Page 68 of Primo DeLuca

I, for the first time in my life, was tongue-tied and stood anchored in my shock while Nevah turned towards the front door and took shaky steps away. My lips parted, but words continued to escape me, lost in the energy of the three words she had just unleashed on me and my family.

After a confession like that, the men stood in place with their faces etched in deep, confusing frowns, not only for her endearing declaration, but for what sounded like a deadly confession that followed.

We had just spent hours before our business meeting trying to figure out how to kill our DeLuca rat, a rat that some of the men suspected was Nevah. Now, her confession had them mentally exhausted.

They remained silent, not knowing what to make of Nevah’s cryptic confession or how to react to her because of me. It sounded like she’d had to kill to defend me, which meant defending the family.

However, I read the questions mounting in the tight set of shoulders and in the squints of the looks being exchanged.

Did she kill someone?

Who had she killed?

Three men were assigned to watch Nevah, so I had a few questions of my own. How had someone found her? How had they gotten to her? Was it another of the hitmen? How had she ended up coming face to face with a situation that she believed she needed to reveal to us in this manner?

As if a moment of clarity hit her, Nevah turned back to the group. She aimed a finger at the door.

“I’m going to get the body.”

The men looked to me for answers when she disappeared from sight. I shrugged before lifting my hands. Every instinct within me wanted to go after her. However, I got the sense that she wanted to do this her way, so I was going to let her.

The door snapped open again, and she propped it open with the splintering doorstop that sat near it. She disappeared from sight once more and returned, dragging a large black suitcase. The weight of the body inside had her winded and pulling it with cautious back steps. She stopped and dropped the suitcase in front of our half circle.

We waited with our eyes locked on the suitcase before our gazes shot to Nevah. We hadn’t had this much intrigue occur among us in a long time. Brizio gave me an expression that posed the question, Who’s in the suitcase?

Nevah stooped and reached for the zipper while glancing up at all of us.

“I knew it would be a fight to the death the moment I found this person inside my room. I know that I should be sorry for taking a life, but I’m not sorry for taking a life to defend my own.”

I hadn’t experienced this much tension, not even when I was preparing to complete my first mission at eighteen for the Don.

Nevah unzipped the luggage, and although there was a crack that allowed a peek into it, we only saw a glimpse of dark denim material. She placed her hand on either side of the top cover, preparing to spring it open.

“This person. They are DeLuca.”

The collective gasps and sighs were released into the space like a toxic cloud had burst and set free its poison. Not a word was uttered. Not a muscle was moved, not even a twitch until all eyes landed on me—again.

My fucking inner voice was screaming in five different tones, representing the emotions I was experiencing. Guilt, anger, and regret were the major three. I had dragged Nevah into this situation.

Instead of being intimidated by what she must have known would land her in trouble with the family, she stared each man in the eye. The situation had stunned them into unmoving mannequins, a feat I wasn’t sure I could have accomplished with the group. Despite what they may have felt about the death of another DeLuca, intrigue rested heavily on their faces. They wanted to see that body.

When Nevah flipped the top of the luggage open, our heads tilted first, and our bodies followed, angling for a closer view. Eyes started squinting, and a few even took a step or two closer with their gazes laser-locked on the body that was bent like that of a contortionist.

Nevah stood tall, aiming a finger at the body. “She admitted that she was obsessed with Primo and would kill me to get to him. She was the one who hired those men to kill Primo. I know it sound crazy, but it’s true.”

She breathed through her anxiety before continuing.

“But tonight it was either her or me. I understand that in this family, killing a Deluca…”

She swallowed hard. The little tremble in her bottom lip expressed her sorrow. When her eyes landed on the big grin on my face, her brows pinched at my expression. She tore her gaze away from mine to scan the room. Her eyes roamed restlessly and gradually widened at the sight of all the smiles forming.

“You need to marry her to-fucking-day, Primo!” Brizio yelled out.

Words of agreement from the rest of the group followed his statement.

“I’m ordained. I can marry you two right now,” Romigi announced, confusing Nevah even further.

I approached her, hoping my expression beamed with the pride and gratefulness I felt for having such a fierce and beautiful woman in my life.

---