He backs me against a wall. “Have you thought about my offer?”
I wince. His breath reeks even worse than his desperation.
“Give me some space,” I say, pushing at his chest.
He backs away slightly, his beady eyes narrowed and his forehead shiny. Nervous? He’s right to be worried. He won’t find an ally in me, or anyone else who possesses an ounce of sense.
“We don’t have a lot of time, Cleo,” he growls. “I’m waiting on your answer.”
My fists clench. “I won’t help you.”
His reaction is immediate. A hiss comes out of his mouth, and then his forearm is against my neck, and my back is being slammed against the wall.
I gasp from the sudden pain, my veins blazing with shock. I expected him to be angry, but I didn’t think he’d turn aggressive.
“Did you tell him I asked, you stupid slut?”
I claw at his arm. I can’t get enough air. Just when dark spots start to appear in front of my eyes, he lets go of me.
“Did you?”
I back away from him, rubbing my throat. My brain struggles to catch up with what just happened. He’s dangerous.
“Don’t ever do that again,” I say, unable to keep my voice from shaking. “No, I didn’t tell him. But I won’t help you. I don’t want anything to do with you.”
He snarls. “I should kill you right here so that you won’t run your mouth to him.”
I straighten my back and force myself to stay calm. “I’d like to see you try. If I’m dead, Rafaele will make sure you’re carried out of here in pieces.”
I brush past him, but he seizes my forearm and jerks me back. “Whatever he told you to turn to his side is a lie. You’ll be miserable with him. He’s not a good man.”
“And you are?”
His hold on me tightens until he’s practically crushing my bones.
“Ow, stop!”
“You’ll regret this decision.”
“Let go of me.”
“You’ve always been such a fucking disappointment,” he hisses.
“Want to know what I find disappointing?” a cool voice drawls. “Your utter lack of manners, Garzolo.”
Papà releases me at once. I whirl around to see Cosimo standing at the end of the hallway studying us. His appearance somehow feels a lot more menacing than all of Papà’s threats.
He crosses his arms over his chest and props a shoulder against a wall. “Save the domestic dispute for when you’re in your own home.”
“My daughter and I were just catching up,” my father says, a tense smile on his face.
“We’re all caught up,” I mutter.
That earns me a sharp glare, but at least Papà keeps his mouth shut. He hurries past Cosimo and disappears around the corner.
Cosimo studies me as I walk toward him. “He’s a real piece of work,” he says when we’re shoulder to shoulder. His gaze drops to my arm. “Something tells me your husband won’t be thrilled about that.”
I pull down my sleeve. “I’m fine. Please don’t say anything to Rafaele.” He’d lose it.
Cosimo stares at me for a long moment and then nods. “Not my business.”
I brush past him, knowing there’s no way to undo the decision I made.
Tonight, I will have to come clean to my husband.
CHAPTER 27
RAFAELE
Gino and I walk out onto his terrace, and he leads me toward a rectangular pool full of koi. The fish are apparitions in the dark water, coming to the surface for only a few seconds before they disappear again.
“They don’t get cold in the winter?”
Gino follows the movement of one with his gaze. “They’re resilient. The pool is deep enough for them to swim near the bottom even when the top freezes over.”
“They can live under the ice?” That sounds like a claustrophobic nightmare.
“They can.” A smile pulls on his lips. “Impressive, isn’t it? One of my earliest childhood memories is sitting by a koi pond with my mother and watching them swim. She’d take me to the Japanese garden in Brooklyn and tell me the tale of the koi that climbed up the waterfall. A Japanese legend. The fish that managed to overcome the challenge of swimming upstream in a waterfall became a fearsome dragon. She’d say to me that no matter how impossible it felt to navigate a given situation, pushing through would make me stronger.”
A bitter taste floods my mouth. I can’t remember ever having moments like that with my mother.