Broken Saint by E.M. Gayle

Chapter 22

Nova

"Are you all right?"

Ronin appeared in front of me seconds after my father left the suite. I didn't know what to make of the way he looked at me. Mildly concerned maybe? Curious? Pretending to be polite? It was impossible to read him. And exhausting.

"Stay there," he said, disappearing into the master suite, only to return minutes later with a washcloth and towels in hand.

I tried to take them from him and he brushed my hands away. "I've got this."

I didn't want him to have anything, but I owed him for coming to my rescue. I didn't know how far my father would have allowed Luca to go. Although I had gotten off easy compared to my sister. I almost opened my mouth to ask Ronin for help when he touched the warm cloth to my cheek.

"What in the fuck is going on here?"

My gaze flew towards the door to find Rock filling the doorway, his face morphed into an angry mask. Holy hell. Could I not catch a freaking break today? The last thing I needed was another fight to break up.

"Just fixing the mess you made, lawman."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Good question. Wait. “What?”

Ronin ignored me, his anger focused on Rock. "I wouldn't push it. I already had to take care of one asshole. I could be tempted to take care of another."

Rock crossed the room to where I sat in a chair, moving with the grace and speed of a deadly panther. He definitely had the quiet part down. "Are you hurt?" He squatted down in front of me, crowding out Ronin. "Who did this?"

"It doesn't matter."

Rock gave me a hard glare and I knew I wasn't going to get away with that answer. When he looked over his shoulder at Ronin, I could imagine all the questions written on his face.

"Don't look at me like that. I didn't do this." I could see clearly that despite the obvious hatred Ronin harbored towards my father, he wasn't going to freely offer any information to Rock. There was a code among made men, no matter which family they were loyal to, and it included not talking to outsiders of any kind. Talking outside the family led to the kinds of problems no one wanted to deal with.

"My father came to visit me. Somehow he found out about you and I." I wasn't going to use the same vulgar words my father had. When he said them they were offensive and disgusting. I wouldn't dare repeat them.

"Your father?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. In the chaos, I'd almost forgotten that Rock, and the rest of the world for that matter, did not know I was the daughter of an infamous crime boss. Although I'd known this moment would come, I still didn't want to deal with it.

"Don't do that, Reed." Ronin interrupted. "She doesn't need your bullshit. You Feds think everyone else in the world is stupid, but it's you who is an idiot."

A headache was starting to pound behind my eyes. As I tried to read between the lines of what Ronin had said and decipher the emotions playing across Rock's face, the light finally dawned.

"Jesus Christ. He called you lawman and a— You’re a federal agent?”

"Finally. Someone give this girl a prize."

"Shut up!" Rock and I yelled at Ronin in unison.

“And you know that Anthony Cullotta is my father? How?"

"Yes, Reed. Tell us how you knew. Our girl here did a damn fine job of hiding that information. And I would know because I looked."

I glared at Ronin. His interference here wasn't helping. "Can you excuse us?"

"No," he replied simply, not bothering to elaborate.

What had I done in this life to deserve this man from my father? I was going to do something drastic if Ronin didn't stop antagonizing Rock. In fact, he needed to leave now. I would have said something to that affect if Rock hadn't opened his mouth and said about the most offensive thing he could.

"I'm good at what I do, and I already told you, I make it a habit to know the woman I am fucking."

My eyes grew wide with disbelief. Was he kidding me right now?

Ronin whistled long and low. "That might be true, but I'll bet Nova here just took offense to that. Right, honey?"

I didn't know which one to punch first.

"Get out. Both of you." I stood to storm out of the room and wobbled on my feet. Rock grabbed me to steady me and as soon as I had my bearings I jerked out of his grasp. "Let me go." When he didn't, I whirled on him. "If you know about my father, then you knew all along this thing between us could never work. So, what, you fucked me to get closer to my father?”

"Good girl," Ronin interjected.

"Seriously, shut up!" I screamed at Ronin. I'd had enough.

"I did come back here tonight with a plan to talk about your father. He's part of an important case I've been working on for a while. But I'm at an impasse, and I need your help."

Ronin snorted. I ignored him.

"I don't understand."

"Of course you do," Ronin interrupted again. "Agent Reed has been using you all along. He needed more information about your father, and what better place to get it than in the bed of his estranged daughter. Am I right?"

"What did you say?" Panic seized my chest.

