man.” I unbutton my sleeve and start to roll it up.
“Leo, please.” Bella reaches back and pushes his fists down. “Stop.”
Why is she touching him? She shouldn’t be touching him. I’m right fucking here. She touched him gently. After she tried to slap me.
“He needs to go.” I move toward her, menace in my steps.
She doesn’t flinch. “Leo is a friend of my family. He’s been with us since we were kids. He protects us. If you hurt him, you go to war with my father.”
Fuck. “Why is your sister here, anyway? Did he sell her to Giuseppe, too?”
“No.” She shakes her head. “She and Leo came to visit. That’s all.” Her eyes shift away from me, and then back. She’s hiding something. I’ve done enough interrogations to know when someone tries to keep a secret from me. Though I wouldn’t use my usual methods on Bella. I’d work her, but not with my fists. With my tongue, my cock, my—focus.
I blink hard. “Then they need to return to the Carrera compound immediately.”
“No!” All three cry in unison.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “And why not?”
“You … need her.” Bella nods. “For leverage.”
“You want me to use the sister you claim to cherish as leverage?”
Bella shrugs. “Yes. As long as you promise not to touch her, she should remain here with Leo and me.” She steps to me again, her aggression stoking my own. “But if you break that promise, I will cut off your dick and feed it to you.”
Why do her threats make my cock get even thicker? Fuck, this woman is too much.
She’s going to be a problem.
Especially if I don’t get her beneath me and moaning my name soon.
4
Bella
“Calm,” I order my sister and pull out the chair in the little sitting area in the master bedroom. The double doors are wide open as Leo paces in front of them. She comes over and sits. I pull out the other chair and sit down with her.
“Now what?” She looks at her stomach, her hand going to rest there. I hate the tremble in her voice. I put my own hand over her stomach as well. She turns her hand, locking her fingers with mine.
“Nothing has changed.”
Her mouth parts but no words come out. I look over at Leo, who has stopped pacing.
“I came here to marry, then find a way for Leo and you to get away. Now it looks like I’ll just be marrying twice. No big deal.” I shrug. That’s the truth. It doesn’t matter who I’m married to; it’s the end result of my sister being safe that matters.
“I don’t think this one is going to be so easy to fool.” Leo comes to stand next to my sister. I nod in agreement.
“I’ll have to work harder, and you need to control your temper.” I give him a pointed look. “It won’t do us any good for you to get killed. All of this would be in vain.”
“I’m sorry.” He runs his hand through his brown hair.
“Don’t be sorry. Be better.”
He gives me a nod, and I trust that he will. I can always count on him.
“I’m sorry, too.” I sigh. “This is going to take longer than we thought.” I rub my temples, trying to get my mind to stop racing. I’m grasping for a new plan, but nothing is coming to me yet. I have no doubt Santino has filled any holes in the security that my now dead husband had. I say a small prayer that maybe they missed one. I could use a miracle for once.
If my father finds out Gianna is pregnant, Leo is as good as dead. I don’t think she’d survive losing him. Her heart couldn’t take the loss.
“Don’t apologize to me. You have nothing to be sorry for.” Leo places his hand on Gianna’s shoulder.
I look up at my best friend. The only man I’ve ever truly trusted.
“We’ll figure this out,” I vow. “I won’t let you down.”
Leo lets out a curse. “I have never doubted that.”
“I know, but these men are different. Can’t you tell?”
He nods. “Like I said, Santino is far sharper than Giuseppe. Fooling him isn’t going to be easy.”
“We’re still outnumbered.” I shrug. “The same as before. You’re right. Nothing has changed. We have something they don’t, though. Something you need if you’re outnumbered and still plan to win.”
“Bella,” Gianna says, her lips turning up into a smile. “We still have the smartest player on the board.” She taps her