fighting tears - and she was winning. She was so strong, stronger than most people gave her credit for, I was sure. But this wasn’t something she could handle alone. If these people were that powerful, there was nowhere in the world she could run and be guaranteed to be safe.
“Who are we dealing with, Emmy?” I asked, speaking softly. “The more I know, the more I can help you.”
“You can’t help me,” she said again.
“Yes, I can. And I will. Now tell me. Who are we dealing with?”
She sighed and closed her eyes. “If I tell you, I put you at risk as well.”
“I’m fine with that. I’m always putting my life at risk, often for people I don’t even know.”
Her eyes opened again, and she contemplated for a few moments before she finally nodded. “Fine. It’s the Mafia.”
She paused as if expecting me to respond in shock. To the average person, hearing that the Mafia is after you likely would freak them out. Or they might not believe you. But I knew better.
“I’ve had run-ins with those types before,” I said. “I’ve protected witnesses involved in court cases. I know what we’re dealing with here.”
“I don’t know…” She chewed on her lip. “We’re not talking about some low-level Mafia family, Graham. We’re talking the Lombardo Crime Family.”
My ears perked up. Now that was a name I’d heard before. Emmy was correct. These weren’t your regular small-time criminals. This was the real deal. I still didn’t flinch.
“They don’t scare me.”
“Well, they should. I’ve seen what they’re capable of.”
“You’ve not seen what I’m capable of yet,” I said with a cocky grin. “What do they want with you anyway?”
“They want me.”
“Yeah, but what for? Did you see something you weren’t supposed to see?”
She sighed a shaky sigh. “No, I mean it - they want me. And by they, I mean Antonio Lombardo wants me to be his wife, and my father…” Her voice cracked, but she regained her composure. “My father has given me to Antonio in exchange for some business dealings.”
I’d heard a lot of things in my nearly forty years on this planet, but none of them pissed me off as much as that sentence right there. My fists balled up at my sides, and I so badly wanted to punch something - anything - to relieve the tension building inside me.
“Your own father? How could he—”
“My dad lost his way long ago. He only cares about money, I’m afraid,” she said, a sadness in her eyes that broke my heart.
“But you’re a person, not a bargaining chip.” I shook my head, the rage boiling under my skin.
“Tell that to him,” she muttered. “Ever since my mom died, this is all I’ve ever known, Graham. I never saw a way out. I was hoping I could go away to grad school, build my own life and leave my dad behind, but sadly, well, now I have to deal with this.”
“You’re not going to have to deal with this alone,” I promised.
“Graham…” Her voice sounded defeated.
“No, Emmy,” I said firmly. “Don’t argue with me. I likely have a better idea about how these guys operate than you think.” She looked skeptical, so I continued. “I know they’ll come looking for you here. You’re right, Liberty is the first place they’ll look. And your cards? Well, they’ll be able to track those too. You would need a new identity, which isn’t easy to get. Your car was in your name, people could find you that way. If you rent a car, they’ll be able to trace it to you too. There really is no easy way to just run and be done with them.”
“I know, but what else can I do?”
“You did what you thought was best, and you did great, Emmy. But leave it to us now. We’re the experts. We can protect you.”
“We? You haven’t even asked your brothers to get involved in my mess.”
“I don’t have to ask. I know them. They’ll help.”
She sighed and rubbed her temples. “I don’t know…but I don’t know what other choice I have. I don’t know how to get a new identity, and they have networks all over the world. I’d never be free.”
I stroked her cheek and leaned in to kiss those sweet lips. She kissed me back. “You’ll be free of them, Emmy. I promise you.”
It might have sounded cocky, but I knew my brothers and I were good. We could handle this. We had to.
I would never let