Twisted Games of Revenge (Sinners of Ravens Hollow #3)

Chapter 34

As we walked up the grand staircase to the Moretti estate’s front hall, the polished marble gleams under the sparkling chandeliers. We are greeted with warm smiles from the staff. As soon as the front door is closed, a scattering of goosebumps rise over my skin.

I hate this place with a passion, it gives me the creeps. But at least my morning sickness has eased off a little, so I should be able to eat and play the part I’m expected to without having to rush to the bathroom. And even though I don’t have a wedding band on my finger, just knowing I have full backing from Alex makes me feel a little stronger.

It’s the strangest thing. I thought marrying him would make me feel weaker, but it’s the opposite. For tonight, the boys have agreed we should keep our news to ourselves. Alessandro is planning some big reveal that will piss off his parents, something with wide media coverage for next week. And I’m okay with it.

The staff direct us through to a great hall with a long dining table down the center and a stone bar off to one side stocked with all the boys’ top-shelf favorites. A sense of nostalgia washes over me even though I know I haven’t visited this room before on either of the other occasions I was here. The scent of fresh flowers hangs in the air, and I notice Valentina has given the place her usual attention to detail, with opulent floral table runners in whites and greens.

I can’t help but wonder if this was where they had family meals growing up. The place is so cold; lavish, yes, but it has no family warmth to it. No personal photos or charm. I couldn’t imagine a little boy who had just lost his mom having to sit at this grand mahogany table and eat his dinner. My child won’t know this life. I already know there is no way I will allow it.

The air vibrates with laughter as Valentina and Julia Palmer waltz into the room, the clinking of their martini glasses as they spot us.

I glance toward the boys, eyebrow raised. What the hell is she doing here?

“You’re all here.” Valentina rushes toward us, her face flushed with excitement, and probably too many drinks.

The boys all greet her, but it’s me where her attention lingers. She kisses my cheek and takes my hand. “I hope you’re feeling better, dear. Enzo mentioned you were ill.” With a piercing gaze, her shrewd eyes search my face.

I hold her gaze, raising a brow in question. “Much better, thank you.” I fake a smile, wanting to move on before she puts two and two together. I’m not ready for her and Enzo to know our happy news just yet.

“Oh good. You remember Julia. She and Walt are joining us for a meal tonight.” She grins at her friend, inviting her to join us.

And there it is. The real reason we have been invited to the estate tonight. The police commissioner is here with his wife. They are either showing me off or something more sinister is at play, but either way, I don’t like it. That man gives me the creeps, and I don’t want to be stuck in the same city as him, much less the same estate.

Alessandro hands me a drink. “Martini,” he says, but the look in his eyes indicates it’s a virgin and that’s why he got it for me before Valentina could.

“Thank you.” I smile at him, grateful he is already one step ahead.

“My whole wonderful family is here.” Enzo’s voice booms through the room as he enters with the commissioner by his side. The two of them approach us in a waft of expensive cologne and cigar smoke.

My stomach rolls. Maybe I’m not completely over the morning sickness. Or it could just be that the sight of those two disgusting humans together is too much for me.

Enzo kisses both my cheeks in greeting. “Have you met Vivian, my beautiful daughter-in-law to-be?”

The commissioner’s eyes roam down my body much like they did the first time we met. Creepy as fuck and in a way that makes me want to stab him in the eyeballs with my knife so he can’t do it again. “I’m delighted to say I have had the pleasure at your fabulous garden party. You have done quite well for yourself, Alessandro.”

He takes my hand, and I can’t help but cringe at the touch of his clammy fingers.

Alessandro’s arm comes around my waist, and he pulls me out of his grip and safely back toward him. “I have. I’m very lucky to have found such a wonderful woman.” The way he growls it with so much possession, I know he’s telling the commissioner to back the fuck off. And I get the distinct impression that these two have had a run-in already. There is no love between them like when Enzo talks of him.

Enzo hooks his arm with mine. “Vivian, I would like to show you around my home. The rest of you can stay and have a drink while we wait for dinner to be served.”

I cast a quick look toward Alessandro, knowing he doesn’t want me being left with alone with his papa. “I will join you,” he says.

Enzo’s hand clamps down on his shoulder. “Stay and keep an eye on your mother for me. She’s already had a few too many drinks.”

“Ricky, keep an eye on Ma,” Alessandro says, ignoring his papa in a way that makes me want to giggle, but I stifle it. Now is not the time.

“Sure thing, boss.” He smiles playfully, he and Maddox moving across to the bar where Valentina and Julia have made themselves comfortable.

