Page 43 of Deadly Vows

“There she is… all this time, I thought you were weak. I thought you were just an obedient wife who got sick at the sight of blood. But you aren’t, are you? You are much more than that. Much more of a threat than that… you just hide it remarkably well,” he smiles.

I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from responding. He’s expecting a response—a clever quip that proves him right. ThatI can be challenging. But I don’t want him to know or see that. Luca is sadistic, whether he confuses that with love or not. And if I show that I am a threat, he will treat me as such. Just as he did by locking me in the annex when he found me.

“Boss.” We both turn as a familiar voice cuts through the silence. Romelo approaches with an emotionless expression, his eyes not bothering to fall in my direction as he addresses Luca.

“The deal is done,” he says.

Luca steps away from me, releasing me from his grip as his excitement becomes clear in his body language.

“Where is he now?” he asks.

Now, Romelo glances at me briefly before going back to Luca.

“Just arrived at the building,” he says.

Luca is silent as he thinks for a moment.

“Get the car ready. I’ll meet you out front once I take Elise back to the house,” he says.

Romelo nods, making his way back in the direction of the house to leave Luca and me alone.

Chapter Twenty

Luca

Enzo Trovoli is a looming threat. Or rather, he may have been had his father been more competent about his tactics. Enzo is smart, quick-witted, and resourceful. His desire to survive far outweighs his fear; he does whatever I say without hesitation. I can see it in him, though. For years, he’s had to survive on his own, becoming much more mature than he should be at this age. And now he has once again been forced into a position where he must do whatever it takes to survive. Eli may have planned everything out meticulously on his end, but keeping Enzo hidden and in the dark was his biggest mistake.

I keep my eyes focused on the file in my lap as he sits nervously next to me in the backseat. I can tell from the twiddling of his fingers and his constant deep breaths that he is nervous. He probably thinks I’m taking him to his death, as I’ve barely been around since my introduction. I’ve left it to Romelo to watch him. And Romelo is much less patient than I am, especiallywhen it comes to the kid who is the cause of all of this uncertainty.

“So you were a straight-A student up until last semester. What happened?” I ask, breaking the silence.

“Things got rough for a while…and school seemed like a waste of time,” he says as he continues to twiddle his fingers.

I scoff, closing the file to look at him. “As opposed to pickpocketing drunks in a nightclub you’re not even old enough to be in?” I say as I recall where I found him.

Enzo shrugs.

“Safer than robbing a store,” he says.

“Or getting a job, I guess,” I counter.

Enzo looks away, his brow furrowed as he tries to find the right words to convince me of his decisions.

“My mother…has an expensive habit. I couldn’t get a job and leave her alone for that long. She’d get into trouble,” he says.

I fight the urge to roll my eyes. He’s just like his sister in that regard, sacrificing themselves for people who don’t give two shits about them—who literally use them as pawns to get ahead. And both of them have suffered dearly for it. It’s an unfortunate hazard of this world. If you aren’t on the top, you’re on the bottom. There is no in-between. And you get trampled while you’re down there unless you have someone willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that never happens, which is where I come in. Lucky for Enzo, I’ve taken a liking to his sister.

“You should forget about your mother. She never truly cared for you. If she did, you wouldn’t be here, and she wouldn’t be five million dollars richer,” I say. “This life isn’t some joke. It’s real and it’s deadly if your priorities aren’t straight. So you should decide fairly quickly how you would like to proceed with it. You can either be useful to me or join your father.”

I don’t miss the hurt on Enzo’s face from my words, but he regains his composure quickly, his eyes meeting mine.

“Why do you care what I do? From your perspective, it would be better if you killed me. Why keep me around?” he asks.

I remain silent as I study him. He has no idea his sister spoke the exact words to me only hours ago. It’s eerie how they share only half of their blood, yet they are so similar.

“Someone very influential in my life wants you alive. And that’s all you need to know for now,” I say.

I toss the folder filled with his school records into his lap.

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