Илона Эндрюс - Emerald Blaze (Hidden Legacy)

Victoria rolled her eyes. “How utterly predictable. Linus always had an ego. Being the savior of his rival’s son would appeal to him. Now the fool will throw all his resources at fixing it. The safety of the House is your priority. Backburner it if you have to.”

“I took the job. MII is involved and I don’t want to offend Linus, Augustine, or Morton. Too many enemies for too little gain.”

“Morton is a tiger with rotten teeth, but Linus is valuable, and Augustine has potential. Very well. Do as you must.”

“I’m planning on it.”

“Kazarian is a simpleton,” Victoria said. “Jiang will do anything to save face. Both are completely devoted to family. Use it as a lever. Pierce is a rabid bitch but she isn’t stupid. She’ll bite if you back her into a corner, but her family made no moves to retaliate in any way after Adam’s conviction. They value public opinion.”

“What about Castellano?”

“Her charitable contributions have doubled in the last six months.”

My grandmother had known everything there was to know about the Pit project before I even came through the door.

Victoria leaned forward. “Never trust an altruist. Humans are selfish creatures. The only people who give away money either haven’t earned it or are trying to buy prestige or absolution with it. She has prestige. What has she done that she needs to atone so badly?”

You have no idea.

She looked off into the distance, the line of her mouth firm, her gaze hard. Frustration emanated from her, like hot air rising from scalding asphalt. I lost her for a moment. My grandmother was imagining five minutes alone with Cheryl. There was something about Cheryl Castellano she didn’t know, and it was killing her. I didn’t want to know exactly what she was thinking, but it probably involved cracking Cheryl’s mind like a walnut and picking out pieces of the shell looking for the good bits.

Would she be horrified when she found it or impressed?

“I’ll find out,” I told her.

Victoria snapped out of it. The corners of her mouth curled slightly. “It’s a race. Let’s see who gets there first.”

We sipped our tea. Another hurdle done.

“How far along is your sister?”

Do not react.

“Nevada is almost ready to give birth,” I said. “Would you like to be at the hospital?”

My grandmother raised her eyebrows. “House Rogan’s children do not interest me.”

“It’s your great-grandchild.”

“Your child will be my great-grandchild. Possibly Arabella’s, if she stays with the House. Nevada’s children belong to Arrosa. Let her dote. I’m not interested. Unless, of course, I’m forced to consider all my options. I’m sure there are ways I can use the child, or the mother, to my advantage if the circumstances require it.”

She looked directly into my eyes.

Ice burst through me. I fought her on the Ravenscrofts, and she just snapped my leash. This was a quid pro quo.

“Nothing is going to happen to my sister’s baby,” I said, my voice breezy. “Nevada will have a wonderful birth and will return home with her child, unhurt.”

Victoria smiled. “Or?”

“Or I’ll hit back and then I’ll excise myself.”

Excision meant being disowned and shunned. When a House excised someone, that person became a stranger. My grandmother wanted House Baylor to survive and she’d decided I was the only one who could deliver. She went for the jugular and I had to match her.

“You think I would stoop so low?” she asked.

“Absolutely.”

She chuckled. It chilled me to the proverbial bone.

“Your Italian is back in town.”

We changed the subject again. The terms had been set and understood. My grandmother was moving on.

“He is.”

“Remember what you promised me.”

“How could I forget?”

“Good,” Victoria said. “He’s powerful. Use him, sleep with him if you must, but do not commit.”

I was so tired of everyone telling me what to do about Alessandro.

“Remember, you belong to your House.”

“I know,” I told her.

We drank our tea.

“Grandmother, suppose you have a group of people in a large area with many routes of escape. You have to kill every single one of them but don’t have the resources to surround their territory. How would you do it?”

Victoria smiled. “You’re finally asking interesting questions. Does this group have a leader?”

“Yes.”

“Then it’s simple, my dear. Offer him what he wants, and he will bring his people to you to get it.”

I held it together until the parking lot. Walking through the prison had become a ritual. When I entered, I armored myself with every step in a perverted meditation, sinking deeper into Victoria’s granddaughter, cold, calculating, and ruthless. Someone like herself. Someone she would approve of. When I left, I shed chunks of that armor as I walked out. I couldn’t drop it completely. My grandmother had me watched, and if I ducked into the bathroom to cry the stress out, she would know and there would be hell to pay. Instead I took a lighter breath with each landmark. Exit the garden, let a little bit go. Turn the corner into the main hallway, a little more. Reach reception, another chunk. Exit the prison, exhale, but still hold it, to the car, through the parking lot, all the way to the side road two miles down.

Alessandro pulled up the moment I stepped outside. I got into the car, and he drove without a word. We turned right and sped down the lone road. I should have been able to just ride next to him, but the ritual had become too ingrained. By the time the side road swung into view, I was breathing shallow and fast.

“Make a right,” I asked, choking on the words.

He did. We rolled down the deserted country lane for another five hundred feet, behind the curve hidden from the main road by some trees. A small parking lot sat in the middle of the grove, barely wide enough to turn around. I had found it the second time I’d come to see her, after I panicked in the parking lot and drove, half-blind and crying, desperate for a place to hide.

“Pull over, please.”

He pulled into the parking lot. The car stopped. Blood pounded in my ears. My breath came too fast, my chest hurt, my throat constricted, squeezed in an invisible noose. I undid my seat belt with shaking fingers and slumped over. My arms trembled.

Alessandro’s arms closed around me.

I drew a long shuddering breath. It sounded like a sob. I just couldn’t get enough air in my lungs and I felt like I was dying.

He rubbed my back, the heat of his hand shocking even through the fabric of my blouse. I was so cold, and he was warm.

“I’ve got you,” he murmured in my ear. “It will pass. I’ve got you. You’re safe. She can’t see us.”

I concentrated on breathing. There was no point in fighting it. I had to let it wash over me and let it pass. Just wait it out. It was scary, and it felt like dying, but it wouldn’t cause any lasting damage. I’d felt this before, and I was okay after. This would pass and I would be okay again.

He held me. He didn’t know it, but in that moment, I would have done anything to just keep holding on to him.

Gradually my breathing slowed. I straightened my back and leaned on the seat. Alessandro stood next to me, his arms still wrapped protectively around my shoulders. He must have gotten out of the truck, come around, and opened my door, and I hadn’t noticed any of it.

And now he had seen my moment of weakness. Ugh.

“I’m okay,” I told him. “Thank you.”

He brushed a strand of hair out of my face. His voice was quiet and warm. “Does this happen often?”

“No. Only after I see my grandmother. Talking to Victoria is like running along a razor-sharp blade. Sometimes I slip and she cuts me. Usually it isn’t this bad. The last time I just pulled over here and sat quietly for a couple of minutes.”