I believed in his angst as well as the fact he had been blackmailed. I had to believe the situation was the same for my father. I couldn't imagine he'd betray his country. The sweat beading along the senator's forehead was a clear indication he was still terrified. "My life means nothing if I have to run, hiding behind shadows while I wait for the monster to arrive."
"And your life will be no better with Francesco!"
I took a deep breath before answering. "That may be true, but it's my choice. Lucas told me that if anything happened to him that I should talk with you. You need to tell me about what."
"It's the only bargaining chip I have left."
"Bullshit!" I exclaimed. "You're hungry for power. Who is it that you have something on? Not the Movinos. Someone more powerful. Isn't that right?" His face had actually turned ashen. "Who? You're going to tell me who or I swear to God, I will go to my father and make certain he knows everything I know and my guess is that friend or no friend, my father will be forced to open an investigation into your office. You see, Senator, blood is thicker than water."
"Don't threaten me, Sierra. You have no idea what's at stake here," he hissed, taking several gulps of his drink.
"I know enough to realize that whoever is blackmailing you isn't going to let you live. You see, powerful men who pull the puppet strings usually want to get rid of any dangling issues. You're nothing but a bit player. That's why you had your son involved. You knew that I would eventually talk with Lorenzo, the only man who could actually stop Movino's reign of terror." The realization hit me hard. The senator wasn't afraid of the Francescos. He was terrified of the puppeteer.
His hand still shaking, he eased his drink onto the counter. "If I give you what I have, I'll have nothing left."
"It would appear that you have nothing now. If you care about your son at all, give me what you have."
He debated, finally nodding. "You don't understand the ramifications of what I managed to collect. There's so much at stake."
"Allow me to be the judge of that, William. Since I'm... dead, I'll have ample opportunity to sort through the information."
"Be careful, Sierra. That's all I can tell you. Things aren't as they seem."
His words were an attempt at a sincere warning, perhaps even an apology of sorts. Either way, I was shaking inside and out, terrified of what I'd find.
"Come with me," he said in a resigned manner.
I felt hollow inside, realizing a man had lost his life because of greed and an overwhelming desire for power. I had no idea just how entrenched the senator was in whatever was going on. I also had a greater fear for Lorenzo, knowing that he would go barreling into a situation without having knowledge of what exactly was going on.
I followed behind him and into his office, watching as he moved toward his desk. He leaned over, placing his hands on the dark wood.
"My son was the light of my life. Whatever happens, I never want you to believe that I intentionally placed him in harm's way. My son was an amazing young man who insisted he help his father. Yeah, he got into some trouble, but he was cleaning himself up. He had a bright future ahead of him. He just had no idea just how ruthless the bastards could be."
"But you knew."
He lifted his head, tears slipping past his lashes. "Yes, I knew and that's something I'm going to have to live with for the rest of my life."
I was the first to hear some kind of noise, tilting my head in the direction of the front door.
"Senator..." The words were barely out of my mouth when a loud crash sounded, what seemed like wood exploding coming from all directions.
Then I heard what had to be heavy boots. Oh, God.
Within seconds, the room was filled with several men, all carrying weapons, the guns pointed in our direction.
"What the hell is the meaning of this?" the senator demanded, moving from around the back of the desk.
One of the intruders took two long strides, smacking the senator's head with the gun. As William crumbled to the floor, writhing in pain, another sound assaulted my senses.
The sound of a deep and husky laugh followed by another set of boots storming into the room.
"It's a delight to meet you, Sierra Fox. I've hungered for your acquaintance." He stood reveling in the moment, his cold eyes flashing, his grin evil. He walked closer, allowing me to gather a scent of the stench covering him.
He reeked of blood and death.
"You and I are going to get to know each other much better and I so look forward to it," he said as he breathed in. "But I need to make certain you understand one thing clearly. You now belong to me. I almost had you. Almost."
He'd been responsible for sending the men to cabin to abduct me as well as kill Lorenzo. "I'll never belong to you. Whoever the fuck you are, you won't live long enough to lay a hand on me."
The fucker actually laughed as he walked closer, rolling the tip of his index finger down the side of my face. I'd never felt so dirty in my entire life. I flinched, taking a step back until a hard body stopped me from going any further.
I swallowed as the leader lowered his head, taking a deep whiff. "I can smell your pussy from here, sweet Sierra. I can't wait to taste you, to feast on your pretty pink lips."
Disgusted, I spit in his face, refusing to back down. The brawny jerk behind me immediately grabbed both of my arms, holding me in place. Between the two of them, the stench was rancid.
He closed his eyes, making no sound as he simply wiped the glob away and onto his pants. He twisted his head, his dark eyes riddled with more evil than I'd ever seen, his heavy accent drilling into my brain. "I assure you, Sierra, that not only will I lay a hand on you, I will take you to the very limits of your existence. In time, you will learn to call me master. Until then, you will suffer for any indiscretions."
While my body was shaking, I refused to back down in any manner. "I guess we'll see."
He laughed once again before issuing two words commandingly. "Take her." Lorenzo
"Lorenzo. What brings you here?"
After walking past the man's staff, entering his office without knocking, I studied Armando's face to see if there was any sign of his treachery, as if certain people wore their duplicitous actions like a badge of honor. The man had perfected the ability to hide behind a mask of caring for my family.
I'd learned a lot from him, something I would be grateful for. He'd been there during the worst time for my family, which was likely why my father trusted him implicitly. Where my father was rough around the edges, Armando had taught me the importance of sophistication, using intelligence wherever possible.