“I never said that. I just…don’t trust her. But maybe we need to rethink her position.”
With that, he claps me on the shoulder and leaves. Clayton is the only one left to bear witness now. He’s leaning against a table on the far side of the cellar, arms crossed.
“Leave us,” I tell him.
He does, and the room goes still. Donno’s breath is shallow and silent, to the point that I watch his chest for movement to make sure he’s still alive.
Finally, he lifts his head. “I’d have you tell those boys I’m sorry, but I know it won’t do no good.”
“It won’t. You broke Marco’s heart.”
His voice is almost imperceptible. “I know.”
“Once Dante and I got older, we weren’t there for him much anymore. But you were. You picked him up every day from school. Played some ball. You even watched a few of his games. He’d look for you in the stands, you know. You showed up more than our dad ever did.”
“I’m not a good man.”
“You can be a bad man and still make good choices.” Shaking my head, I add, “I wish you’d come to me about your financials. We would have helped you.”
“Nah. My debts were in Bruno hands.”
“I would have paid them off.”
“Could never ask that of you.”
“It was the least I could have done to repay you for being good to us.”
He looks away, eyes glistening. I expect him to beg now, to apologize, to ask for another chance.
But he doesn’t. And a part of me withers, because I can’t give him another chance if he doesn’t ask. And even if he does ask, I have to deny him.
“I’ll put the diploma on your grave myself,” I say.
He nods. “I’m ready.”
Pulling the Walther from my holster again, I take aim. I watch. I always watch. If I’m going to take a life, I’m damn well going to see it through, so I never forget who I am and what I’m capable of.
But this one I don’t need to see to know that I’ll feel it in my heart until the day I die.
I close my eyes.
And pull the trigger.
19
CANDI
The first thingI did when I got back to Casa Bellanti was collect my cat from the chef’s assistant, take a hot shower, and crawl into bed for a nap. I was jet-lagging hard, and Armani had abandoned me to attend to some “business” pretty much the second Donovan dropped us off in the driveway. But after alternating between dozing and tossing and turning for a few hours, I finally give up on sleep and set myself to the task I’d been dreading ever since Armani gave me my phone back: dealing with the Brunos.
Or, more specifically, dealing with Juliana.
I’m sitting in the cushy armchair by the window in my and Armani’s bedroom, Mr. Sprinkles curled up in my lap, my stomach churning as I read (and listen to) all of my (former?) best friend’s messages. Her tone goes from casual to annoyed to concerned and then wavers between worried and pissed off. Typical Juliana.
Not that I blame her. With no warning, I dropped off the face of the planet for a week, and with my phone turned off, all her calls were going straight to voicemail. I guess it’s a good thing I was only gone for a week, because I’m sure she’s about to call the police or show up on the Bellantis’ doorstep demanding to see me. Jules isn’t the type to just sit around and wait for a body to show up.
It’s almost funny. On the island, I couldn’t wait to hear her voice, but now that I’m back in Napa, I feel sick just thinking about dialing her number. I have no idea what I should say. She knows that Armani and I got married in a quickie Vegas ceremony, but all I had said about our elopement was that it was my idea, that I had him wrapped around my finger…which might be the most egregious lie I’ve ever told. Jules has no idea I’ve been compromised, that Armani’s plan is to have me playing both sides.
Now, I’m terrified to face Juliana. What happens if I slip up and give myself away? Or if she sniffs out my lies? If the truth comes out about me, the Brunos won’t want to use me as a mole anymore. They’ll tell me nothing. They might even kill me. And even if they don’t, I’ll still be useless to the Bellantis as a double agent. I know Armani cares about me—at least, I think he does—but ultimately, Dante is in charge of their family. If he tells Armani to divorce me, where will I go? What will I do? How will I ever feel safe from the mob after getting cast out by not one, buttwonotorious mafia clans?
