Page 69 of Deadly Vows

“Do you remember when I told you we take family members for mistakes in this world?” I ask.

He slowly nods, and I toss a recent surveillance picture of Arianna in front of his mother’s apartment complex.

“You took her husband. She took your mother. An eye for an eye,” I say, watching his reaction. He glares at the picture, his expression a mixture of anguish and anger. And as a tear rolls down his cheek, I know I have him. I will still never understand how he and Elise can have so much love for people who used them and never once cared about their individual well-being.

“So what do you say? Are you ready to prove yourself a Pasquino?” I ask.

Enzo looks up at me, his body trembling as he speaks.

“Yes.”

Chapter Thirty-One

Elise

I was born into this life. And though my father kept me shielded from it, I always had an idea of what went down behind the scenes. I swore to myself that I would protect my brother. I would protect him in the way my father never did. But I have failed. Trying to protect him against someone as wicked as my husband is a task for only the devil himself. And as the days turn to weeks, and I rarely see either of them, I know it is only a matter of time before the Trovolis are completely wiped from the map, with Enzo at the helm.

I don’t know how I’ll be able to live with myself when that day comes, when my brother proves his loyalty to his natural-born enemy by killing his own family. Especially when I know the truth about his mother’s death, it is one of the many ways I have failed him.

I take a deep breath, shifting my attention to the flowers I’ve been replanting. Since Enzo has been dragged back into Luca’s business, there has been no one to tend the flowers in the back.So I took it upon myself a few days ago to tend to them myself. It gives me something to do while simultaneously giving me all the time in the world to think about my brother.

I hear the sound of the door to the back patio opening, and I sit up, wiping sweat from my brow, expecting to see Luca joining me. But it isn’t Luca.

It’s Enzo.

We stare at one another for what feels like hours, having so much to say but not knowing how to begin to break it to each other. This is the first time we’ve seen each other since his mother died, and Luca took him in. I’m sure Luca no longer cares whether or not we run into one another, especially now that we both know the truth. Luca knows I won’t reveal to Enzo what really happened. And Enzo has finally mustered up the courage to speak to the woman whose life he uprooted just by being born.

Enzo looks past me to the flowers, then back to me. I’m happy he didn’t inherit my father’s looks, as he looks at me with a desperate expression.

“Um, Mr. Pasquino told me the truth about everything. And that you’re my half-sister,” he says.

I force myself not to react to his use of the word “half.” It places a barrier between us. Enzo doesn’t see me as a confidant or a protector. And I’m sure if Luca’s words are correct, and Enzo isn’t as innocent as I thought, I can see why. He doesn’t need me to protect him. And the longer I study him, the more I don’t want to wrap my mind around that.

I quietly stand, approaching him. He’s taller than me, I note as I offer him a smile.

“And you’re my brother,” I manage.

His eyes are down as he stands before me. He can’t bring himself to look at me. I’m sure it’s because Luca told him about the grisly history between us.

“Our father—”

I place my fingers under his chin, lifting his head to look at me.

“Look at me when you speak,” I say gently.

Enzo pulls in a deep breath, trying again.

“Our father tried to kill you…because of me,” he says.

“Yes,” I say.

He releases a breath of disbelief.

“You don’t seem bothered by that at all,” he says.

I shrug.

“I’ve had time to process. And it is the life I was born into,” I say.

---