Geovani lingers with us like he promised me he would, just a step behind. But unfortunately, so does the commissioner, chatting to Geovani about Maddox’s upcoming fight. I try to listen in, part of me having nearly forgotten it was even happening. Apparently, it’s only two weeks away. That would explain why he’s so buff at the moment. And sexy as hell.

We walk through to an indoor pool room. “Vivian, I’m told the boys have all moved from the mansion into your apartment. It must be awfully crowded there. Have you considered moving into their space with them? A nice big home for you to grow your family in—once you’re married, of course.”

“If we needed housing advice from you, old man, we would ask for it,” Alessandro snips, and I can see he’s not going to play nice tonight.

I offer a smile toward Enzo, trying to soften Alessandro’s words before things between him and his papa get out of hand. “Thank you for your concern, Enzo. I am very happy at my apartment, and the boys can stay or leave as they please. For now, our arrangement works for all of us.”

“Your arrangement with all the boys?” he asks, brow raised in question and a smirk twisting his lips. The last conversation we had, he implied Alex would share me, but we haven’t spoken since, and right now, the last thing I want is to discuss whatever my relationship is with him. But I know he’s watching me, and he just said himself that they have all moved in. Is he just waiting for me to paint him a picture?

“You raised them to be close. I’m sure you’re aware that where there is one Moretti brother, there will be all of them.” I try to laugh it off and keep it light, not really saying anything at the same time.

He stops abruptly, his beady eyes scrutinizing me in a way that makes me feel uncomfortable.

I blink back at him, not sure what the fuck is going on. “Is everything okay, Enzo?” The way he is looking at me, maybe the whispers are right. He is looking more deranged by the day.

He runs a hand through his thinning hair. “You just reminded me of someone.” He’s still staring at me. “The resemblance is uncanny.”

“Oh?” I laugh, trying not to look nervous. I don’t want to remind him of anyone.

Alex pats him on the back. “Stop looking at Viv like that, you’re freaking her out. Papa.” Something in the way Alessandro says Papa seems to make him snap out of his trance.

He looks away from me, shaking his head before proceeding up the stairs to the second floor. “Sorry, Vivian, took me back ten years,” he mutters over his shoulder.

I glance over my shoulder at Alessandro, worry creeping in. What the hell did he just see in me?

He pops open a door. “This was Alessandro’s room when he was growing up. That boy never had to want for anything. Your children will be the same.”

I glance inside. It’s painted a soft blue, and in the middle of the room stands a bed fit for a king, plush bedding draping over the sides. The far wall is a picture window, and at the back of the room a door is ajar with what looks like a tile wall beyond it. So, I can only assume he had his own ensuite as well. The room itself is quite stark and devoid of any real personal possessions except for a small framed image on his bedside table.

On the other side of the hall, Enzo opens another door.

“Maddox and Ricky shared this one. We had plenty of other rooms, but like you say, they are inseparable.”

I move over the hall to take a peek. It’s kind of fun getting a little insight into the boys. This room is in the same blue, but with two beds side by side.

Enzo’s eyes run down my body then he leans in a little closer. “Do they still share a bed? Or just their toys.” He blinks back at me, waiting for my response. What the hell does he want me to say?

I stumble backward, colliding with the commissioner who is uncomfortably close behind me, the sudden impact making my skin crawl.

Their chuckles are low and deep, shaking their shoulders slightly, probably at the sight of my bewildered face. I get the impression this is a fun game to them, toying with me.

“It’s okay, Vivian, no secrets are kept in this family. I taught my boys everything they know.”

I cringe at his words, not needing to hear them.

“I can only imagine what fun you all get up to. Four big strapping lads and little you.” The commissioner runs his finger down my arm way too lightly, and I see the delight in his eyes as he imagines it. Gross.

This time I can’t hide the disgust on my face, and I glance back, looking for the other two, wondering why they aren’t stopping him from being so repulsive. But they’re still in Alessandro’s old room. I push past the two of them and move back to Alessandro’s side. He seems frozen to the spot, staring at his bed.

I touch his back delicately. He looks over at me. “Everything okay?” I ask, not sure what is going on with him.

He takes my hand in his and forces a smile. “Let’s finish the tour,” he mutters, not sounding like himself at all.

I look at Geovani, and he gives a shrug.

The two old creeps continue the tour of Enzo’s stupid big house in front of us. I purposely keep my distance, not wanting to be stuck between them again. Alex is quiet, and I know something’s playing on his mind. I get it, none of us want to utter a word of what we really think in this place; it’s probably heavily bugged, and maybe that’s why we’re all here tonight. The big plan is to make us slip up.

