Chapter 26

Margot

Tears of frustration and anger.

Sobbing.

I'd cried so much my chest hurt, my eyes burning. I was drained, furious with the horrible man for taking Zorro away. What had he dared do to the poor baby? Was he really that terrible of a human being? I'd pounded on the door, tried to unlock it from my side, and tossed everything I could toward it, including breaking a lamp. I'd yelled and screamed and no one had cared, although I'd seen soldiers walking the property.

Now, as crazy as it sounded, I was considering jumping from the window. The slope was bad, a stone patio right below, yet I refused to be held prisoner by a monster. The window remained open, the screen the only real hindrance. I pushed at it, trying to decide what I could do once I managed to escape.

Where would I go at this point?

Since the bastard knew my real name and where I'd worked, he could likely find me with ease. Then what? I felt stuck. I felt helpless. But most of all, I was horrified that I'd dared fall in love with the man. I had to have more than one screw loose. That was for certain. After taking several gulping breaths, I backed away, moving against the wall. I was stuck. There was no choice. The deal I'd made with the devil had been exposed.

All the denying in the world wasn't going to free me from the prison I was in. Jumping would only result in a broken bone or worse. I closed my eyes, every muscle in my body aching. As another wave of tears swept into my system, I gasped for air, slowly sliding down the wall. After wrapping my arms around my bent knees, I buried my head. No one cared. No one was coming to my rescue because no one knew I was missing.

The irony was ridiculous, almost making me laugh. Images of Zorro rushed into my mind and I couldn't bear the thought he'd been killed because of me. The dull ache in my head intensified, the one in my chest likely an indication I was having a panic attack.

"No. No. No. Zorro."

A strange series of sensations tore through me, then a lick. What?

I jerked my head up, trying to focus. Zorro bounded all over me, pressing slobbery kisses across my face and eyes. "Oh, baby. You're alive. He didn't hurt you." I kissed him openly and freely, his tongue meeting mine. I'd never been so relieved in my life.

"Did you really think I was going to hurt our dog?"

Hearing Daniel's deep voice made me bristle. "He's mine. Not ours. You don't care about anyone but yourself. You bastard."

His deep exhale was followed by his footsteps as he entered the room. I dared take a look and the realization he'd left the door open shocked me almost as much as having my furry baby in my arms. He sat down on the bed slowly, stiffly as if his muscles weren't working very well. When he clasped his hands together, he stared down at them as if they would provide needed answers.

There were none at this point.

The silence was more crippling than before. I continued rubbing and kissing Zorro and after a few additional seconds, Daniel finally looked me in the eye, watching how much I adored the fur baby. His waning smile was almost sad, but what did I care? That didn't take away the fact he was a horrible person.

But you deceived him, not the other way around.

Okay, that was true but locking me in, acting like he was going to at minimum take the present away he'd just given me? Sighing, I buried my face in Zorro's fur.

"I need you to talk to me, Margot. I'm not angry with you but I need you to tell me right now how this came to pass. It's vital I learn the truth, no matter how painful it might seem."

"Why? So you can kill all of us?"

He laughed, the sound more bitter than I'd heard before. "As I told you several times, the family has enemies who will come after anything and anyone I love. They exploit weaknesses. You wanted to know about my world. Now, I believe I understand why. The Irish were determined to come into Kansas City, attempting to extort and take away both a legitimate portion of my business and as you might have guessed, the more illegitimate aspects as well. In the process, they killed several of my men, and were responsible for the attempted assassination, or so I believe."

"Were? Or so you believed?" Why was I bothering to ask him anything? I suddenly couldn't take my eyes off him, the despair in his tone more tortured than ever. There was no doubt how distraught he was.

He chuckled and rubbed his jaw, the stubble turning darker in only a few hours. "Yeah. Their entire family turned up dead, torched."

"Wait a minute," I said, trying to understand what he was saying. "The leader of all those men you murdered?"

Instead of trying to justify what he'd done, he nodded, still laughing as if he was completely uncertain what the hell was going on. "So you see, there is someone else out there who tried to pit the Irish against us and I fell into the ruse. So did Constantine. Then there's you, the woman I married, a family who came to see my brother with a deal so I'd become the next leader of the Cosa Nostra out of Sicily. Which will potentially cause issues with the other five families who hold territories inside Italy. The business of running syndicates is very political."

I swallowed hard, finding myself crawling closer but not so close that he could reach out and grab me. Zorro took the opportunity to jump onto the bed, placing his head on Daniel's knee. That meant the man hadn't done a single thing to the fur baby. I crossed my legs, trying to focus as much as I could.

