Page 46 of Curse

Aurelio settles back in his chair and looks up at the ceiling,muttering. “Why? Why am I cursed with a stupid son?”

Tommy stands quickly, moving in next to Vin as if to block him from lunging after Aurelio. Tommy is tall, lean, and cut with longer hair and clean shaven. But he’s got the signature Demonio hard jaw line and dark brown eyes, which are icy and coal black with muted fury.

I take a step closer to Vin as well, with the same intent: to make sure that he doesn’t attack Aurelio. I’m doing it to make sure I don’t miss any information I need about Siena. I don’t know what Tommy’s reasoning is, but he stands as though every muscle in his body is wound tight, ready to strike.

Aurelio continues, banging his fist on the desk and leveling a stare at Vin. “Why do you care about Franco? Franco is dealing with a nothing, a little mess with Mikey,niente di importante.”

Nothing important? What the fuck? Mikey was a made guy, one of our guys, and we need to make an example out of someone. It’s warpath time. Or it should be.

Arrogantly, Aurelio continues, stepping out from behind his desk. “Mikey was abastardo,bad luck. I should have known when he married a Bellamortetroiathat he was too stupid to work for me.”

Bastard. Slut.

I frown, realizing that if he doesn’t approve of a soldier like Mikey being with Emily Bellamorte, he’s going to hate it when me, one of hiscapos, starts fucking another Bellamorte. And it’s going to fucking happen.

Narrowing my eyes, I watch him closely for signs that he knows I’m… whatever I’m doing with Siena.

Vin clears his throat. “If the Bellamortes are bad luck, Papa, what are you doing with Franco? He’s a Bellamorte.”

Aurelio’s eyes flash with anger. “Bellamortes are swine, peasants, servants. I use the Bellamorte boy.” He composes himself and tilts his head at Vin, his voice smug. “And that,mio figlio, is why you do not need to worry about him. He will serve his purpose, and you will be back on top, doing Papa’s bidding again.”

Vin stares at Aurelio with hatred in his eyes, and Tommy speaks up, his deep voice even lower than usual. “What purpose is that, Papa?”

Aurelio leans back against the desk, gesturing with his hands almost like a shrug. He brings the cigar to his lips slowly, as if he’s savoring his power, savoring the moment.

“He will take what I want from histroiasister who YOU let steal from me.” He jabs his cigar in my direction. “By any means necessary.”

Aurelio’s eyes lock on mine, his voice dripping with disdain. “And when I have what I want, I will kill them both.”

My blood runs cold. He knows. And he’s using Franco to get to Siena. Fuck. But Franco’s chained up, out of reach, and has been since the day Aurelio sent me and Vin into the wind and out of New York.

It hits me with a jolt that Aurelio intended to keep us out of town until Franco had done the job of getting the flash drive, but since he’s locked away, it never happened so he never sent for us.

Fucker. Seething fury leaks out of my chest and into the rest of my body, ready to launch me across the room at Aurelio. Tommy catches my eye and gives me a small shake of the head, letting me know now isn’t the time.

He’s right, but FUCK.

Aurelio pauses, clearly enjoying having all of the power inthe room, the rest of us hating him but doing nothing to stop him.

Smiling languidly, the smoke from the cigar obscuring his scarred face, he says, “I will kill them both just like I killed Mikey and histroiawife.”

25

Matti

My mind blanks, and I freeze.

Aurelio ordered the hit on Mikey? That can’t be right.

The room falls into a tense silence as his blunt announcement hangs in the air. Aurelio seems to revel in our confusion, grinning wickedly as he takes slow, deliberate puffs of his cigar. The smoke curls lazily around him, an infuriating contrast to the storm brewing inside me.

Aurelio ordering the hit is a blow to both me and Vin.

For Vin, it’s an insult, a direct betrayal that one of his own men was taken out without his knowledge.

For me, it’s a trap. Aurelio sent me to confirm Mikey’s death, making me complicit. I didn’t plant the bomb or give the order, but no one will believe that—especially Siena.

The memory of Siena’s face when she arrived at the crash site flashes in my mind. Her voice in the shower at the Edge echoes in my ears:“Are you going to kill me like you killed my sister?”

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