Chapter Twenty-Five
Worn out and tired from the long ride to Vegas, Amie’s hot head had cooled. She sat behind Tony, who glared at her in the rearview mirror the entire drive. What was his fucking problem? She wasn’t responsible for his fucked-up life. She’d stayed away from him as much as she could growing up.
Her stomach knotted worrying if Frank had read her letter. He’d know by now that they had a child. Little Francis was his daddy through and through. How would Frank take it? Would he hate her? What if he didn’t want to meet their baby? She rubbed a hand over her brow. Wondering the what-ifs wasn’t going to make anything better.
If Frank learned to love their son, there would be a future for them. She didn’t dare think about what would happen if he rejected Francis. She already knew that she’d leave him. Her son came before everyone.
“Tony, what the fuck is wrong with you? What have I done to you that makes you fucking scowl at me all the time?” His eyes glowed red, just like they had the moment he saw her in the bank before shooting Joey. What the hell? That wasn’t natural. A chill ran up her back. Tony looked almost demonic.
Wait. Before Joey died, he said “demo.” At the time, she’d thought he meant something like “democrat” or “demolition person.” But did he mean “demon”? Oh, god. So there were shifters and demons? What else was out there waiting?
The Hummer skidded to a stop in the middle lane of the interstate, and Tony turned in his seat to fully face her.
“You want to know why I hate you?” He could’ve breathed fire.
Amie grabbed the door handle to her right and gripped the chair cushion on her left. Her heart thundered in her chest from the frantic stop. The guy was insane. They could have been in a crazy accident and both be dead. “‘Hate’ is a bit strong, don’t you think? I am family, unfortunately.”
Tony’s hand snapped out to grab her throat. She squeezed back into the corner of the seat, barely out of his reach. She hadn’t feared him before. But right now, he could kill her. The red in his eyes pulsed.
“That’s one reason I prefer you dead. You never appreciated the power your name gave you. You pissed it away, spending time on those who only took from you. There was so much you could’ve done empowering the family.”
“The family?” Amie screamed back. “The family is worthless. Stealing money to survive? How fucking pathetic is that? Someone who can’t even support themselves, but has to take from others.
“And killing those who get in their way,” she continued. “Instead of negotiating and figuring out a way to work things out like grown-ups, you just off them. Talk about being a pussy.” Tony lunged toward her as the Hummer shook on its wheels while a semi-truck blew by blaring its horn within feet of her door.
“Unless you want to join your dead ancestors, I suggest you get us moving.” Amie fought to keep his hands off her.
He grinned at her. “I’m ready to die. Are you? What about your son?”
She reached out and slapped him. “Don’t talk about my son, seeing as you have no idea what a real son should be like.”
He laughed, turned around, and pushed the Hummer to over one hundred miles an hour. Amie felt sure it was to intimidate her. There was nothing she could do about it, and her son would be taken care of, so whatever happened to her now didn’t matter.
* * *
Amie stood in front of Uncle Giuseppe’s desk in his study, staring the man in the eye. “I have to say you are the most pathetic creature—let me edit that—second most pathetic creature on this earth.”
Her uncle’s brow raised. “Who, may I ask, am I second to?”
“Really?” Amie rolled her eyes. “You have to ask? Who’s fucking stupid enough to blow up a town to get one person?”
He chuckled. “My dear niece, if that is the worst you have to say to me, then I will accept it.”
“It’s not the worst by far, but I don’t care to stoop to your gutter level of intelligence to tell you how I really feel.”
“Amerella”—her uncle sighed—“you have always been a step higher than the rest of us.”
“What do you mean?” That almost sounded like a good thing, but coming from him, it couldn’t be.
“My sister—your mother—always thought she was better than I was. She had it in her head that the lesser intelligent made their living stealing and killing—”
“Like mother, like daughter,” Amie added.
Uncle Giuseppe chuckled again. That frightened her. He never laughed or even smiled when she was growing up. “What you and your mother believe no longer concerns me. I have found a way to show the world the Ragusa family was meant to shine. And you, my dear, are a vital part of that process.”
A side door to the office opened and a stunning blonde in a slinky dress strutted in. She eyed Amie and slowly made a circle around her, looking her up and down. Then she sat on the corner of the desk.
“She’ll do perfectly, Giuseppe.”
Amie’s eyes narrowed. “I see you’re back to fucking whores for fun, Uncle. She’d do perfectly, too, looks like.”
The woman returned her glare. “Be careful, bitch. I’ll turn you into a frog, which wouldn’t be a far cry from what you look like already.”
Oh, shit. Magic was real, too? Wonderful. Shifters, demons, and witches, oh my. Wait a minute. “If you’re a witch, and not fucking him, why are you here?”
A grin slowly spread across the witch’s face and an evil spark flashed in her eyes. “You’ll find out soon.” She hopped off the desk and slithered toward the double doors leading into the ballroom at the far end of the study. “Good thing you found her in time, Giuseppe. Otherwise, we’d have to wait a month. And I’d rather spend a month in hell than in this place with you.” The witch turned to the guards hovering around the edges of the room. “Take Miss Priss to the room, then I need all of you in the ballroom with me.”