"I know your background story to a point, Margot, but you need to trust me enough to confide in me. If you don't, I fear that there will be additional violence and I assure you that whoever planned the attacks won't want a witness to what's going on or someone who can shed light on the issue. That means your life is in danger. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

The icy chill coursing through me was like sharp clawed fingers digging into my neck, prepared to choke me to death. "Yes."

"Can you trust me enough to know I will never allow anything to happen to you?" His eyes were imploring, the man remaining unblinking.

"Why? So you can torment me later?"

Another laugh escaped his lush lips and I was drawn to the lines in his face. I could swear he'd aged several years in hours. "Why? You're really asking me?"

"Yes. I'm not your wife. I'm not the woman you believed I was. I'm just a girl from Philly and New York who moved here with her mother to try and start a new life."

"But you are my wife, Margot. I agreed to marry a pampered princess of a brutal regime, a girl who had her whole life planned out for her from the day she was born. She was a party girl, used to the finer things in life. A spoiled little brat. What I got was a resilient fighter with a lust for life, just as likely to enjoy digging her hands in the dirt planting flowers as she was playing with a shelter animal. I think I knew from day one you weren't Maria Rossi but the day I met you, the moment you tossed your wine into my face, not only did I admire your spunk, I also wanted to get to know you. All of you. In doing so, I was incensed at first that you spoke your mind, backtalking me even though you knew it would likely result in punishment. But you never faltered, refusing to accept my world without at least knowing what was happening. You challenged me. You pushed me into becoming a better man. And I was able to enjoy aspects of life I thought mattered little. Food. Drinks. Walks. Buying dog toys and treats. It was crazy but in one week, I was happier than I'd been in my collective life. So yes, you are my wife, Margot Rollins."

He lifted his head, nodding once as if offering me a sign of respect. I was shocked by his admittance, my heart racing and dear God, I did love him. But I still needed more. "I fell in love with you, Daniel. I told myself it was just an acting job and that I would never, ever fall for someone who killed people for a living. But something happened along the way. You. You allowed me to see through the false bravado, exposing a side of you I knew you hadn't with anyone else. And I thought for once in the hard life I'd led that I could find happiness. But you know what they say about living in glass houses."

"It doesn't need to shatter, Margot. We need to trust each other."

"Do you love me? Of course not. You couldn't. You can't. I just… I'm not royalty. I can't bring you a new regime to control. I can't bring you anything but a bank account funded by lies and deceit, something you told me from day one you couldn't tolerate. I was acting a part, at least at first. All because I wanted to help my mother. She's sick. So sick. And after my father left us when I was little, she did everything in her power to give me a good life. But God doesn't care. He tossed her aside, giving her terminal cancer. I was promised she might be healed. Then her life was threatened that day I went to the airport to talk to Maria, to tell her I couldn't go through with the horrible lie. She told me she'd have my mother killed." I took gasping breaths, fighting the pain building once again in my system, my mind reeling from the horrible agony of telling him the truth and realizing the awful deed I'd done.

What the fuck did it matter? I pressed my hand across my lips, shaking my head. When I tried to give myself some additional space, he leaned forward, snagging my arm. When he pulled me between his legs, I was shaken by the intense look on his face.

"The Rossi family threatened your dying mother?"

I nodded, hating that tears were once again streaming down my face. So much for being strong. I wasn't strong at all, just a helpless young woman who'd gotten in over her head, falling for a man who didn't belong to her.

"Where is the real Maria?"

It was now or never in coming clean.

"In some faraway clinic fighting for her life."

"Goddamn it. Fuck them."

"I don't know what to do," I admitted.

He rubbed tears from my face, shaking his head. "Don't you get it? Don't you understand? I found the woman I could love and it doesn't matter what your last name is or where the hell you're from. I told you before that you belong to me. No one is going to hurt you or your family. I'm sending some men to retrieve your mother. There are plenty of amazing clinics here. I promise you that I will get her the best medical team in the entire world."

"Why? Why would you do this after what I've done? Why?"

As he cupped the side of my face, his hold possessive, I was swooning more than I had before. "Because I love you. Because I've never loved anyone like I do the woman I married."

I allowed him to pull me tightly between his legs. No, it wasn't about allowing him. It was because I wanted him to. I needed the man and his strong arms. I longed to hear him tell me everything was going to be okay. As he crushed his mouth over mine, I was driven into an instant moment of lust and need, happiness and fear. It was the strangest series of feelings I'd ever experienced in my life. How could anything make any sense any longer?

While I didn't understand everything he'd told me, the fact he'd admitted his love for me made me the happiest girl in the entire world.

Daniel swept his tongue inside, tasting me as if for the first time. I heard Zorro's thumping tail and giggled into the kiss, tingling all over. It was crazy to feel this way when my mother was in more danger than ever.