“The master suite.” Enzo looks back to me as he says it, like he wants me to check out his bedroom. Fucking weird. He’s getting stranger by the second tonight. “We have just had the ensuite re-done. The sunken bath is glorious.”

Geovani moves inside the space first, and Alex and I follow. My breath hitches, a sharp intake of air filling my lungs, as the enormity of what Enzo was desperate to show me hits me right in the face. I try to hide my reaction, but my heart is racing, and I want to start throwing punches. There above his bed is another painting of my mother. But this time, Valentina and Enzo are also in the image.

Alessandro’s body stiffens as he guides me toward the new ensuite. He has seen it as well, and he knows I’m about to lose my shit. My hands ball into fists, and he takes my hand in his, trying to calm me.

“Wow, love what you did with the space, Papa,” Alex comments, sounding fake as all hell. But I know he’s trying to cover up for me because I’m raging too hard to pretend right now.

I have no words. Fucking nothing. All I can think is, how well did my mother know Enzo and Valentina if she is featured on their bedroom wall? And was this all some big fucking ploy to get me to come clean as to who I really am? Is he on to me? I turn to face him, doing my best to hide my shock. “This place is stunning. You will have to give me the number of who remodeled it for you, so we can use them when we update our place.”

“That can be arranged.” His smirk deepens.

We walk back into the bedroom, and I openly stare at the painting. If he wants me to see it for some reason, I will make sure he knows I did. “Who is the other woman with you and Valentina? She’s very beautiful,” I ask, my voice filled with curiosity and a light airiness that implies I really have no clue.

He moves toward the wall where the painting is hanging. “My first love, Lucia. She was like a goddess; that’s why Valentina used to paint her. She was her muse, totally obsessed with her auburn hair and her porcelain skin.”

His first love, that Valentina painted. Oh God no. My stomach rolls. She was just one of his little spies, she didn’t love him. She couldn’t have. My body goes all clammy, the room suddenly feeling like a sauna. But my smile toward him remains peachy. If this is a test, I will not fail and give myself away.

“I remember her dearly,” agrees the commissioner.

Enzo’s head drops, a pain washing over him I don’t believe. “Sadly, this life wasn’t for her. We both still miss her every day. Valentina never did quite get over her taking her own life. She blamed herself for years, but you can’t help them all. She had issues with her mental health, and even though we loved her dearly, it wasn’t enough. You know what that feels like, don’t you, Son.” His attention moves to Geovani, and I know what he’s implying; the same thing happened to his wife and his mother. But my ma didn’t kill herself. He fucking did it. “It’s why Valentina started helping other young women much like yourself, Vivian, to make sure we can save them.”

Geovani’s clenched jaw, and the rapid, almost imperceptible twitch in his eye gives away his suppressed anger. The last thing he wants to discuss is Bianca or his poor mother. He doesn't respond, his cold eyes fixed ahead as he pushes past, leaving a heavy silence in his wake. I want to go after him and make sure he’s okay, but right now, we all need me to keep up my act more.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Enzo,” I offer, leaving his room with Alessandro.

Alex drops his head closer, his lips brushing my ear lobe. “I’m so sorry, princess, I didn’t know,” he says in a low voice.

I squeeze his hand a little tighter, trying my best to keep my shit together. It’s not really new information. Marco and I had assumed he might have been having some sort of affair with my mother in the years she worked for him. But to have an image of the three of them together was way more confronting than I was prepared for. Also, what the fuck that Valentina was the one painting my mother. It does explain why they had that other painting of her they were bidding on at the auction to try and get to Harley. But not why I had seen it before.

When we re-enter the great hall, the delicious aroma of baked food travels through the air, and I notice the staff are bringing plates of cloche-covered food to the grand table. I spot Julia twirling a strand of her hair as she stands way too close to Ricky, and Maddox is holding up Valentina. She looks trashed, even more than she normally does at her events.

“Our meal is ready,” Enzo announces to the others.

Maddox helps a sloppy Valentina to the table. Enzo takes the seat at the head of the table. Maddox is beside him, then Alessandro and me and Geovani. Opposite us is Ricky, Julia, then Walt. Valentina takes the other end of the table with a wobble into her chair as she sits. She really is messy tonight. Maybe all the stress Enzo is under is getting to her as well.

Enzo taps his knife to his glass, a wide grin crossing his face. “A toast to family,” he announces.

“To the Morettis,” the police commissioner adds, sucking up to Enzo’s ass. The two of them together are sickening.

I just want to eat then get the fuck out of this place.