I turn back around to face the others. “He dragged me into a storage closet and started spewing all sorts of stuff about the contract, how it must be upheld, his reasonings for why he tried to…to ra—dothat.”
My pause is swallowed up by Anastasia’s snort. “A man who rationalizes rape doesn’t deserve to keep his balls. Or his dick. Van,pleaselet me at him.”
“I agree!” Nero’s yell comes through the laptop.
Zeno casts his friend a dark look before demanding, “Then what happened?”
“He admitted to killing his father. He believes he needs a wife on his arm to give him heirs and wants that to be me. He’s trying to prove something by upholding the contract.”
“It’s not happening, Sera, no matter what Vitale says.”
I don’t look towards my right, towards the man who’s quickly becoming my everything while admitting the next part. I’ll never have my ‘everything’ because accepting a deal withil diavolowill make me nothing by the time the marriage certificate is signed.
“He said within the week, he’ll propose the union. And…I agreed to accept.”
Silence. Deadly fucking silence.
Anastasia coughs, leaning forward to drop her elbows on her knees. “Did I hear you correctly?”
I scan the room, looking at everyone. Everyone, that is, except one person. “I have to. He threatened everyone I care about. All of you, Madre.” I glance to my right, letting the impact of his intensity wash over me with an influence that begs me to stop but empowers me to finish. “Everyone,” I murmur, my single word meant to say something different:You.
Lev’s eyes narrow a fraction, telling me he understands the message. His jaw clicks, and he straightens against the wall.
“He had someone there,” I continue, not moving away from him. “Someone standing beside you. He threatened to kill you, right then and there, and I wouldn’t have been—” My voice cuts out, a choked sob taking over. It takes three swallows before I manage, “Wouldn’t have been able to save you. You wouldn’t have seen it coming.”
“For fuck’s sake, you didn’t tell me?” Another man would have yelled it, but Lev’s low tone reverberates through my nerves.
Inhaling sharply, I turn to Vanessa. “He’s claiming to have people inside the Bratva. It’s how he knew I’m in the city.”
Her sharp gaze flicks between Anastasia and Lev, the message clear before she picks up her phone, rapidly texting someone and muttering what I guess are a stream of curses.
It’s Lev who talks, his tone sending a shiver down my spine. “I’ll re-vet every single soldier and staff we have. The ratwillpay. I won’t stop until they’re found.”
His eyes turn flinty, his body already shifting, as if to go do that now. For once, the Bratva Elite is out to play. Not the one who prefers computers, but the one who wields guns.
Death out to extract revenge.
“I don’t care if he’s threatening us.” Zeno’s voice rises from the computer. “You are not marrying him.”
I stand from the chair to pace closer, dropping my palms onto Vanessa’s desk as I lower my head. “I will. Everything you’ve tried hasn’t worked. He refuses to end the contract, so I’ll follow it. Marriage to him will satisfy the deal.”
“And what? You think he’ll agree to a divorce afterwards?” Zeno sneers. “You’re delusional.”
“All you’ve ever done is protect me, Z. This ismyjob. If I don’t, he’ll start a war.”
Vanessa snorts, her head still buried in her phone. “He can try, but with support from the Bratva, Vitale won’t have a damn shot.”
“Who knows how many other deals he’s struck,” I point out. “We don’t know what he’s capable of.”
There’s a beat of silence from everyone, my brother included. Vanessa slowly lifts her head until she’s looking at me, but it’s Anastasia’s quiet mutter that comes first. “She might be right.”
“Of course, I am. We’re kidding ourselves by assuming that ignoring this will make him go away. So, we’ll need tomakehim go away. I’ll marry him, and then on our wedding night, I’ll kill him.”
Zeno lets out a stream of Italian that turns into a bunch of curses, with Nero talking over him.
I look at Lev, scared at what I’ll find in his expression.
Impassive. Cold. But there’s a hard emotion there. Agony. And the slight tick of his head as he orders meno.
