Chapter 22
Chapter twenty-two
Eli
“You lied to me,” Vin states as I enter his office, his tone carrying a heavy undercurrent of fury.
“To us.” He gestures toward his brothers, who look at me like wolves eyeing their prey.
“I asked you if anything happened between you and Madeleine, and you told me, and I quote, ‘No, nothing happened between us.’” He steeples his fingers before him. “Were those not your exact words?”
I let out a heavy sigh and take another step into the room, bracing myself for what’s coming. “Let me explain—”
In one swift moment, Vin snaps his fingers, and Mauro has me pinned to the wall in a bone-crushing grip, his fingers digging into my throat.
If these men were anyone else, I would give them hell and fight back.
But I know I deserve this.
Because they’re my brothers.
And I let them down.
So, I don’t struggle beneath Mauro’s hold.
I simply comply.
“So, it is true.” The disappointment in Leo’s voice slices through my chest. As my best friend, he’s probably taking this the hardest, especially since he welcomed me into his family all those years ago. But now, he just looks ready to cause bloodshed. “You’re fucking our sister?”
I quickly shake my head, and Mauro loosens his grip.
“So, you aren’t fucking?” Alex questions, arching a brow as he leans forward in his seat, his jacket parting to reveal the gun tucked inside.
My eyes jump between each of them. “I promise it’s not what you think.”
“Enlighten us then.” Vin leans back in his seat, appearing calm when I know he’s far from it. In the face of danger, Madeleine has always been his top priority. And I expect no man will ever be good enough for her in his eyes—even me.
“Madeleine and I…” What should I say? Do I tell them everything? Do I start from the beginning? No. What’s happened between us over the years isn’t any of their goddamn business, but they at least deserve to know the truth behind our actions.
“You what?” Leo roars, losing all his patience.
Fuck it. “I love her!”
If someone dropped a bullet in this room right now, the sound would echo throughout the space tenfold.
Mauro’s hands fall away from my neck as he takes a step back, his eyes fixed on my face.
After years spent learning how to interpret an enemy’s tell, whether through facial changes, body language, eye contact, tone of voice, and so on, I consider myself an expert at reading faces.
But at this very moment, I start questioning everything I thought I knew, as the four of them appear more stone-faced than an actual rock.
And I’m not sure whether I should chance it and bolt from the room or stand here and await my punishment.
Clearing my throat, I say, “I know this probably comes as a shock to—”
“Pay up, brothers.” My eyes dart to Vin, who holds his hand out with the palm facing up, his fingers gesturing for something.
Leo mirrors his actions. “That’s five hundred for each of us.”
Mauro lets out a deep grunt as he pulls out his wallet from his back pocket, counting out a stack of bills.
“Sorry, big guy.” Vin displays a mock frown as Mauro places the money in his hand. “I know you hate to lose.”
Alex sighs, slapping money onto Vin’s hand and then Leo’s. “I really hate when you two are right. It makes me question my intelligence.”
I blink a few times, processing their reaction. Or, I guess I should say, lack of a reaction. “Wait a damn minute.” The four of them look at me, cracking a hint of a smile on their smug faces. I rest my hands on my hips. “You knew? And you…you bet on this?”
Leo grips my shoulder. “We’ve known all along. We were just waiting for you to admit it to us.” He laughs, adding, “Are you questioning our intellect?” He nods toward Alex and continues, “This one caught you sneaking onto our property on our surveillance system at least ten times over the years.”
Alex adjusts his glasses. “Guess we never said anything because there’s no one more worthy of our sister than you.”
I face Vin. “You threatened my life when we arrived at the Vasiliev tower.” I arch a brow, waiting for his response.
“Merely testing you.” He gives a slight shrug. “It was fun watching you squirm.”
“I didn’t squirm,” I murmur, rolling my eyes.
Leo gives me an Oh, yes, you did face.
“Fine!” I raise my hands to the ceiling, exasperated.
“I squirmed. But can you blame me? I was fucking outnumbered in a confined space with nowhere to go.” I rest my hands on my hips, glaring at each of them.
“If I had known you wankers were betting on my love life, then I never would have admitted to this.”
Vin laughs, shaking his head. “Sooner or later, everything reveals itself. It always does.” His smile falls as he rubs his hand over his jaw.
“The moment I told her you were missing in action, I witnessed my sister on the verge of breaking. I witnessed…her heart splitting down the middle, and that is not a sight I ever want to see again. It was the only confirmation I needed to know what was going on between you two.” He clears his throat, slightly shaking his head as he pulls his gun out of his holster and uses a piece of cloth to polish the sides.
“But back to the bigger problem at hand. It’s time to put an end to this wedding tonight.
” He glances over his shoulder. “Madeleine has until”—he points his finger at the old gold clock—“midnight to make this decision for herself, but not a minute longer.”
“Understood.” I squeeze the back of my neck. “And if she doesn’t?”
“Then we handle the issue ourselves,” he replies coolly.
“No more games.” He places his gun on the desk in front of him and sits up straight, gliding the palm of his hand across his jawline.
“After midnight, bring Madeleine to me. It’s my fault for allowing this to go on for so long.
I need to speak to her alone.” He sighs.
“Sometimes I forget how similar we are, which is why it finally occurred to me that she’s doing all of this to protect someone else, not herself.
