“Hey,” I say quickly. “It’s alright. It wasn’t real.”
I quickly untie the gag from around her head and brush her hair behind her ears. Her face is dripping with tears.
“I-I know, I just,” she stutters, “God, it felt so fucking real.”
She takes a deep breath and tries to settle herself but she’s still trembling. “I h-hated feeling you like that. Hurting me like that.”
I quickly pull my sister into my arms. “I would never hurt you,” I whisper. “Not for real. Not like that. I’m sorry.” I squeeze her tightly.
“It’s okay,” Rosalie insists. “I just—I need a minute.” She pulls away from me and stands up from the couch.
“Where is your bathroom?” she asks.
“I’ll take you,” Cassian tells her softly, and I watch them leave the room together.
I look to Carmine, who has a conflicted look on his face, eyes wide.
“I can’t believe you did that,” he tells me. “I can’t believe it worked.”
I sigh. “He’d never believe Rosalie betrayed him too. I had to use her against him,” I tell him. “Maybe I went too hard.”
“No, it was perfect,” he insists. “It needed to feel real.”
I nod slowly and look at my hands. My eyes burn. “I never want to touch my sister like that again,” I tell him, voice breaking.
“You had to,” Tommaso says from the side.
Carmine glares at him.
“Can we have a minute?” he asks. His eyes sweep over to Alessio too, who has been quiet this entire time.
“Fine!” Tommaso huffs and leaves the room. “But we’re talking more about this whole thing with you two later.”
Alessio doesn’t move from where he’s standing.
“Aless?” Carmine says slowly.
Alessio shakes his head. “No.”
At first, I think he’s just not going to leave, but he speaks again.
“That isn’t enough,” Alessio says. “He’ll come after our family again. He’ll try to destroy us.” He takes a step forward toward the doorway.
“It’s enough for now,” Carmine insists. “We’ll figure out a plan later.”
“Later is too late,” Alessio snaps. “We have to kill him now.”
“Eivor?” I ask slowly. “Maybe we don’t. Maybe we can?—”
Alessio scoffs. “Reason with him? After what you just had to do, you really think we can reason with the man?”
“We need to try,” Carmine tells him. “Or else both of us could implode.”
“No. He dies, problem solved.” Alessio starts to move out of the room but Carmine reaches for him.
“And what… You are going to kill him yourself? Get yourself killed in the process?” he asks him.
“I’ll do what I want to do,” Alessio snaps and yanks his arm away.
