Crimson Vows (Rings Of Ruin Duet #1)

Chapter One

Vida

L isa looks like an angel in her white dress, her blonde hair packed in a neat ponytail and her bold earrings dangling from her ears. Adam would have teased her even though he knew deep down that his little sister was something picked from God’s garden. No matter how much I try to ignore Lisa’s eyes, I can’t. They are swollen and bloodshot red; she has been crying for days, and sleeping at her house didn’t help either. How was I supposed to comfort Lisa when I would begin crying first? I just want to hold, hug, and be there for her. Someone so beautiful and innocent shouldn’t feel this pain. She doesn’t deserve it; no one does, especially Adam.

“Miss Vida? Miss Vida?” Prosecutor Rachel Johnson calls, getting my attention.

Courtroom 12 is packed, and the air is thick with tension. I sit in the witness box, knowing every color that once danced on my face has long faded. I feel pale and in pain, and I try to fight to stay put, but as I watch the crowd stare at me with their pitiful eyes, I don’t know how long I can keep myself here.

My eyes stay glued to Lisa and her parents; I’m doing this for them. They deserve justice, and if me doing this is the only option for that to happen, I would gladly lay down my life for them to get it. I owed them that much; I owed Adam that much.

“Miss Vida,” Prosecutor Rachel calls again, her voice gentle as she approaches me.

Rachel is a good prosecutor; only a few of them are in this little town. She has a contagious laugh and a daring personality, I guess that’s why she is a close friend. She can see me struggling to stay present, and she understands my pain. After all, Adam was her favorite cousin.

“Yes, sorry. I’m here,” I reply after drawing some strength from Lisa’s sad smile.

“Vida, can you describe what happened on the night of Adam’s murder?” Rachel asks.

“We were walking home from dinner. Adam received a call, and he went to investigate. I waited in the car . . .” I stop, memories of that night flashing through my mind.

Why had I insisted we go for dinner straight after work? Why didn’t I just let him go home and change? Why had God let it happen?

Rachel nods. “And then?”

“I wasn’t sure what it was about, so I called for help through his radio and followed him,” I say, taking a deep breath as I start to feel the weight of his eyes on me.

My eyes flash to Raphael, who sits stone-faced in the defendant’s chair. I will not cry in front of him. He doesn’t deserve to see my tears; doesn’t deserve to even breathe.

“I saw him . . . Raphael . . . he had a gun . . . he was threatening Adam, telling him to leave and say nothing about what he saw, then he saw me.” I stop again, swallowing the lump in my throat.

“Do you need some time?” Rachel asks in a worried tone, her eyes showing me her concern and understanding.

“No! I’m fine,” I say, clearing my throat as I sit up straight. “He pointed the gun at me and Adam tried to protect me . . .”

That moment flashes through my mind again and I do all I can to fight back tears. I can’t bring myself to look at the Brown’s. I don’t have it in me to look at them while I say these things. It was all my fault; I should’ve stayed in the car, just like Adam had told me to do. If I had, maybe their son would still be alive.

Rachel hands me a tissue. “Take your time, Vida.”

Rachel is human and in pain, too. She doesn’t care if she is on the job, her friend needs some support, and she’ll give it to her however she can. That is the type of person Rachel is.

I compose myself as I turn to Raphael, my eyes blazing with anger at him. I didn’t know what hate was until I met him after the shooting. All my life, I was taught that the only person to hate was the devil, but seeing Raphael smile at me now makes me realize something: he is the devil.

“He shot Adam . . . twice . . . I screamed, and that was when he tried to run.”

“And what happened next, Vida?” Rachel asks, her voice firm.

“My dad’s a cop, so I know a few things about guns. I took Adam’s gun and shot him. That was when help came.” My gaze drops to my hands, like I can picture the gun in my hands again. “I held Adam. He died in my arms. I tried to save him, I did, but I couldn’t.”

A picture of Adam smiling at me flashes through my thoughts. He had a perfect smile. While Lisa had the sweetest voice, Adam’s smile could improve your whole day. And he smiled at me, even when I didn’t deserve it.

Silence falls over the courtroom as my words hang in the air. Raphael’s expression remains unreadable, but his eyes flick to me with a hint of malice.

