Adrien takes a seat. He doesn’t take off his coat. Gigi takes up position behind my father’s chair, and Paul stands by the door.
No one gets in. No one gets out.
My father sighs. “Such a disappointment you’ve turned out to be, Viola, my dear.” I stare at him as his words wash over me. “I had such plans for you. You don’t know the half of it.”
“Selling me to Kristian wasn’t enough?” I say, calm on the outside, raging beast just beneath the cool, collected surface on the inside.
He narrows his eyes. “We’ve all made sacrifices. We all have to do our part for the family. Anyway, Kristian is dead. I’m sure you know that.”
I can’t read my father very well, so I’ve no idea if he’s joking or serious. Or if he has no idea about what went down in the church. I wait him out.
He cocks his head after I say nothing for a few stilted minutes. The smile is ugly as sin. “You did well. Better than I imagined you would.”
The muscle in my jaw twinges. “You wanted him dead?”
He grins. “No, but I had a hunch you might react that way. You’re just like me. Alive or dead, it doesn’t matter. There’s more than one way to skin a cat.”
I shake my head, hand gripping the arm of the sofa as I take in his words. The last time he said that he took my mother’s cat and did just that. I don’t have any soft, furry feelings inside for animals, but one day I will peel layers off of him just like he did to Rebecca’s beloved Bronte.
He carries on. “What you did to Kardinal was an added bonus of sorts—”
“He’s not dead,” I cut over him. Dino is still alive. “Where is he?”
My father’s smile broadens like he knows he has me. “No, he is not. Thankfully. He’s safe, for now. I’ve agreed that you’re to marry him in Kardinal’s place. The union with Vice is too important to be wasted. As long as you do, he’ll be fine.”
I glare at him. “You sick fuck.”
“You chose right. Kristian was a bomb waiting to go off. The younger one is weaker, more malleable,” he says. “Nothing at all like his brother….” He looks at me with empty eyes, leaning back. Eyes like mine. “You will be able to control this one.”
“Control? Is that what this is about? You want control of Vice’s operation?” It’s so apparent. My whole life has been one big manipulation to get to this point. He played me. And he played Dante. That much is apparent.
“Viola, dear, it’s always been about control.” Adrien shrugs. “Griffin is dead. Earlshore defers to me. You will marry Vice. And as soon as Duke is dead, I’ll have everything.”
Everything my father is saying screams inside my head. I grip the armrest harder until the material tears and gives way. “What do you mean….’As soon as Duke is dead’. What are you going to do to him?”
“I have someone I trust doing what I should have done long ago.”
Inside the arm of the sofa is my failsafe. I reach my fingers around the cold metal. I knew my father would want to see me in here. I knew this is the room he’d choose. It’s the nicest room, the one that doesn’t feel like you’re a facility at all with the paintings and the fireplace. It’s like a stately home.
“And this is something I should have done a long time ago,” I spit out, ripping my blade from its hiding place.
Adrien smiles as I launch myself at him.
Paul is running for me, and Gigi is drawing her weapon, but I don’t care. I aim for Adrien’s throat because I want him to suffer and be very much alive when I slice his jugular open and pull his spine through his throat.
My father grabs my hand and twists it, drawing it away from his face. And in one smooth motion shoves a needle into my neck. Then he lays me down on the chair as he gets up.
I can’t move.
The muscle relaxant he’s giving me is fast-acting.
“You forget, Viola, dear, who trained Dante.” I didn’t forget. I just hoped his age would have made him slow. But he’s just as fast and as deadly as when he was the head assassin at the agency. “Good, but not good enough.” He smoothes my brow and then pockets my blade.
I rage at him behind my eyes, letting him see just how much I hate him.
Adrien looks at Gigi. “Keep her here but make her comfortable. She has a wedding to go to soon.”
I watch him leave, taking my blade with him.