A sharp knock on the door dragged both of our attention from the passionate moment, just like we'd been interrupted before. Was that a sign of things to come?

"Both of you need to come downstairs," Kane said from the doorway.

"Why?" Daniel growled.

Kane glanced at me, taking a deep breath and I could tell the man was nervous. "Because Leonardo, Maria's bodyguard just flew in from Italy. There's been another tragedy."

Daniel and I looked at each other before he helped me to my feet.

"What?" Daniel demanded.

The soldier only shook his head. "He refused to tell me."

I gripped Daniel's arm, my gut telling me Maria was dead.

We headed downstairs, Leonardo pacing the floor of the living room. As we walked in, he locked eyes with Daniel. Zorro had followed, immediately lying down in front of both our legs.

"He knows the truth, Leonardo, and not because I intended on telling him," I said, noticing instantly there was blood on his shirt. "He was sent photographs."

"Che mucchio di merda," he muttered, glaring at me as if I'd sold his soul along with mine to the devil.

What a bunch of shit.

"What is this tragedy?" Daniel demanded as he turned his head from the Italian toward me once again. I could tell the man was poised to reach for his weapon if necessary.

"This is not something I wanted to do," Leonardo said gruffly.

"Yet you're here for a reason. What happened?" I asked, trying everything in my power to keep from being angry with the situation or the Italian. He was obviously under the same kind of horrific duress I was under.

"Giovanni and Lucia were gunned down, several of their men in the process. Word on the street is that an unknown American syndicate is poised to take over operations in Sicily. You cannot allow that to happen, Don Thorn. You were handpicked for a reason. You must come to Italy or there will be chaos." He pointed his finger at my husband. "You need to help the soldiers who are trying to protect the estate."

Leonardo's Italian accent and intense pleading caught us all off guard. He wasn't that kind of man. Whatever had occurred had obviously been horrific.

"Help the soldiers?" Daniel laughed.

"And Maria," he said so quietly, as if he was breaking like the rest of us.

"When all of this was a lie?" Daniel asked.

"They had their reasons, threats made over the last several months. There were several open acts of violence, men lost. Mr. Rossi couldn't seem to get a handle on the situation. The family had no choice. They wanted…" Leonardo looked away but not before I noticed a haunted look. He cared about Maria more than he'd been allowed to let on.

"When did this happen?" I asked.

"As soon as we arrived back in Italy."

"How the fuck did they know you were returning?" Daniel had a good point.

Leonardo huffed. "A mole."

Hissing, Daniel cursed under his breath. "Do they know the entire marriage is a fucking hoax?"

I hated to hear him admit what we had was not only fake, but the truth was that we weren't married. The marriage license had another woman's name on it. I couldn't bear to think about it or the fact her parents had been murdered. What was happening? Who would want to kill them? The question seemed rhetorical. Every crime syndicate had enemies. They were all trying to kill each other to gain power, maybe even control over the world.

"Yes. They tried to kill Maria just before I got there."

"And they haven't exploited that yet?"

"Not yet. My guess is they're waiting to see what will happen." Leonardo appeared uncomfortable in admitting the truth.

"Does that mean they know Daniel is taking over?"

Leonardo rubbed his tired eyes. It was apparent he hadn't slept in a couple of days. "Only six of my men were made aware of the situation, the four guarding Maria now dead."

"And the fifth?" Daniel asked.

The Italian cringed. "Missing in action."

"Your mole."

Nodding, Leonardo appeared more uncomfortable. "I assure you I have men scouring the entire Italian peninsula. There is no escape for traitors."

"No, you're right. There is none." Daniel's words were terse, the man drawing a line in the sand.

"You can trust Leonardo. He's a good man," I told them, allowing Kane to hear my comment as well.

Leonardo gave me a nod, even a slight smile. "I am sorry to arrive unannounced but there really was no other choice."

"Where is the real Maria? Off shopping somewhere? Spending her family money?" Daniel asked with bitterness remaining in his voice.

"Fuck you!" Leonardo huffed. "You don't know how she's suffered, not that you could give a damn."

My God. The man was in love with her. How had I not noticed how deep his feelings were?

I touched Daniel's arm, moving slightly in front of him. "Please listen to me. You asked me to trust you. Now you need to do the same thing. Maria is dying, which is why I was hired to take her place. She has a rare blood condition that has no cure. She was terrified that you and your brother wouldn't understand. If it's true that her parents were threatened, they were trying to do the right thing." I allowed the final piece of the truth to sink in before turning my head toward him.

He took a deep breath, glancing from Leonardo back to me. "Where is she? I need to speak with her."

