Coercion to Love Read Free Page A

turned up to challenge this stranger Who had dared to deride her mother's name and shout at her aunt Cass all in one breath. 'I don't like you!' she shouted across the road at him. 'You look like somebody I know, and I don't like you!'
    A damning recognition of herself in him, Cass noted on a violent shudder.
    He had begun to straighten slowly the moment Terri squared up to him, his eyes fixing in real fascination on his hostile daughter. 'I am sorry you think that, little one,' he murmured quite gently, 'because I mean neither of you any harm.'
    Terri ignored him, turning to Cass and holding out her small hand. 'C'mon, Cass,' she instructed firmly, 'let's go,' almost as if she were the adult and Cass the child. 'We don't have to talk to him if we don't want to. He's bad, I just know he is.'
    Out of the mouths of babes... thought Cass grimly as she took the proffered hand but made no attempt to move from the spot. Unlike Terri, she wasn't so naive as to believe he would let them walk away just like that.
    'Now why should you think that, Teresa?' There was an odd thickness to Carlo's voice that forced Cass to acknowledge that he was finding this no easier than she was. 'You don't even know me, so how can you decide if I am bad or not?'
    Terri frowned at this piece of good logic, her free hand going up to rub her dusty face. 'You're trembling, Cass,' she mumbled. 'He frightens you, doesn't he?' she said,  then burst into tears.
    Cass wasn't surprised by the sudden outburst. But she knew Carlo Valenti was. Tern's bouts of bravery were usually followed by tears. Still struggling to gather her scattered wits together, Cass bent to scoop the poor little girl into her arms.
    'It's all right, poppet,' she murmured soothingly, 'Carlo isn't bad.' She used his first name deliberately, hoping the familiarity would help ease Tern's fears. Whatever else Cass wanted, she did not want the child living in fear of anyone. 'He's just surprised to see us here, that's all.'
    'What did I do?' Suddenly he was standing right in front of them, big and lean, his handsome face taut with concern. 'What did I say to hurt the child?'
    'Nothing,' she replied flatly, thinking, It's me who's done the hurting by trying to put off the inevitable.
    'You—snarled a bit, that was all, and Terri is very protective of me.' She hugged the sobbing child closer. 'If you'll excuse us, Mr Valenti, I think I'll take her inside so I can-----'
    'No.' The refusal came hard and gruff, any hint of softening in the man gone in that instant. 'No,' he said again. 'This time there will be no clever escape, Cassandra Marlow. No chance to slip by me. You will both come with me right now,' he announced, 'or the child comes with me alone. The decision is entirely up to you.' And, before Cass realised what he meant to do, he had reached across and plucked the sobbing child from her arms.
    'Oh! You can't do that-----!' Drenched in sudden panic, she made a flailing attempt to grab Terri back from him, one set of trembling fingers curling around the rock-solid muscle of a male forearm while the others held on for dear life to a fistful of Tern's T-shirt.
    The child began yelling at the top of her voice, her little fists pummelling into any place she could hit on the hard-packed frame now holding her in an effort to get free. Giuseppe stepped forward, concern clouding his brown face. 'Signore...' he began uncertainly.
    A barrage of Italian hit the garage owner's ears which sent him stumbling back several steps, his gaze sliding over to Cass with a look which accused her of murder.
    'What did you tell him?' she demanded over Terri's shrill cries.
    'Exactly who it is I hold in my arms,' he bit out harshly, grimly holding the struggling child while her desperate blows continued to rain all over him. Eyes like black onyx impaled Cass with a bitter challenge. 'Are you prepared to deny that this child is my daughter?'
    On a gasp, Cass glanced sharply at Terri, hoping she was too busy yelling