Page 86 of Sinful Bargains

I stepped inside, Marco following, and stood there for a moment, unsure how to begin. “We need to talk to you,” Marco said. He sat down on a chair across from Antonio.

I slowly made my way to the bed, sitting next to Antonio. The truth was a weight I couldn’t avoid anymore, but I was terrified of how he’d react.

“Joey,” I started, my voice faltering. I paused, not knowing how to go on. “Joey was almost killed tonight.”

His face twisted in confusion, and I could see the tension ripple through him. “What are you talking about?” He leaned forward, brow furrowed in disbelief. “He’s alive?”

I nodded, trying to steady my voice as I reached out to gently caress his back. “Yeah, he’s going to be okay.”

Marco spoke up. “Don’t worry, Antonio,” he said. “Whoever did this won’t get away with it. They can’t hide when the entire state is looking for them.”

But Antonio didn’t seem to hear Marco. He stood up abruptly, his eyes wide with a mix of panic and disbelief. His breath quickened, and without a word, he rushed to the bathroom just a few feet away. The sound of him retching echoed in the silence that followed.

I stared at the door, my chest tightening. This was a nightmare. How had it come to this? I thought we had escaped it all, but somehow, the violence had followed us.

I could hear Antonio’s harsh breathing, and the sound of him gagging was enough to make my stomach churn. I closed my eyes, wishing I could take all of this away from him. But I knew I couldn’t. The reality of it—of what had happened and what was still to come—was crashing down on all of us.

I glanced at Marco, who looked just as helpless as I felt. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

ANTONIO

Icouldn’t leave my bedroom. I wouldn’t leave until I figured out how to undo everything I’d done. Because now, the entire state of New York was hunting for the shooter—and it was me. The kid in the room next door.

Enzo and Michael hesitated at the door before slowly stepping inside. I couldn’t even look at them. I felt numb, like I was trapped in some twisted dream. Only it wasn’t a dream. It was real, a reality I’d created in a fit of rage.

“Hey,” Enzo said, walking over to the chair across from me and sitting down. Michael took a seat on the bed next to me.

“You okay?” Michael asked softly.

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. But I couldn’t keep this secret anymore. My voice was barely a whisper when I spoke. “I shot him.” Both of them froze, their eyes wide with disbelief. I could barely believe it myself.

“Are you on something?” Michael asked, looking concerned.

“I’m serious,” I said, finally meeting his gaze. “I shot him.”

“Why thehellwould you do that?” Enzo growled.

“I saw him kill my father,” I said. “I thought it was the only way to end this…all of it. He’s turned my mother into someoneelse. I know she had a hand in having him take my father out. I trusted Joey. I’ve been spying on him for weeks and haven’t seen anything worth reporting. But because of that, Vincent threatened to killme. I followed him that night, and I saweverything.” The two of them exchanged looks, both at a loss for words.

“You should have told us,” Michael said.

“Who helped you?” Enzo asked.

“Why is that your first question?” Michael shot back, glaring at Enzo.

“It’s a valid question,” Enzo replied, his gaze steady on Michael.

“Giovanni,” I admitted. “He has a vendetta against Joey over what happened with Renee. But the thing is, Renee was set up to date Joey so Vincent could catch him doing something he shouldn’t, and take him out.”

“That’s fucked up,” Michael muttered under his breath.

“I can’t believe you had Giovanni help you,” Enzo remarked in disbelief.

“What is wrong with you?” Michael snapped, turning to Enzo.

“I’m his best friend!” Enzo shot back. “He should have come to me.”

“No!” Michael practically yelled. “He should have gone to someone withrealpower! This could’ve been over long ago—without all this bloodshed.”

---