Chapter 6 - THE GOLD BRACELET
I froze, instinctively taking a step backward to block Lily from Silvio’s view.
Silvio Salvatore was a striking man in his late sixties. Silver hair perfectly combed, an impeccably trimmed beard, and eyes that held the exact same dark intensity as Dominic’s, but entirely devoid of warmth.
Dominic smoothly swept the manila folder and the torn photograph into an open drawer, closing it with his hip before turning to face his uncle.
“Silvio. It’s late. What are you doing here?” Dominic asked, his voice completely level. I marveled at his ability to mask the devastating betrayal he had just uncovered minutes prior.
“I heard about the disturbance at the diner. And the apartment,” Silvio said, walking further into the room. He leaned on a silver-tipped cane, though he didn't seem to need it. His eyes flicked to me, then to the sleeping child on the sofa. “Is this the woman who saved you from the fire?”
“She is.”
“We owe you a great debt, my dear,” Silvio said, offering me a benevolent, grandfatherly smile that made my skin crawl.
“Emma,” Dominic interrupted smoothly, “why don't you take Lily up to the east wing guest room? Marco will show you the way.”
I nodded quickly, desperate to get away from the man who had ordered my husband’s murder. I scooped Lily into my arms. She stirred but didn't wake.
As I walked past Silvio to reach the door, he reached out and gently patted my shoulder in a faux gesture of comfort.
“You are safe now, Emma. The Salvatore family protects its own.”
As he pulled his hand back, his tailored suit cuff slid up his wrist by an inch.
The breath caught in my throat.
Wrapped around Silvio’s wrist was a heavy, custom-made gold bracelet. The links were thick, almost braided, and secured by a distinct, oversized ruby clasp.
My mind violently snapped back to a rainy Tuesday two years ago. I had been looking out my kitchen window while Mark argued with a man in a black car parked in our driveway. The man had handed Mark an envelope through the window. I never saw the man’s face. But I saw his hand resting on the window frame.
A heavy gold bracelet. An oversized ruby clasp.
I stumbled slightly, clutching Lily tighter.
“Emma? Are you alright?” Silvio asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
“Just exhausted,” I whispered, forcing myself to look away from his wrist. “Thank you, sir.”
I hurried out the door, following Marco down a long, lavish hallway. My heart was hammering so wildly I thought it might crack my ribs.
When Marco opened the door to the guest suite, I placed Lily on the massive bed and turned back to the guard.
“Don't leave this door,” I begged him. “Whatever happens, do not let anyone inside.”
Marco nodded solemnly. “Nobody gets past me, ma'am. Boss’s orders.”
I didn't stay in the room. I crept back down the hallway, the thick Persian runners silencing my footsteps. I needed to know what Silvio was doing. I needed to make sure Dominic wasn't walking into a trap.
I reached the cracked door of the study and pressed my back against the wall, listening.
“She’s a liability, Dominic,” Silvio’s voice drifted through the crack, cold and clinical. “The Morettis want her. Handing her over would buy us months of peace. She’s just a waitress.”
“She saved my life,” Dominic growled. “And she is under my protection.”
“Your father was soft like this, too,” Silvio sighed.
A heavy silence fell over the room.
“I need a drink,” Silvio finally said. I heard the clinking of crystal glasses. “I have to catch a flight to Miami for a sit-down with the cartel in two hours. I want this mess sorted by the time I return.”
I heard Silvio walk toward the door.
I panicked, turning to run back to my room, but my oversized sneaker caught the edge of a side table. A porcelain vase wobbled dangerously, scraping loudly against the wood before I caught it.
May you like
The study door swung completely open.
Silvio stood there, staring directly at me, his eyes dead and cold.
