Page 62 of Outlaw
“Sabrina,” Rizzo calls out to his daughter. “Thank God you’re fine.”
“How is this going to go down, Rizzo?” I ask, not wasting any time with formalities.
“As usual, you’re all business. I can respect that from a Corrigan.” He takes a step forward, buttoning the jacket of his dark gray designer three-piece suit. “Now, if you’ll kindly give me back my daughter, we can wrap this up quickly… no one has to get hurt.”
“I wasn’t kidnapped, Dad,” Sabrina shouts. “Please don’t—”
She only stops as her father’s deadly gaze snaps over to her, shutting her down.
“Stop,” he barks at her. “You’re safe, princess. You don’t have to say anything they forced you to tell me.”
“They didn’t force me to do or say anything. Dad, I’m fine. This isn’t what you think. I don’t need to go anywhere.”
“These people took you from your condo and have had you for almost four days.”
“No! You’re wrong. They stopped the kidnapping attempt. Twice. And they kept me safe. This is all a big misunderstanding.”
“You were with them voluntarily?”
“Not at first, but yes. Someone else tried to take me. Silas was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or maybe it was the right time. I got into trouble leaving the condo. Someone darted me. I don’t know who, but the point is Silas was there and he helped me get away from them. He’s kept me safe since then. I know you appreciate that.” Sabrina swallows hard, blinking back tears as she points to Giovanni. “Lorenzo Giovanni isnotthe upstanding person you believe him to be.”
“You’re confused… traumatized,” Giovanni explodes. His face goes beet red. “That must be it, because you’d never dare to disrespect me that way in front of these goons. They’re worthless street rats. They don’t deserve to look at you, and yet you’re defending them? You’re mine. Youwillrespect me. You’re promised to me and no one else, do you understand me?”
The pompous asshole grabs Sabrina by the hand and I have to bite back my urge to ram my fist down the motherfucker’s throat. Or the double barrel of my sawed-off. But Sabrina shoots me a glance as if to tell me to follow her lead. She goes willingly, and stops beside her father. His eyes remain fixed on Giovanni’s hand on his daughter until the fucker lets her go.
“I have no doubt that Lorenzo’s behind both kidnappings, Dad.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Giovanni protests.
“It’s not! He’s been holding Jordan prisoner to make sure I follow through and marry him, Dad. You have to believe me. And he put a hit on Silas’s mother last night. She wasn’t hurt badly, but he had her shot!”
“I hope she’s doing fine,” Rizzo says calmly. “This is disappointing. All of it. But I’m much more discouraged to know you think so little of me, Sabrina. Yes, I’ve been busy, but not too busy to find out some of these things myself.” He looks at me again. “Corrigan, do you really believe I’d let Giovanni lay a hand on my daughter?”
“That’s a tough question to answer when I hear you pushed for their engagement and made her move in next door to him. We’re the ones who spent the last four days watching her back, and protecting our club and my members from attacks he ordered.”
“Whatever I did, I did it to protect, Sabrina,” Giovanni insists.
Thank fuck Rizzo isn’t drinking the Kool-Aid. “Lorenzo, your father and I were friends and allies for more than half a century before he died. He was a man of honor through and through, which is why I gave you countless opportunities to rise to the occasion and work toward being more like him. I see now that’s not in the cards for you. You’re still willing to look me in the eye and lie to my face as you stab me in the back.”
Giovanni goes pale as Rizzo’s words sink in. “What?”
“I gave you my blessing to marry Sabrina out of respect for an agreement I made with your father. That would not have happened had I known you’re the one behind the kidnapping of Governor Bain’s boy.”
“But, no… You can’t do this,” Giovanni pleads to Rizzo.
Rizzo ignores him and turns to me again. “Thank you for keeping her safe. I can’t tell you how much that means to me. You’ve also saved my organization from potential blowback by returning Governor Bain’s son to him. I’ve repeatedly announced that no one associated with my organization would ever betray Governor Bain, that we had no part in his son’s kidnapping. I was wrong to put any faith in Giovanni.”
No shit.
“I’ve had enough of this charade,” Giovanni shouts all of a sudden. “Get in position, men.”
Half of the men they brought along step around him. One of them drags Sabrina out of the way while the others face me, Cole, and Rizzo, and start reaching for their weapons. Rizzo’s the only one in shock. He’s not unprepared, though, pulling out a handgun at the same time that Cole and I get ours out.
Except, he’s pointing his back at Giovanni too.
As our allies.
“Sabrina’s mine, old man,” Giovanni snarls. “The wedding’s on. And after it’s all said and done, you can fade into the background when I take over. Or maybe you’ll have an unfortunate accident right now. “