It was never about her.” He offers a sad smile.
“Madeleine has a heart of gold. Unfortunately, the world tends to judge her harshly because she’s a strong woman, but we all know who she truly is.
I’m just disappointed in myself for not realizing it sooner. ”
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I retrieve it to see Alastor’s name on the screen. I sigh. “This should be good.” Placing the call on speaker, I say, “What the hell do you want?”
“If I find out you had anything to do with Tony’s death, I’m going to kill you.”
Ha! I’d like to see him try.
“Tony?” I hum. “The name isn’t ringing a bell.”
“You know exactly who the fuck he is! He was my right-hand man for ten years!”
“Ah, that Tony. I heard it was a suicide.” I tsk. “What a shame. My condolences, of course.”
“You think you can get away with it? First, you steal my car and don’t even try to fucking deny it, and now this?” he seethes, his fury practically palpable through the phone. “You have no idea what game you’re playing here!”
Vin motions for me to move the phone closer to him, and I do. “Then why don’t you explain it to us better so we know the rules,” Vin states, his deep voice laced with power.
“Who the hell is this?”
“Vincenzo Alarie.” Vin cracks his neck, his eyes darkening as he rubs his temple.
“To be quite blunt, Alastor, I don’t like you.
Not even a little bit. And I don’t like your parents.
And I especially don’t like your fucking cousins.
In fact, I’ve had enough of all of you. You’re all giving me a colossal motherfucking headache.
So, I advise you to tread very carefully.
Because when I find out what game you’re playing with my sister, I will be sure that you lose and she wins. Because Alaries always win.”
He motions for me to end the call, which I do before giving Alastor a chance to counter.
Vin sighs as he pours himself a glass of whiskey and takes a long sip before saying, “I can’t wait for that prick to die.”
A few minutes later, as I walk out Vin’s front door, I’m surprised to find Reginald waiting outside.
“Hey, Reg, you drive for Vin, too?” I ask, heading toward my car.
He shakes his head, his brows furrowing as he peers up at me. “No. I actually came here to see you.” His words stop me in my tracks as he steps closer, rubbing his salt-and-pepper scruff. “With Miss Alarie’s wedding occurring in only a matter of days, I needed to talk to you.”
I cross my arms over my chest and raise a brow. “I’m listening.”
He removes his hat and drags a hand over his face.
I notice dark circles under his eyes, and his expression looks downcast. “I’ve been torn about whether to say something or not since it’s not my place, and I shouldn’t interfere, but…
” He lets out a heavy breath. “Madeleine has always been like a daughter to me.” The corners of his lips slightly tug up.
“She’s good to me and my family. When she found out my wife was sick last year, she stopped everything she was doing to ensure my wife was seen by the best doctors in the world, receiving the best treatments available.
Without her, I don’t know if my wife would even be here right now.
” He swallows, his eyes glistening. “She’s always looked out for me, which is why I’ve come to you.
I can’t let this wedding happen.” He stares off to the side.
“She asked me not to tell anyone, and I’ve always respected her wishes, but I can’t hold my tongue anymore.
Not when it’s in regards to her safety.”
“Hold your tongue about what?”
“Almost a year ago, on New Year’s Day, she needed a ride into the city. Said it was urgent. I didn’t think anything of it until she told me where she needed to go.”
“Where?” I ask, already knowing damn well where.
“Manacorda Enterprises,” he answers solemnly.
“When we got there, she was a woman on a mission. Her head held high, her confidence soaring. But an hour later, when she left…” He shakes his head.
“I had never seen her so downcast before. She looked like…well, to be frank, she looked like a woman who—”
“Just signed her life away,” I finish for him, unease sweeping over me.
“Well, yes.” He nods, deep in thought. “Before that day, she had never had any meetups with Alastor. And I would know, seeing that I’m her driver and all.”
I nod, dragging my fingers through my hair. “Thank you for—”
“There’s more.”
I wait for him to continue.
He squeezes the back of his neck, seeming distressed. “On the way home, something happened.”
“What?”
“She was in pain. A lot of pain. She asked me to drive her to the nearest hospital, and I did without question.”
“Why didn’t she call for the family doctor?”
“She didn’t want anyone knowing,” he answers. “She was released the next day, and she asked me to promise not to say anything to her brothers or mother. I promised her I wouldn’t, but…I’m worried for her. I just can’t shake the feeling that it’s all connected.”
My stomach twists into thousands of knots.
This isn’t fucking good.
“Do you know what she was there for?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “I never asked. And she never said.”
I nod. “Is that everything?” I ask, praying there’s nothing else that will send me over the edge.
“Yes.” He clasps his hands behind his back. “That’s everything.”
“Thank you, Reginald.” I grasp his shoulder. “We won’t let this wedding happen.”
He lets out a deep breath. “That’s a relief. Truly. I’m on my way over there now. She would like to head to the casino.”
Interesting. Only a couple of days before her wedding, and she wants to work?
“I’ll meet you there.” I step away, my mind surging into overdrive as I try to connect all the bloody pieces. “Everything ends tonight. You have my word.” Reginald appears relieved as I turn and head for my car.
As I accelerate down the driveway, relief coasts over me, knowing that we’re finally going to put an end to all of this tonight.
Once and for all.