Shit. There is no way in hell I’m going to sneak in there and break Ronaldo out. Every door of that place is covered, every lock secured.
I step down and then hurry to unlock the door. I grab the bedroom door handle and walk out, but it’s as I do that I hear hissing and whispers.
I look toward the room where I caught Francesca and Bain having sex, and my pulse skitters.
“I don’t give a damn about any of that, Mamá!” Draco’s voice booms from the other side and I flinch. “You think he thought about that when he handed over my shit? He came here, to my home, thinking he had the advantage. He has to die. End of fucking discussion!”
I walk closer to the door but when I see his shadow pass by I pause, eyes growing wide. I see Mrs. Molina’s shadow follow after him and then I hear a loud SMACK.
She slapped him. I cup my mouth, holding back a gasp.
“You are acting like a damn demon, Draco, and I will not tolerate it! I raised you better than this! We do not kill any more family under this roof. You shed any of his blood and, so help me God, I will leave this home and never, ever come back. You will have no one—not even Gia, because I will take her with me too.”
It’s quiet for a moment, but I hear him seething, most likely trying to control his temper.
Mrs. Molina continues talking. “She hates you, don’t you see that? She wants you dead and has ever since you dragged her here. You punish her and then let your men do that to her! Those men, and that disgusting woman, are the ones you should be worried about right now. Not your cousin—them!”
“She isn’t going anywhere,” he growls at her. “She’s mine now. She’s here to stay.”
“Oh, she will go. I will escort her myself.” She pauses. “Unless it’s come to a point in your mind where you think your own mother should be dead for standing in your way, too.” I hear her take a step forward. “Are you going to kill me too, son? For going behind your back? For doing what you know is right?”
Draco doesn’t say anything at all. I know it’s not because he doesn’t want to. I’m sure he has plenty of shit to say, but he respects his mother. Too much.
“That poor girl is suffering. Day by day I am watching her wither away, and I am tired of it. You need to treat her like she matters to you—like a queen, and nothing below it! When Lion promised her to you, he told you what?”
He doesn’t answer. I frown, stepping closer, listening harder.
“What did he tell you, son?” she demands.
“That when I make her mine, I have to protect her. But she isn’t fully mine yet, Mamá. She still has her heart set on her dead husband.”
“Then it is your job to make her forget him.”
“It’s not that fucking simple!” he snaps at her. “Why do you think she hates me, huh? I killed her fucking husband, and I would do it over and over again because that’s exactly what he deserved. That motherfucker didn’t deserve her. She wasn’t promised to him! He stole everything from me, Ma! From us! He wasn’t taking her, too. Fuck that. I don’t care if I have to break and bend her into submission. I don’t care if she hates me right now. Hatred can always be reversed. I’ll tell her the truth. I will show her what I am capable of and why she needs me—why she’s always needed me. He didn’t fucking love her. He was using her, but she was too blinded by his pretty face and his tricky ways to realize it.”
“Hijo,” Mrs. Molina whines.
“No, Ma. No. Just don’t worry about it anymore. Let me handle Gianna. She’s not going anywhere. She has nowhere to go and we both know it. Her best bet is to stay here with me.”
“Then promise me something,” Mrs. Molina pleads.
He sighs. “What?”
“Promise you won’t punish her anymore. Don’t starve her. Treat her like you want to give her the world. Don’t treat her like how you did Francesca.”
“Fuck Francesca,” he spits. “Gianna may not be coming around now, but she will. She’ll understand why I did what I did to her. I wanted her to forget him, and if that meant making her suffer for a little while, then it had to be done. She needed to focus on me. She needed to see that, unlike him, I am the real threat. I am the one she needs. She’s a smart girl. She’s not stupid. She’s a lot smarter than we think. She knows a lot of shit, and I don’t trust her,” he rasps. “I don’t sleep with both eyes shut around her. She wants me dead, and I know it, but soon those thoughts will change.” He releases a bitter laugh. “Truth is, I’d much rather break her first than have her end up breaking me. I did those things because I wanted her to recognize her strength. My woman has to be strong. There is no doubt about that. I didn’t want her getting used to any of that soft shit Trigger Toni used to do with her.