Page 21 of Deadly Vows

“Yes, I will because Elise is no longer a Trovoli. And we both know Eli wasn’t planning on sparing her,” Luca says.

I fight the tremble of my body as these men discuss not only my fate but the fate of the family I’ve been cast from. But I know Grigori. He won’t bow down to Luca. He was only loyal to my father. I’m almost certain Luca knows that as well. But I am also certain that Luca wants to break this man right at the table to ensure his loyalty. His sadism runs deep in that way.

I’m pulled out of my thoughts as Grigori places his hands on the table, standing. His attention is focused on me, his anger slowly rearing its head.

“Have you no shame, girl? You let this man have his way with you, with us! After everything your father did for our family! You let yourself be reduced to his whore!” he hisses.

My eyes widen slightly, and I look at Luca out of instinct. But he isn’t angry. He’s watching Grigori with cold precision and a grin on his lips. I look back at Grigori, who has yet to understand his situation. Either that or he doesn’t fear Luca.

“My father sold me off like one,” I snap back. Grigori’s rage manifests itself, and he smashes his fist on the table, forcing everything to shake and a few glasses to fall over.

“Blood over everything! Blood!” he growls.

Luca is up from the table, walking to where Grigori stands with his hands in his pockets. His eyes twinkle in amusement as Grigori’s hateful expression lands on him, a split second before Luca’s fist collides with his face. Luca wrestles him easily,pressing his hand into his throat, forcing his head against the table. He quickly reaches behind him, his expression blank as he places the steel tip of a gun against Grigori’s temple.

“How rude of you not to let us make it to dessert,” he growls. Grigori flinches as he presses the gun harder against his flesh. And to my horror, Luca looks at me.

“I hope you understand now what appointing anyone from your family means. It means the end of us. None of them will spare you, and according to Grigori here, they wanted to be part of the execution,” he says.

Grigori suddenly begins chuckling beneath Luca’s grip, pulling our attention.

“You have no idea what is coming for you, Pasquino. If you knew, the last thing you would do is offer to replace Eli’s position. No one will go against his name. We have—Argh!”

Luca smashes his gun against the man’s face, smashing him back into the table. I bite back my shocked scream as more blood trickles from Grigoris’s nose and mouth, but Luca seems more excited at the sight than I do.

“Perfect. I look forward to hearing just how much is coming for me in the future at the hands of the Trovolis.” Luca leans down, his lips hovering over Grigori’s ear. “But not from you.”

I scream as Luca puts a bullet into his head. His body grows limp instantly, and Luca releases him, letting his corpse slide to the ground. He doesn’t speak as Romelo and Nicolai are already in motion, moving to collect the man. Nicolai takes Luca’s gun from him as he speaks to Romelo.

“Get me his family. And get me any man who worked in close quarters with Eli. I want a full interrogation ready by the morning,” he says.

My eyes, however, remain glued to the floor where blood seeps from the wound. I bite back the heavy wave of nausea that washes over me from the sight, my father’s lifeless form flashingacross my mind. My chest heaves, and I place my hand over my mouth, preventing anything from spilling while simultaneously earning my husband’s attention. Luca’s gray gaze falls on me, his eyes dipping to Grigori, and he releases an irritated sigh.

“I’ve never met someone so skittish around blood,” he says, shaking his head. He turns his back on me, gesturing to Romelo once more.

“Have Elise’s dinner moved to the sunroom.”

I’ve never been so disappointed to gain a position in a symphony. In the past, my recitals were my escape. They were the only thing I somewhat had control over. But now that I have impressed the director enough to earn not only a place within the symphony but a solo as well, Luca has made it his mission to incorporate me into the torture of my own family. Grigori unknowingly set off the slow eradication of the Trovolis. Luca has begun intensely interrogating anyone who had contact with my father, or anyone else high-ranking, for that matter, squeezing whatever information he can out of them in their final moments, accompanied by the soft sound of my violin.

I’ve considered breaking the instrument on several occasions, but I know it won’t do me any good. Luca will only buy another one after punishing me for trying to outsmart him. He treats me as if he owns me. I am the prize of the Trovolis. A prize that my father gave away too easily, and he is hellbent on proving that to every person who is brought in for interrogation. He calls me to his office, forcing me to play in their last moments as he tortures them in ways I didn’t know possible. The sheltered life my father laid out for me has been wiped away.

I can’t live like this anymore. But I know, as well as anyone else, that there is no escape from Luca. His terror has reachedsuch a deep-rooted level within me that I no longer refuse. I even smile when instructed to, ignoring the slurs and screams of my family members as they curse my existence.

Today, however, is somewhat different. I’ve been summoned to Luca’s office without my instrument. I quickly swipe my hands over the front of my dress as I stand before Luca’s office door. The muffled groan of another victim greets me, making my stomach churn in discomfort. I don’t know how long I remain in front of the doors, playing different scenarios in my head for what awaits me on the other side.

I knock before pushing open the doors.

Upon my entrance, Luca’s eyes meet mine, and a devilish grin forms on his lips. My heart flutters as I take in that smile. It is a smile I know all too well. It is a smile fueled by cruel intentions. As Luca approaches, my eyes shift beyond his left shoulder to see his latest victim. I almost sigh in relief when I realize I don’t know this man. But my relief is short-lived as I take in the terror on his expression.

“There’s my beautiful wife,” Luca says, pulling my attention. He pulls me in, placing his lips over mine in a passionate kiss, his fingers threading through my short strands. He pulls away, studying my face, something he does out of possession, I’ve realized.

“You are so beautiful,” he murmurs before stepping to the side, “Isn’t she beautiful, Jack?”

Jack smiles timidly, agreeing with my deranged husband just as Luca’s grip on me tightens, pulling me closer to the scene.

“Come here, Elise. I need you as my good luck charm,” he says.

Luca pulls me over to one of the cushions with him and pulls me down on his lap as he sits. My attention falls to the coffee table in between us and the man he called Jack to find a gun sitting on it. Not a normal gun Luca usually uses, but an old-fashioned gun. My eyes widen, and I immediately try to stand, but Luca’s grip is firm as he holds me down.

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