Page 9 of Deadly Vows

“Hello.” His voice is gravelly and trembling.

Luca steps past him, coming to stand over me. He gently grabs a fistful of my hair, pulling me in for a kiss. He holds me tight, letting me know without speaking not to pull away. And I don’t. I kiss him back until he releases me. His gray eyes study me intensely before he turns back to James, his grip on my hair remaining.

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Pride laces his voice.

“Yes,” he grounds out.

Luca chuckles, leading me to a chair as he speaks.

“Not only is she beautiful, but she is talented as well. Extremely talented. She’s been in many recitals, all featuring her talent. She plays the violin very beautifully. Unlike anything I’ve ever heard,” he says.

Luca makes me sit as he speaks, his eyes twinkling in excitement. He gently tucks my hair behind my ear before turning to face James.

“Do you know what discipline it takes to learn such a difficult instrument? And to make it come out so beautifully yet effortlessly?” he asks. “It takes discipline that you don’t have.”

Luca pulls out a gun, aiming it at James. Out of instinct, a squeak leaves my throat, forcing all eyes to turn on me, including my husband. I immediately shrink away from Luca’s gaze, biting the inside of my cheek as I remember what he said to me the last time I interfered. Luckily, he turns back to his victim.

“Would you like to hear her play?” he asks.

Silence fills the room. No one knows where Luca is going with this. He laughs, though, bringing us all back to the present.

“Oh, James, I think you’ll want to say yes to this,” Luca says.

James can barely lift his head at this point, but he nods, appeasing Luca enough for him to continue.

“Perfect. Elise is going to play a melody for us. And you’re going to guess what the song is. You get three tries. Only three, like the number of times you were caught leaking information.” Luca cocks the gun, looking my way.

“Go ahead, Elise. Did you not say you wanted to be part of the business?” Luca has a sadistic grin on his lips as he studies me. This is his way of threatening me. I crossed the line this morning without being fully aware of it. There is no place for me in his business.

My fingers are trembling as I bring my violin up to play. He is going to kill this man in front of me. There’s no way this man could guess any of the tunes I could play. As a matter of fact, I don’t think even Luca himself could. And that’s the point. He wants to torture this man in the final seconds of his life. It’s something that Luca is looking forward to, but I don’t have the stomach for it. So I do something incredibly stupid.

I begin to play “Mary Had a Little Lamb”.

Luca’s face shifts as a myriad of emotions play over his expression: shock, amusement, and rage.

A shot rings out, and I scream, lowering my instrument. But it is James who hunches over in pain. Luca isn’t done with him, though. He shoots him again, this time in the arm, before putting his weapon away, his eyes focused on me.

“Wait, wait-Ah!” Luca crosses the room in three quick strides, snatching me up from my chair, and drags me out of the room. I whimper as he pulls me through our home until we reach the bedroom. He slams the door seconds before turning on me, slapping me across the face. I cry out, stumbling from the force of his blow. He snatches me by the hair before I can find my footing, holding me firmly around my throat as he pushes me into the wall. My vision is blurry as tears pour down my cheeks, but Luca is blinded by his own rage. He easily swats away my hands as I claw at his grip around my throat.

Luca abruptly releases me, letting me collapse onto the floor. He watches me silently as I gasp for air, clutching at my throat to ease the pain of his grip.

“You knew going into this marriage who I was. You know I will one day head the Pasquino family.” He roughly grips my face between his palm, pulling me in close as he speaks. “When I give orders, I expect them to be followed. If you ever attempt to outwit me again, I swear to you, Elise, you will not like the consequences.”

I’m trembling in his grip as I try to compose myself. Luca is not a man to be messed with. And I provoked him over the life of someone who obviously wronged him.

“I’m sorry,” I whimper.

Luca’s expression doesn’t change, but he releases me, standing.

“I have to admit. No one has ever thought to cross me in the way you did.” He scoffs, eyeing me with intrigue. “I was shocked when I heard that silly song coming from you.”

I flinch as he kneels, placing his finger under my chin. He uses his other hand to reach under the hem of the dress I wore today, his fingers brushing against my panties. My eyes widen as terror grips me.

“I guess you’re more than just a pretty face,” he says.

Luca watches me, taking in my reaction with glee. He grips a fistful of my hair, bending my head at an uncomfortable angle. His lips close over my throat to place gentle kisses along the sensitive flesh. I loved it when he would do this during sex, but now it only fills me with terror, the malice behind it unmistakable.

“I don’t think you’re quite ready for the family business. Maybe you should worry about your playing from now on.”

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