Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 80139 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80139 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Daniela stands beside him. She’s clearly who kept him from barreling back to the front door and smashing me into tomorrow.
Does the rest of the family know about me yet? Doubtful.
Daniela must have told Hawk to let Robin deal with me.
A woman who can only be Robin’s twin, Raven, stands next to Vincent Gallo, Jr.
Him I know from Vega’s files as well. He’s already assessing me with dark eyes. Different from Hawk. Hawk wants to punch me. Vinnie? He’s calculating how to rid the world of me without getting his hands dirty.
Savannah Gallo, who’s engaged to Falcon. She’s Vinnie’s sister. And of course Daniela, and little Belinda, Declan McAllister’s daughter.
I know them all.
Star Bellamy stands near the table with a serving spoon in one hand, her face going from curiosity to alarm to something polished yet brittle.
I’ve wronged all of them by taking Robin from them. And by hurting Eagle.
“Everyone,” Robin says, “this is Cruz Moreno.”
Vinnie’s gaze sharpens.
Falcon’s eyes narrow.
Raven inhales softly.
Star blinks. “Who?”
“The man responsible for what happened to Robbie,” Hawk says through clenched teeth. “And it’s only because of my beautiful bride-to-be that he’s even breathing right now.”
“Hawk,” Daniela says quietly.
“I’m being generous.”
Robin steps forward, pulling me with her. “Cruz saved my life. He’s the only reason I’m breathing right now.”
Star’s hand tightens around the serving spoon.
Falcon’s gaze cuts to Vinnie.
Vinnie doesn’t look away from me. “He’s why you were taken in the first place.”
“But he got me out,” Robin continues. “He risked everything to do it. He turned against Vega. He brought me to people who helped me get to the embassy.”
“And what does he want?” Falcon asks.
I answer before Robin can. “Nothing.”
Several faces turn fully to me.
Good.
“I came to warn you,” I say. “And to tell the truth.”
Hawk scoffs. “That’ll be a first.”
I can see it in his anger. Robin told him about Eagle.
Robin lifts her chin. “What Cruz did when he was allied with Vega is not nothing. I’m not pretending it is. But the fact that he saved me—that he’s the only reason I made it home—is enough for me to give him this chance.”
“Enough for you,” Hawk says.
“Yes,” she says. “For me.”
“You don’t get to decide for all of us.”
“No. But you don’t get to decide for me.”
Hawk grits his teeth. He loves her. That much is obvious. He also wants to lock her away from anything that might hurt her.
So do I.
Vinnie steps forward. “Cruz Moreno.”
“Yes.”
“Vega employee.”
“Yes.”
He furrows his brow. “Former?”
“Yes.”
He learns forward. “You’ll forgive us if we don’t take that at face value.”
“I don’t expect you to.”
“Smart.”
“I have information,” I say.
“And what’s that?” Vinnie asks.
“Nothing I can talk about now,” I say, subtly nodding to Star and Belinda.
Vinnie nods. “Understood.”
The room goes quiet again.
Until Raven exhales.
“Well,” she says, “he’s not exactly the first former member of a crime family to be welcomed by a Bellamy sister.”
Vinnie raises an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
Raven turns to him with a look that is far too innocent to be innocent. “What?”
“I purposefully left,” he says. “I spent years escaping my grandfather in Europe.”
Raven smiles. “I know. But then you went back to him.”
“Only so I could destroy his business from within. I earned his trust so I could betray him.”
Robin tilts her head. “Isn’t that what Cruz is doing right now?”
“Hardly,” Vinnie says. “I came back for Savannah. To save her from having to marry Miles McAllister. It’s not the same thing at all.”
“Isn’t it?” Raven licks her lips. “Cruz came to save Robin. You came to save Savannah.”
Hawk makes a sound of disgust. “This is not the same thing. Vinnie wasn’t a part of the crime. He left to get away from it. He only came back because—”
“Enough!” Robin clenches her fists. “Who cares? Maybe the pieces don’t line up exactly the same. But Vinnie showed us his loyalty. And now, so has Cruz.”
I should stay silent.
I don’t.
“I was an employee. Useful to Vega. Taken in by him, yes. Trained by him. Used by him. And I know his weaknesses.”
The second I say it, something crawls up the back of my neck.
I don’t know why.
Maybe because I’ve spent years telling myself I owed Vega a life of service for what he did.
Vinnie studies me. “You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
Before he can respond, a phone rings.
Not a cell.
A landline.
For one second, no one moves.
Then Falcon turns toward the small table near the wall where the phone sits. “Unknown caller,” he says. He picks up the receiver. “Bellamy residence.”
Silence.
Then his gaze moves slowly to me.
The back of my neck goes colder.
“It’s for you.”
Every face turns.
Robin’s hand finds mine again.
I look at the phone.
I know who it is before I take it.
I cross the room.
No one stops me.
I take the phone from Falcon. “Moreno,” I say.
A soft breath on the other end.
Then the voice I have known for half my life slides into my ear.