After a few more questions from Rachel, I return to my seat next to the Brown’s. I don’t know how they can still treat me like a daughter. I want them to blame and hate me, but they don’t. They’ve asked me to stay by their side because it is what Adam would’ve wanted. How can they know what he would’ve wanted, though? He’s dead, and it was all my fault!

Court continues, but I zone out more times than I can count, numbness and guilt trying to consume me slowly like it has since Adam’s death. The last thing I hear is the courtroom’s cheers. Raphael is found guilty! I watch as they take him away in handcuffs, but his eyes stay glued to mine, and I return his stare. I will not cower in front of the devil. He is getting what he deserves.

Justice is supposed to feel good, so why am I still crying? Why do I still hurt? Why can I still feel my heart breaking into smaller pieces?

“We’ll get through this, I promise,” Lisa assures me, wrapping her arms around me.

Will they though? Can we ever get through this? Adam is gone, and he is never coming back! How can we ever get through that?

“It’s over, Mija . Justice has been served,” Dad says, rushing to embrace me tightly.

Justice? Raphael is still alive when he has taken a life. Is that what justice is?

As we leave the courtroom, Dad and Luca, his work partner, shield us from the chaos. Perks of being cops, I guess. The fleet of reporters who came to get an earful fill the hallway. The notorious mob leader was taken down by a young church girl, which is an interesting topic for tomorrow’s news.

When we are finally at the elevator, I take Lisa and Isabella’s hands as we step in.

I let out my breath as we settle inside, but my relief is short-lived as the elevator door stops its closure by a hand grabbing the door. As the owner of said hand comes into view, I recognize him instantly. It’s Donato, Raphael’s cousin. He stares at me with his eyes blazing with fury.

“You think you’ve won, Vida?” Donato sneers. “You think you’re safe? I will make sure you pay for what you’ve done.”

My heart races as Donato’s words hang in the air. Dad steps forward, his eyes flashing with anger.

“Get out of her face!” Dad orders, but Donato pays no attention to him. His eyes stay glued to me like he’s plotting something as the seconds tick by. The tension in the air grows thicker with each beat of my heart. “You threaten my daughter, you threaten me. Leave us alone, Donato. Your cousin deserved what he got.”

Donato sneers. “You can’t protect her forever, Victor. She’s a witness, a liability. We’ll get to her, no matter what it takes. Nowhere is safe for her, and I know you know that.”

I turn to Dad, realization hitting me as I remember our conversation from the night before. He had begged me not to testify. He’d said I’d be putting my life and the family in danger, but I thought he was only saying that as a way for me to find closure rather than revenge. Now I know better, now I know what I’ve done.

“What was your plan, huh? Witness protection program? She’s as dead as that white fool who thought he could take on my cousin.”

How dare he talk about Adam that way?

“Donato! That’s enough,” Luca shouts, startling us.

Luca has been Dad’s partner for as long as I can remember. He’s like a second dad and the coolest guy in his late 40s that I’ve ever met.

“Your family can protect you, but not her,” Donato says, smiling coyly at him.

What does he mean? What family?

“What?” Dad asks, looking between the two.

“He doesn’t know,” Donato laughs.

“You let his fucking daughter take the stand, yet you keep secrets. You have changed Luca. Don’t they say a Ballera never lies?”

“What?” Dad shouts, making me jump.

“We need to go, Victor,” Luca says, paying no attention to anyone as he pushes Donato back and lets the elevator door close.

“You will never be safe. You will wish you were dead before I get to you. I will make it hurt.”

My world goes cold as Donato’s words hit my ears. What have I done?

The room is silent, just like the drive home. Isabella and I had planned to go to the Browns’ house, but Dad’s unspoken words made us change our minds. Lisa had decided to join us because she didn’t want to be alone and we understood that. It had been a long day and her parents needed some rest, too.

It feels good being away from all the reporters and chaos at the court, but something lingers in the air; something Donato said that now makes Dad and Luca act like strangers.

“This is the point where you say something!” Dad spits out, looking at Luca with a mix of concern, confusion, and betrayal. He was giving Luca time to explain, just like he always did when they had a fall out, but the longer Luca stayed silent, the angrier Dad seems to get.

