CHAPTER 85 — EXPLOSIVE TRUTHS

CHAPTER 85 — EXPLOSIVE TRUTHS
VIOLET’S POV

"And just so you know, you're surrounded and so is that brother of yours and his team. Alistair is it?" 
He said to Donovan, and I can feel as the air in the room was heavy with tension that's thick enough to cut with a knife like slicing a hot knife into butter.
I watched Marco’s finger as it hovered over the detonator that was clipped to his belt and his eyes are wild with the kind of madness that comes from believing you’re invincible. 
My mother stood rigid beside him, her face pale but her gaze locked on mine with a message I couldn’t quite read, was it fear? Or was it something more?

“Alistair’s team is surrounded?” I asked, trying all my best to keep my voice steady even though I can feel as my heart hammered rapidly against my ribs. I needed to buy time and find a way to turn this in our favor before anyone got hurt.

Marco grinned, showing off a surprisingly White slash of teeth for a heavy smoker in his scarred face. 
“Every entrance is sealed and every exit is blocked. Your precious little doctor and his men are trapped like rats in a cage."
He turned to Donovan and Damien. "And his brothers here…” He gestured towards them with the gun pressed to my mother’s head. 
“They’re about to find out what happens when you cross the Moretti family.”

I took another slow step forward towards him, letting my hands fall to my sides in what I hoped looked like surrender. 
I can feel the silk of my gown as it rubbs against my skin as I moved, and I felt Donovan’s eyes on me, it an intense and protective as if he's trusting me to know what I was doing even when he wanted to take control.

“Let’s make a deal, Marco,” I said, my voice sounding across the room despite the wail of fire and security alarms in the compound.
“You will let my mother and Alistair’s team go, and I’ll stay with you and help you run your organization the way you want, without any tricks and no lies.”

Damien moved beside me with his hand brushing mine in a silent warning. But I squeezed his fingers gently, trust me.

Marco laughed again, but this time there was doubt in his eyes.
“Why should I believe you? You’ve been lying to me since you walked through my doors last night.”

“Because I’m tired of running,” I said, letting my shoulders slump like I’d finally given up the fight. 
Wow I'm becoming a pro in this lying and acting. I should sign up to be paid.
“I'm tired of watching people I care about get hurt because of old feuds and power struggles, so if staying with you means keeping everyone safe… then I’ll do it.”

I saw Laura shift beside Marco with her eyes narrowing as she studied me. She knew I was lying, I know she knows because I could see it in the set of her jaw, and the way she turned her face as if stopping herself from reacting. But she said nothing, she just tightened her grip on the tablet displaying security feeds.

“Interesting offer,” Marco said, lowering the gun slightly from my mother’s temple. 
“But why should I trust you won’t turn on me the first chance you get?”

“Because I’ll have no reason to,” I said, moving closer until I was just feet from him. 
“My father’s awake and my mother will be safe, she your wife, isn't she? And the best of all, your enemies will be neutralized, so what more could I want?”

As I spoke, I let my hand drift to the hidden compartment in my gown where I kept a small switchblade Rosa had insisted I carry, it's tucked into a custom pocket sewn into the lining.
And with just a few more steps, just a little more time…

“Violet, don’t,” Donovan said quietly from behind me, his voice tight with emotion. He knew what I was planning and knew I was ready to sacrifice myself to save everyone else.

But before I could make my move, the lights flickered back on with a harsh buzz, and the sound of multiple vehicles screeching to a halt outside echoed through the compound. 
Marco’s head snapped toward the window, his grip on the gun loosening for just a second.

“What the hell?” he muttered, stepping away from my mother to look out at the courtyard below.

Through the glass, I saw dozens of black SUVs pouring into the compound, they're not Marco’s men and they're definitely not ours.
The logo on their doors was one I’d never seen before, it's a silver serpent wrapped around a dagger.

“Don't that logo look familiar?” Damien asked, moving to stand beside me at the window.

Marco’s face had gone pale, his hand dropping from the detonator as he stared at the vehicles swarming his property.
“Those are the Volterras,” he whispered, like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. 
“They were supposed to be my allies.”

Before anyone could react, the doors to the room burst open, and men in black tactical gear flooded in with their weapons raised and their faces hidden behind masks. 
A tall man with silver hair and cold blue eyes stepped through the room and his gaze sweeping across the room until it landed on me.

“Violet Lancaster,” he said, his voice smooth. 
“I’ve been waiting for a very long time to meet you.”