Page 52 of Brutal Vows

I blink and lift my hand off the dog’s head in wary apprehension as the older man stoops down to connect the leash onto his dog’s collar. Ermanno’s puzzled expression still holds echoes of his cold fury, but he skirts around his father and grabs my arm. I knock his hand off and meet his father’s gaze as he rises.

“What’s your name, girl?”

And now I know where Ermanno gets his growly voice.

“Loretta.”

He grunts and takes his wallet off the entryway table and shoves it in the inner pocket of his suit jacket.

“Quit gawking and open the door,” he demands.

I look between him and his son before turning, opening the door wide, and propping it open with my heel.

Pops, as Ermanno called him, strides through with a familiar gait. Full of prowess and menace, he gives off the same lethal vibes as his son, so when he doesn’t side eye me on his way past, the tension in my chest eases enough for me to take a full breath.

He doesn’t see me as a threat.

“Pops, how did you—”

“Scraps may be a toothless dummy, but he’s an excellent judge of character,” Pops interrupts Ermanno. “And any woman who doesthatto your face,” he lifts a gnarled finger to the bruise my bite left on Ermanno’s cheek, “and still sticks around after is worth keeping.”

I follow in stunned silence as Ermanno tucks me against his side and ushers me after his father.

We ride the elevator up to the rooftop without a word. Pops studies me in the mirror, not hiding his perusal, so I study him in return, unwilling to show an ounce of weakness when the moment feels so heavy.

He steps out of the elevator. Scraps—which is the most ridiculous yet cutest name for such a big dog—leans against his owner’s hip, but not enough to disrupt the older man’s balance, and looks around with dopey, uncertain eyes.

When he spots the people gathered around the picnic table, his ears lift and he gives a happy chuff.

A young lady, probably in her early teens, jumps up and rushes toward us with open arms and eyes only for the dog. My heart contracts. She must be Bella, Nico’s half sister. Her excitement and joy fill me with wonder. How can a teenager look so carefree and happy when she’s surrounded by so many dangerous men? Scraps gets permission from Pops before bounding forward and jumping around like a puppy with his leash dragging behind him.

Ice sinks into my veins as Nico Russo rises from the picnic table and pins his eerily dark eyes on me.

As Ermanno’s father greets Dante Russo and his second wife, Kara, I fill my fist with the back of Ermanno’s shirt, needing to ground myself as all the oxygen escapes my lungs. Despite the big, puffy clouds drifting across the sky and the refreshing breeze, I struggle to breathe as the weight of the moment settles over me.

My sister and I vowed to never get involved with the mafia ever again, yet here I am, meeting New York City’s most ruthless don and his entire family. Livia will never forgive me for this, even if I didn’t have a choice.

Even Nico’s pregnant wife sits at the picnic table. She must be new to the family, but she looks familiar. The moment the thought forms, the sun streams through a break in the clouds and she lifts her face to the sky.

I recognize her from photos my father was studying so long ago. She’s Serenity Vivaldi, the youngest daughter of Matteo Vivaldi, another renowned mafia don in New York City.

I’m in way, way over my head.

A gorgeous, vibrant woman stands from the far side of the picnic table and walks toward us. By her slight limp, I know she’s Nico’s sister, Natalie, who lost her foot in the car accident that killed their mom a long time ago.

Nico sticks his arm out and blocks her from approaching us. She gives him an annoyed look before rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest.

He looks down at her and thins his lips.

“I told you to wait with Serenity,” he says.

Natalie lifts a brow and tilts her head.

“Well, Nitty told me to rescue the poor girl, and you know I’ll always choose your wife over you, so…”

Nico lifts both brows and intensifies his glare.

She huffs and shakes her head.

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