I can tell by his silence, and the way I can practically see the wheels turning in his head, that he is trying to get his story straight. It’s like he’s debating on what to tell Dad, if he should tell him everything or not. By the way he looks up at Dad, with a mixture of fear and guilt in his eyes, it’s like he knew this day would come and he is afraid of how everything will change once Dad knows what he’s been hiding.

“Victor, let’s not do this right now?” he says, looking nervously around at the rest of us like he is trying to save the whole family from the truth.

“Come on guys, let’s give your dad and Luca some time,” Mom says, sensing how heated things may get between Dad and the man we see as another father figure.

For a woman as sweet and graceful as Ana Thorne, her calming presence was usually enough to keep things light in our house and keep things from ever escalating to more than just a bit of bickering back and forth, but as I look between the two men, I can tell that Dad is already too worked up to listen.

Mom is as graceful as they came. Sometimes, she casually refers to Luca as I and Izzy’s dad and no one found it weird or disrespectful because it’s her, Ana Thorne. The sweetest and kindest woman in all of Appleton.

“No, they stay,” Dad barks, stopping everyone from moving.

“We really don’t want to,” Isabella whispers into my ear. We’ve never liked to see Dad angry, so if he was about to blow up on Luca, none of us want to be around to see it.

“I agree,” Lisa adds, only making me shush them immediately.

I can see Dad’s anger boiling over. The silence is clearly killing him, and he hates the fact Luca is still trying to avoid whatever it is he’s been hiding.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Luca! Why did Donato assume you’re a Ballera?” he asks, his hands balled tight at his side.

The room falls silent, all eyes fixed on Luca. He needs to say something before Dad throws a punch at him. It is their love language to make up. A stupid punch is their usual wake up call. Dad and Luca are the perfect example of ‘boys will be boys’.

We all watch as Luca stands up, his eyes darting around the room, as if searching for an escape route.

“Victor, please. I need you to understand that . . .” Luca begins, his voice soft and pleading.

Dad cuts him off, his anger echoing through the room. I look to Mom and can tell by the way she looks between the two of them and us that she doesn’t want us listening to this, but there is also this look on her face that makes it clear she also needs to hear Luca say it was all a mistake and that Donato was only playing tricks on them.

“You sound like it’s true,” Dad says, shock clear in his voice.

“Please, understand. I was . . .”

“Understand what? That my best friend and partner is a criminal? That you’ve been lying to me all these years? Jesus Luca, you’re a goddamn cop!” he roars, his face turning red in anger.

“How could you? How could you keep this from me, from all of us?” he asks, pointing to us all as we stand here staring at Luca in disbelief.

I, on the other hand, have no idea how to feel. I understand that this is a big deal, but I haven’t heard much about the Ballera’s so I don’t quite get why Luca being one makes him a criminal.

Luca’s eyes flash in pain, and he takes a step back, as if Dad’s words were a physical punch to the gut. I knew Luca like I knew Dad and I liked to believe that just maybe, a part of him had planned to tell him. I guess maybe he was scared that Dad wouldn’t understand?

“Victor, listen to me. That’s a life I left behind me,” Luca tries to explain.

“So it is true? You’re a Ballera?” Mom asks in her gentle, but sad tone.

I knew for a fact that Luca could kill for her, he would do anything she wanted if she just said the word. He loved her too much to ever hurt her. He’s always saying that she was the sister he didn’t have and I can see just how much it breaks his heart to watch her look at him with tears in her eyes.

“Who are these Ballera people?” I finally ask Izzy in a whisper.

“The most notorious Italian mafia ever,” she replies.

“Adam talked about them with Daddy a few times,” Lisa adds. “They run all the illegal businesses you can think of. No one has ever seen a true Ballera.”

“Until now,” I whisper, my eyes turning back to the drama unfolding in our living room.

“Ana,” Luca calls, walking towards her.

His face goes cold as he watches Mom take a step back, almost like she is afraid of him. A part of me is mad, what was he thinking? That he could run from his blood? From his history? But I’m not one to judge, I’m the reason my boyfriend is dead.

“My father was right, a Ballera will always be a Ballera,” Luca mutters under his breath.

