keeps an eye on things and lets me know if shit gets out of hand. Sometimes I intervene, anonymously, of course, and sometimes I don’t.”
“If your brother wants to kill me, why didn’t he have that guy do it when he broke into my house? We were alone.”
A pause. “He’ll want to do the job himself.”
Nice. She went on like they were talking about someone else’s fucked up life. “You were born into this crime family?”
“Yes.”
“What kinds of things did you do when you were a…” Was there a politically correct term for someone in the mafia? A goon? A made man? A mobster? “When you were in New York,” she finished.
He remained silent so long she wondered if he’d even answer.
“I followed whatever order my father gave. When I could, I kept to the business side of things, but only because it was more interesting—overseeing the gambling houses, document altering, dealing with the chop shops and organizing the export of refurbished vehicles. Our family has a lucrative loan-sharking operation that was always a nice challenge.”
“That’s it?” she said when he didn’t go on.
“No.”
“What. The rest is a secret?”
He paused again. “You want it all, Eva?”
She swallowed, then nodded. And held her breath.
“Contract killing. Arms, organ and drug trafficking. Embezzlement. Prostitution. Just a few things Stef has gotten into in the last few years.”
Okay. Now she had a clear, horrifying picture of a family filled with murdering criminals. “Have you ever killed anyone?” she asked as she started breathing again.
“Yes.”
“More than one?” she pressed weakly.
“Yes, Eva. More than one. I considered them necessary kills. Not many of us take a life for the sake of taking a life.”
She rolled over and sat up, really looking at Gabriel for the first time since her intruder had called earlier. His mouth was set tight, tension lines bracketed his eyes, his hair was separated by deep grooves as though he’d been running his fingers through it.
But he still looked capable of ruling the world and everyone in it.
“What would you consider a necessary reason for taking a life?” she asked, genuinely curious.
“If someone threatens, hurts, or kills someone I consider mine, I’ll put them down. If they fuck with, beat, or kill a child or a defenceless woman, I’ll put them down.” He held her gaze as he reached over to uncap the bottle of water sitting on the nightstand. “I haven’t filled the bottom of the Hudson, if that’s what you’re thinking.” He handed her the bottle.
Her chest swelled with emotion as her morals struggled. Did she swoon over his protective instincts? Or shrink back at how far he’d go to satisfy to them?
As she accepted the water, her entire being strained to go to him. Would some of his strength seep into her if she burrowed into that wide chest?
She downed half the bottle, her frustration rising because the man she wanted to accept comfort from was the very man who’d just destroyed her world as she’d known it.
“I don’t want to stay here with you.” Could she even go to the police with this story without them locking her up in a padded room?
As something she couldn’t identify—sure wasn’t concern—flashed through the lingering shadows in Gabriel’s eyes, his big shoulder rolled in a shrug.
That was it? A shrug? “You’re an arrogant bastard.”
“You’re a pain in the ass.”
Shock nearly rendered her speechless. Nearly. “Boo-hoo. At least I’m not a liar.”
“No. You’re just hard-headed and lippy, not to mention too stubborn to recognize when someone is trying to help you.”
She was about to throw the water bottle at his gorgeous head when it hit her that he might be right. But what did he expect her to do? Work through all of this while sitting in this fucking bed with him?
She huffed out a dismayed breath and gave him her back.
“You’re free to roam.” She heard him get to his feet. “Just be aware the boys stationed outside know you’re not to leave the suite.”
As the door closed, Eva grabbed a pillow and stuffed it into her face so the sound of her tears wouldn’t be heard.
FOURTEEN
Vincente held his breath as Stefano’s cologne played chicken with his gag reflex. Man, the expensive shit was always the worst. Especially when trapped in an ancient elevator with a wearer that had to have bathed in the shit.
But maybe he was being oversensitive because his nerves were stretched to the limit.
The car ground to a halt, the ding of the bell sounding weak and sad