And I enjoy every fucking second of his torment.
Maximus and I leave sometime later and the heaviness that I thought I’d be free from after killing Ugo still lingers. How can I be rid of it? The pain of knowing what happened to Carina is fucking excruciating and I know it’ll never compare to what she suffered. I wouldn’t be disrespectful and try to put our agony on the same level, but I won’t say this isn’t slowly killing me.
“You have blood all over you,” my brother says when we get into his vehicle. “Your fiancée will be curious.”
I wave a hand in dismissal. “She’ll be asleep and I’ll shower quickly so she doesn’t find out.”
The engine hums to life and Maximus pulls into the street. “Why don’t you want her to know?”
“I don’t want her to be frightened of me, of what I’m capable of.”
It would gut me if Carina looked at me the way she did her father earlier today. I want her trust, not some of it like I do now butall. It took me a while to realize that. Her submission was all I could think of, but some things are more important. And if she trusted me, ultimately I would have her submission, but due to respect, not terror.
Maximus is quiet for a while, no doubt thinking like always. Then he breaks the silence with, “I won’t say Emilia and Carina are the same woman, or that they share an overwhelming amount of similarities. But I will say that they come from the same place where their fathers oppressed them, as did other men in our world. I can’t tell you what a shock it was to me when I learned Emilia wanted Caruso dead as much as we do. It’s possible Carina feels the same way and would be relieved to know he’s gone. When I killed the man who abducted Emilia…”
My brother swallows deep, giving me a clear indication of how difficult it is to speak of that event concerning his wife. He must really care for her if this is his reaction. Not that I need confirmation. Seeing them together earlier told me everything I needed to know. No one better fuck with Emilia, or Max will activate the apocalypse.
“When I killed him, I saw the peace that came over Emilia.” Maximus slowly inhales and releases the breath at the same speed. “I would do and will do whatever she needs to not only be safe, but for her to be happy. They are both important, yet not the same things.”
A smile lifts my mouth. “You love her, and that’s why you think the same about me and Carina, no?”
Maximus slides his identical dark gaze to mine, enabling me to see the emotions churning within its depths. No words are necessary. I know what I’m witnessing and it’s deeper and more complex than I would’ve thought, and yet simple.
He loves his wife.
The. Fucking. End.
“Don’t be stupid like me,” he says quietly. “I shouldn’t have fought it so hard, and it almost cost me having her in my life.”
“I’m the older and wiser brother, so you don’t have to worry about me doing something stupid.”
Maximus grins at me. “I wish I could believe that.”
Me too.
I blow out a harsh breath. “I can’t wait to repeat this process with Caruso. Any word on the warehouses?” A quick glance at my phone notifies me of the time. “It should’ve been done by now. Let me text Mike and find out.”
“Knowing Tristano’s efficiency in such things, it’s probably not only done, but Caruso is most likely ready to kill Nardone for ‘thinking’ this all happened because of him.” Maximus shakes his head. “Tristano is an evil genius.”
“Agreed, but don’t forget I helped him formulate the entire plan. I’m the consigliere, for fuck’s sake.”
My phone goes off and I read the message from Mike. I wanted to go on the warehouse raids, but if I was seen anywhere near there, it would’ve ruined the plan to make Nardone look guilty. I always miss out on all the fun.
“Mike says it’s done.
Maximus nods slowly. “And now it’s time for the third phase of our revenge. Have you thought of what to do for that?”
“There are too many ideas,” I say, dropping my head back to lay it on the headrest. “Torturing him isn’t good enough, so I’m searching for a way to prolong his suffering.”
My brother pulls into the parking garage of my residence and puts the vehicle in park but leaves the engine running. Just because I own the building, it doesn’t mean I’m going to waltz through the front doors covered in blood.
Even I’m not that ballsy.
“No matter what we do or how long we make Caruso suffer,” Maximus says, “it’ll never compare to him sentencing our mother to death, her disappearance, the passing of our father as a latent result, or the loss of both our dignity and fortune.”
“I’ve had similar thoughts to that.”
“But have you also considered what our lives will look like when this is over? I still want our revenge and we are entitled to this justice, yet there has to be something else to sustain us after this is all said and done.” He turns in his seat to face me fully and the seriousness of his countenance is more severe than usual. “Emilia is myafter, my future. She is what gives me drive and a reason for living. I’ve been obsessed with Caruso’s death, but I want to shift that focus, and direct it to Emilia’s life and the life we’re creating.”