"I'm sure I don't need to repeat myself, Nova darling. It can't come as that big of a shock that your lover boy has been playing you all along. The fact he got his dick wet while doing it made it a sweet deal if you ask me. Sex is a powerful weapon and using it for information is one hell of a great way of getting a job done. Did the idea not ever enter that pretty head of yours?"

If I wasn't about to be sick, I would have punched Ronin in the mouth. I didn't care how dangerous he was. I could only take so much.

"Shut the fuck up," Rock growled, taking several steps in Ronin's direction. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't I though? You don't intend to deny the truth, do you? I thought you were a Boy Scout. Scouts don't lie."

Rock lunged at Ronin, catching him in the jaw with a fast right hook. Despite what looked like a painful punch, Ronin turned back around with a smile on his face.

"Guess I hit a nerve. Although if you touch me again, I'll carve my name into your fucking forehead. See what your Fed buddies think then when they realize who owns you." The venom that dripped from Ronin's words sent a sharp chill down my spine. I didn't doubt for a second he would do exactly what he threatened.

"Look." I said, stepping between both men. "That's enough. Rock, I think it's time for you to go."

"No," he said simply, his face looking as ominous as Ronin's words. "I'm not leaving until we hash this out. I didn't get involved with you because of your father. I should not have gotten involved with you because of him. But our investigation into some missing diamonds has resulted in one roadblock after another, and now I need your help.”

"Diamonds you say? That's what this is about? Or should I say that's what I'm worth to you?"

"No, I don't think—"

"You're right, you don't think. But if that's all that matters to you, and it gets you out of my life, then fine." I threw the washcloth down on a nearby table and I stomped out of the room and straight to the safe on my wall. If he wanted diamonds, I'd give them to him. The fucking bastard could take them and go. They were turning out to be more trouble than they were worth.

Rock followed me. “Nova, what are you doing?"

"Getting you what you want." I reached inside the safe and pulled out the black velvet pouch. What I'd thought would be my saving grace had turned into my worst nightmare. My father was never going to negotiate with me. He hated me.

I fought back the tears threatening to fall. I would not give either of these men the satisfaction of making me cry.

"What the hell does that mean?"

I took a slow breath and then turned to him, my face a mask of emotionless stone. Later, I would cry and wail and throw some sort of insane fit, but for now, I would feel nothing. Other than relief to watch him go. "You want my father's blood diamonds, right?"

"Well, yeah. But I don’t under—"

I threw the pouch as hard as I could at him. He didn't even make a move to catch them. They caught him square in the middle of his chest and crashed to the floor. "Then take them!" I screamed. "Take them and get the fuck out." I fell to the floor and landed on my hands and knees. I couldn't even hold myself up anymore. It was too much.

"Nova," Rock touched my side and offered me his hand. I recoiled.

"No!" I roared. "Get out now. We are over. I'm marrying Ronin, and that's final."

"Nova," Rock repeated.

"No! Go! You got what you wanted. I never want to see you again." I was screaming at him to leave, but the rip in my heart was begging for him to stay and fix this. I needed him, didn't he know that? Of course he didn't. Because that wasn't the kind of relationship we had. He'd been hoping to use me for information, and using sex in an attempt to control me.

And I’d fallen for it, hook line and sinker, making me as clichéd as my thoughts. I'd been swept into this mess for the sex, too. Until it had become bigger and not so simple anymore. Now it was all going up in flames and would soon be nothing but ashes at my feet.

He bent and picked up the diamonds. "I can see you're upset, so I'll go for now. But this isn't over. We have to talk this out. I'll call you."

"Don't. I doubt my future husband will let me talk to you anyway. Not if I want to stay healthy, anyway."

Ronin choked at my words. Where he found humor, I found nothing but pain. But there was more at stake than just my heart.

I had to save my sister.

Rock gave me one last look and it tore deeper into my heart to see that look on his face. But I couldn't trust him, and he couldn't trust me. Like it or not, it had to be the end of our story. He would move on.

The threat of tears still burned at the back of my eyes as he slipped from the suite as quietly and quickly as he entered it. Ronin glanced at me and thank all that is holy he must have finally seen something that managed to keep him quiet for once.  Once the door closed, I turned on my heel and disappeared into the master suite, locking the door behind me.

Something as simple as a door lock wouldn't keep Ronin out if he wanted in, but the symbolism of it meant everything to me. As the first tear splashed onto my cheek, I realized that I had just lost a piece of me that I could never get back.

Rockford Reed had walked out as easily as he had walked in.