“You’re damn right! You betrayed us. Why didn’t you say something?” Dad asks as calmly as he can. I can feel his sadness and pain as he shakes his bent head.

“I didn’t want that life, Victor. Look at me, do you think I could survive being a Ballera? I left. I left and I never turned back,” Luca explains.

“So why lie?”

“You know the answer to that, Victor. I couldn’t say anything. If I was giving up that life, I had to make sure I did it the right way. I didn’t want to keep it from you this long, I swear,” he says, his words holding so much sincerity.

The room falls silent as we all hold our next words in our throats. Dad looks torn, he hates being lied to or kept in the dark, but some part of him has always understood Luca. The mafia was no joke, he knew that first hand, and if he were in Luca’s shoes, I don’t think he would have done anything differently.

“No more lies?” Mom finally says, breaking the silence.

“I swear it. You have my Balleran oath, no more lies, Ana. I’m sorry,” Luca confirms, like he’s just made an unbreakable promise. By the way it danced out of his mouth with so much ease and power, I can tell it’s one he takes very seriously.

“I heard a Ballera never breaks an oath,” she smiles at him, still standing a few feet away.

“They also never lie,” Dad mutters, adding a little fuel to the dying fire. He may understand his friend, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t still mad.

“It’s a Balleran oath as old as time. I have never broken a promise, have I, Ana?” he asks her.

“No, no you have not.” A tear falls down her cheek as she opens her arms and walks towards him. Mom couldn’t hold a single grudge even if she had a bullet to her head.

“For who are we if God forgives us and we don’t,” she says as Luca hugs her.

“Nothing, for we are nothing,” Dad whispers, wrapping his arms around them.

Izzy, Lisa, and I stand by the corner, watching the old folks have their moment. It’s a comforting sight despite everything that was happening. For a few seconds, I had almost forgotten why we were in this situation in the first place.

“But Donato was right,” Luca clears his throat, sounding serious and stern. “Vida isn’t safe.”

“Victor and I talked, witness protection . . .”

“It won’t keep her safe,” Luca says with a shake of his head, cutting Mom off.

“What? He was only bluffing, there’s no way he could find her if she was in one,” Isabella says, joining the conversation.

“ Mija ,” Dad calls in a low defeated tone.

“Right Dad?” she asks, her gaze on him as she waits for some assurance that her baby sister will be safe and all this was just a phase we’ll overcome.

“Luca is right, Mija ,” Dad sighs as he turns to her. “We need to figure something out. Vida isn’t safe here and I’m afraid with Donato holding a grudge, she might not be safe anywhere.”

My father’s words cut through my chest like a knife, and I stand quietly with my fingers intertwined with Lisa’s as we listen to everyone talk. I don’t regret taking the stand, I would do it all over again if I had to. But I can’t help but feel worse for dragging my family into this mess with me. They’ve already gone through enough.

“I might have a solution, but you won’t like it,” Luca cuts in, taking a deep breath as he prepares himself for our reactions.

“Anything to keep our daughter safe,” Dad says, turning to face him with hopeful eyes.

“I have to go to Italy tonight,” he states.

“What!” Mom exclaims.

“Why?” Isabella asks.

“There is only one person who could protect Vida till the day she dies and he owes me one.”

“Luca, no,” I cut in. “If it’s going back to a life you left in the past, then I don’t want you to make that sacrifice.”

“Vida,” Lisa tugs, trying to stop me, but I can’t let more people get hurt because of me. I just can’t. He had left who he was for a reason and even went as far as keeping it a secret from Dad for years. I can’t let him go back and ruin everything just because I didn’t listen and just stay in the goddamn car like I was told.

“We’ve lost enough, we won’t lose you, too,” Luca smiles at me.

“When will you return?” Dad asks.

“Victor . . .” Mom pauses, sounding torn. It’s like she doesn’t want Luca to go back to those people, but she also doesn’t want me to die either.

“As soon as I can. For now, you’re all moving into my house. No one would dare touch you under my roof.”

“Who really are you, Luca?” Isabella asks as she watches the authority ooze out of him, almost like he had turned into a different man.

“Luca Romano Ballera, the once heir to the Ballera dynasty.”