Leonardo shook his head then turned around, heading for the door.

"What the fuck?" Daniel asked.

"Let him alone," I said with a shaky voice. "Please. Just trust me."

Daniel turned toward me. "Are you certain she's ill?"

"All you need to do is really take a close look at the photograph you were sent. She's dying. There is no doubt about that. She was terrified that everything her father had worked for would be destroyed. That's why she came to me. It was by chance. She suddenly appeared in the diner where I worked. She offered me a deal that was tough to refuse."

He curled his fingers, brushing them down the side of my face. "I can't accept she threatened you."

I gripped his hand, bringing his knuckles to my lips. The closeness we shared was still so unexpected that I wasn't certain anything was real any longer. "Remember, Daniel. You had no issue threatening me either."

After sucking in his breath, he laughed. "You're right. You're fucking right as always. However, no more lies. No more threats to each other. We are in this together."

We waited not so patiently until Leonardo wheeled Maria into the room in a wheelchair. In a few short days, her condition had plummeted. She appeared frail and broken, her head hanging. There was no love lost between us. I shouldn't give a shit about her, but I couldn't stand to see anyone in this condition. I moved slowly toward her, crouching down.

"I barely got her out alive. Whoever is responsible for the slaughter obviously knew everything. Where she was. The itinerary. They killed her doctor and were in the process of smothering her," Leonardo stated in a pleading tone. "I was given explicit instructions to come here if something terrible happened. You signed a contract, Don Thorn. This is your problem now."

"What about my mother? Is she safe? Do they know?" I heard the exasperation in my tone and tried to rein it back, but it seemed the decisions I'd made had exploded in my face.

Leonardo shook his head but instead of looking at me, he kept his heated gaze locked on Daniel. "No. She is safe. She is surrounded by my men. Maria made certain she honored the deal you made with her."

"Maria," I said quietly.

She lifted her head and there were tears in her eyes. While it was easy to tell how weak she was, she reached out, taking my hand while lifting her gaze toward Daniel. "I'm sorry. I was the one who suggested the charade. Please don't blame Margot. Please, Daniel. Save my father's house, the rest of his men and women working for him. You can have everything. Everything. I just…"

I twisted my head toward him, concerned he wouldn't do the right thing, but as he'd done so many times before, the man I'd married, the one I hoped to spend the rest of my life with surprised me yet again.

"Kane. Have a plane standing by, at least ten soldiers. We're headed to Italy. Ensure that Ms. Rossi and her bodyguard are well taken care of inside my home where they will have everything they need. Get me the contact information of the doctor I know at the Mayo Clinic. I'll handle that call myself. We will be bringing Mrs. Rollins back home where she'll receive the best care available in this country."

I shivered from hearing his orders, trying to hold back any additional emotion.

"I'm coming with you," I told him.

"No, you're not. You're staying here where it's safe."

"You may not want to hear this, Don Thorn, but Margot's presence posing as Maria is needed. There must be a visible presence of the daughter of Giovanni Rossi or there won't be anything you can do to stop the bloodshed. There will be people watching." Leonardo's voice boomed into the room. "I'll need to come as well. I can introduce you, what you Americans call smoothing the way."

"He's right, Daniel," Maria added. "My father's men are extremely loyal. They've yet to be told about your commitment. They need to hear it from… me. Margot is perfectly capable of handling this. You fell in love with her. I can see it in your eyes." As Maria tilted her head, trying to smile through the pain and grief, for a few seconds we were connected as if we were sisters. However, I would never forgive her for threatening my mother.

Daniel took a deep breath, chuckling under his breath. "Yes, Maria. I did. However, from now on, I will not be lied to or there will be dire consequences."

"Agreed," she said, her breathing ragged.

"She needs rest," I said.

"Understood. Make the arrangements, Kane. I want to leave within three hours. Leonardo, make contact with the people you can trust to meet us on the ground. I want a debriefing on what happened, what I can expect, and any evidence of who killed the Rossis. I need to know what the fuck I'm dealing with. And I promise you. If this is some kind of ambush, I will bring the wrath of God down on you." He took long strides toward Leonardo, his entire face full of tension as well as conviction.

"Will you promise to care for Maria as if she was your wife?" Leonardo refused to back down, something I'd admired about the man.

Daniel looked from me to Maria and finally back to the bodyguard. "You have my word."

"Then you have my allegiance, Don Thorn." He offered his hand to Daniel who took a few seconds to accept.

I shuddered from what this all meant but there was no other choice, no recourse. And I knew without a doubt Daniel would wipe the world free of his enemies to keep me safe.

"I'll make the arrangements." Kane left the room almost immediately but not before doing something else that shocked the hell out of me. He smiled at me.