Page 49 of Family Secrets

Confusion gripped Elizabeth, unsure of what to do as Gino had made it clear she was to keep their relationship quiet, yet here Chiara stood, the matriarch of the family, telling her to basically announce the extent of her involvement with Giovanni. Not wanting to make a scene, Elizabeth stood to her feet, walking in step with Chiara until they reached the front of the church where Gino stood, a callous grin on his chiseled face.

Reaching out for her, Gino placed a kiss to her cheek. “Forgive my mother, she’s at the point of her life where she no longer cares what others think of her.”

“Do you?” Elizabeth questioned. “Care about what others think?”

“Some,” Gino motioned for Sully to move over. “But only you at the moment.”

Without hesitation, Elizabeth took a seat between Sully and Gino, avoiding the side-eyed glances she received from Sully. She focused instead on the arm Gino laid on the chair behind her, and the way his fingers played with the hem of her dress.

Once the service was over and Jonathan’s body was lowered into the ground, Elizabeth stood in the center of a room, her eyes migrating to the colored windows which made up the ceiling. The gold-painted cherubs surrounded various paintings depicting men and women engaging in sex acts.

She’d been bombarded by the girls from the office, searching her hands and demanding to know where her ring was. Lisa was quick to chase them away, reminding everyone this was neither the time nor the place to assume Gino’s attention was anything permanent.

“According to my father, those windows were handcrafted by Tiffany.” Sully’s voice pulled her from the painting of a naked woman surrounded by men who pleasured her from every angle. “Gino and I climbed on the roof to look for proof, but Niko found us before we could get far.”

Glancing back at the high ceiling, Elizabeth estimated it to be at least thirty feet in the air. “Thank God he did. If one of you would have slipped, the fall would have killed you.”

Sully shrugged, “If you think that was dangerous, you should see what we do to have fun.”

Elizabeth didn’t care for Sully’s tone or the implication she was sure he was trying to convey. With a quick sweep of the room, she caught Gino speaking with a group of men she didn’t recognize.

Sully followed Elizabeth’s line of sight, finding Gino in a serious conversation with the Malloy’s, a Family from Chicago. “Listen, Elizabeth. My brother is complicated, and I need you to be careful.”

This wasn’t the first girl he’d witnessed Gino fool into thinking there was a future with him. With the leadership of the family in the balance, he suspected Gino’s interest in her would be over before their father’s will was read. “I don’t want to sound like a schmuck, but when he breaks your heart, call me. I’ll be happy to put it back together.”

Elizabeth stood slack jawed as Sully ran the back of his hand down her cheek before walking out of the room.

“Well, well, well…two Vitale brothers. You must have a golden snatch.” Elizabeth turned toward the voice, Felicia stood with a scowl on her face, a glass of what Elizabeth assumed was alcohol in her hand.

“I’m sorry?”

“You can drop the bullshit. You’re not fooling anyone with this act you have going on.”

“I reall—"

“Oh, maybe you’ve snowed Chiara with the Catholic School Girl routine, but it won’t be Gino’s mother who decides who the lady of this house is. Enjoy him while you can, Elizabeth. Trust me, I didn’t spend years learning to tolerate the bullshit he likes for nothing.”

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