Page 21 of Rome for the Holidays
Out of nowhere, Enzo grabbed his mom, holding the gun to her head, and Lucia’s eyes went wide with shock and a little bit of fear.
Vincenzo brought the gun level, trying to read the situation, and keeping his breathing calm, “What are you doing Enzo?”
Enzo snarled, “You ruined everything. Both you and your father were supposed to die in that room. Now, I have to kill you to take what needed to be taken. Your father has gotten too soft. You know that, Vincenzo. You have seen that.”
Vincenzo kept his gun trained on what he could see of Enzo’s head, but he held Lucia in such a way that he didn’t have a good shot.
Lucia’s eyes were wide, “You wanted my husband and son killed? What are you thinking Enzo?”
Enzo shook his head, “You know what I’m thinking Lucia. You know how I have wanted you for all these years, but you rejected me for the sake of yourmarriage,” He sneered the word at her like it was disgusting, and then said, “Your husband could sleep around when you first got married, but you couldn’t. You needed to keep yourself ‘pure’ for your fucker of a husband. How many times did he come home smelling like another woman?”
Lucia’s chin went up, “He may have slept around with those women in the beginning, but he didn’t stray after Vincenzo was born. You know why I didn’t want you. You weren’t him.”
Enzo snorted, “I was better than him. I always have been. He never should have been in charge of this family. It should have been me with you at my side. I would have never strayed from your side Lucia. A true queen deserves a king that stays faithful.”
Lucia shook her head, “It was a long time ago. He has made amends and I never faulted him for it.”
“You should have. He didn’t deserve you. He never has.”
“That may be, it was out of my hands. My father sold me in marriage to Vincenzo, and I didn’t have the chance to leave then. He wouldn’t have let me leave, and I didn’t want to. Not after falling in love with him. I didn’t have the choice at first, but I chose him after.”
Enzo glared down at Lucia’s head, “You couldn’t love a man like that.”
“Believe what you will. I loved him. Youstolethat from me. Stole my love by trying to make a deal with men you had no business making deals with. You could never run this family. Never.”
Vincenzo watched as his mother slowly pulled a small dagger from the front of her dress, one he knew she kept close by for instances like this.
She hadn’t had to use it, but he knew she never let her guard down. She was the wife of their Don. She wasn’t stupid.
Vincenzo kept his eyes on Enzo, not wanting to give her away, and when she stabbed him in the thigh, Enzo yelled in pain and threw his arms out wide, dropping the gun away from Lucia’s head and Vincenzo shot him in the chest, over and over.
Enzo dropped like a stone, and Vincenzo stood over his body, shooting him once more between the eyes.
Lucia was breathing hard, her hand steady as she held the knife covered in blood.
Men started to rush into the room at the sound of gunfire and Elio rushed down the stairs, barely holding Elena back from rushing down them too.
Elio’s eyes were wide, “We heard the shots. Is everything okay?”
Lucia shook her head, “It’s not.”
Elio pulled Elena up short, keeping her behind him, trying to shield her body.
“What happened?”
“Your father was gunned down. Enzo made a deal with the Agosti’s apparently. He was going to take over and kill both your father and brother.”
Elio cursed, and Elena’s face lost all color.
“Father is dead?”
Lucia nodded, “I’m afraid so.”
Vincenzo looked around at the few men that he hoped were still loyal to his father, “I’m going to get the men ready for a fight. The Agosti’s just declared war.”
Lucia’s jaw tightened, “Be careful. I don’t wish for you to die either.”
Vincenzo didn’t answer, just walked away, the few men following him.
