normal to do whatever the hell you did to get her down there, and now you’re going to sit here and act like you did nothing?”
I put my knife and fork down. “I did what I had to do for this family.”
Gia slams her hand on the table. “She’smyfamily. You should’ve told me about this.”
“So you could warn her?” I scoff and lean back in my chair, crossing my arms over my chest. “I don’t think so.”
Gia shoots up, her chair slamming back and hitting the ground. She leans over the table, her hand hovering too close to her knife for my liking. “I have been nothing but loyal since coming into your family. I have shown you time and time again that I would put my life on the line for all of you, and yet you still take my sister and keep her locked away for a week. You still don’t trust me to be able to speak with her?”
“Speak with her? It’s been how long now since she has been dropping bodies at our doors? Where was this willingness to talk to her before now, huh? Am I supposed to just let her killsomeone at this table before I do something about it?” I press my lips together in a thin line.
“She wouldn’t!”
“Why? Because you’re her sister? Not like that has stopped her before.”
The rest of the room quiets, none of the family saying anything.
I nod to Gia’s seat. “Now sit the fuck down and take a moment to really think about what you’re going to do next.”
Gia’s knuckles turn white as her hands curl into fists. “Oh, I’ve been thinking about it since I found my sister is locked in a cell earlier today.”
Royce scrubs a hand down his face. “Why don’t we talk about this?”
I dig back into my food. “There’s nothing to talk about. I made a decision for the good of the family, and that’s all there is to it.”
Ellie pushes her food around on her plate before setting her fork to the side. “Is that why you asked me for the lorazepam?”
“Yes, I kept her calm and relaxed for the first two days. Weaned her off it on the third. Now I’m sure she’s down there plotting ways to kill me.”
Gia sinks back in her chair, tears in her eyes. “She wasn’t happy when I saw her.”
I reach for my glass of wine. “Didn’t think she would be. And her happiness isn’t my problem. My problem is keeping everyone in this family alive, and with her down there, I might just be able to do that.”
“The second you took her, she stopped being in control.” Gia crosses one leg over the other, still studying me like she doesn’t trust me.
A problem for another time.
“I know that.” I swirl the wine around in my glass before setting it down. “I’m not looking to run the Rinaldos by keeping her here. I’m going to use her for information.”
Gia presses her fingers to her temples, massaging them and looking up at the ceiling. “That’s not going to work either. They’re going to come after her for the principle alone. You took both me and her. They’re not going to let it stand. It’s only going to make them angrier.”
“And if they do?” I keep my tone low and dangerous as my gaze locks with hers. “You’ve been nothing but a thorn in my side since the day you arrived. Having you here causes endless problems for my family, and yet I’ve let you stay. So, tell me, when they come for her, whose side are you on?”
“Yours,” she says without hesitation, but her glare might say otherwise.
Royce reaches out and puts his hand on her thigh, his glare burning a hole through the side of my head. “Aiden, you’re not helping anything. Just tell us what you plan to do with her.”
I push back from the table and grab my glass of wine, stalking out of the room without another word.
