Chapter 49 #2
I scanned each of their faces for malice. Some hid it better than others. But I could tell by the look on Drake’s face that he knew what happened to Aiden.
I leaned forward, my focus on Drake. “Where is my brother?”
No answer.
He couldn’t even look me straight in the eye.
“Drake, tell me.”
He clenched and unclenched his jaw. “Sorry, I wish I could help you.”
I glanced over at Pops. “I don’t understand why they need me to be their queen, but until they find Aiden, I’m not doing shit.”
“Alex,” Pops protested. “This is a sensitive matter.”
“So is the whereabouts of my twin brother. You act like the Salvatores are your enemies when you have been plotting with them behind my back. And if you lied about your involvement with them, you also lied about Aiden.”
“Princess,” he said in a sweet tone. “I have told you everything I know.”
“No, you haven’t. Why do you owe Arlo a favor? Why did you promise me to Luca? I accepted this arrangement a long time ago, but I want answers. I’m sick of being the pawn of bored rich men.”
“You’re not a pawn,” Pops assured me. “The queen is the most powerful piece in chess. And you, my dear, have more power than you understand.”
“Then help me understand because I’m not interested in power or money. Tell me what you did,” I demanded. “If you want me to be part of your billionaire boys’ club, I want to know your secret. Why do you owe Arlo a life debt?”
He shoved a hand through his white hair and sighed. “Because your mother killed Eva.”
My heart nearly stopped.
I couldn't form the words as chills rushed down my arms. “No, she wouldn’t… She didn’t.” I shook my head, unable to think clearly over the ringing in my ears. “Why would she do that?”
“Your mother poisoned Eva with a drug produced by Wellington Pharmaceuticals. The FDA took it off the market because of its side effects. Even in small doses, it caused death.”
I couldn’t stop blinking as I stared at my grandfather. My mother killed my idol. She took Luca and Marcello’s mother from them.
“She tried to poison me when I was a child,” I whispered in disbelief. “Was it the same drug?”
Pops bobbed his head. “Your father took you to the hospital before you overdosed. Eva wasn’t as lucky. Luca found his mother on the floor in her studio.”
“That’s why you covered up her death with a car accident.” My eyes widened as I glanced over at Luca. “You’ve always known about this?”
Luca nodded.
“The night we met?”
Another nod.
“Now I understand,” I muttered. “Why you’ve been so… How could you even look at me knowing the truth?”
“I hated you at first sight,” Luca admitted. “And then you quoted my mom that night in my bedroom. I knew you weren’t like your bitch mother. But I still didn’t like you. I tolerated your existence. You just…”
“Grew on you?”
He smirked. “Yeah, I guess.”
I looked at Marcello, who gave me a knowing look. Everyone in the room knew but me.
“Why would she do that?” I asked Pops.
He rolled his shoulders against the couch. “She regretted leaving Arlo after I took away her trust fund. Your mother has no life skills. Neither does your loser father. They couldn’t even pay the cable bill between the two of them. If not for Arlo, your parents would have lived on the street.”
“Is that the only reason?”
“She was jealous of Eva,” Pops confessed.
I raised a curious eyebrow at him. “Because Evangeline was better than her?”
“Your mother doesn’t have enough talent to accomplish what Eva did in her short life. She believed Eva was in her way.”
“I wish you had told me this years ago. It would have helped me understand why Luca was so angry with me. And why I have to marry him.”
“I’m sorry, Alex, but this is the least we owe them.”
He was right.
I felt like I owed them for what my mother did to theirs. She stole years of happiness from them. Luca and Marcello’s scars were a result of her behavior. It made sense why no amount of money would ever satisfy Arlo Salvatore. Nothing could repay him for taking the life of his wife.
Luca studied my face. “I know what you’re thinking, Drea. This changes nothing.”
“Did she know about me?”
“Yes.”
“She didn’t hate you,” Luca assured me. “My mother knew I had to marry someone from a Founding Family. She knew all about the deal my dad made. When I was a child, my mom told me I would marry a girl so beautiful she was worth painting.”
Tears stung my eyes, his confession slicing deep into my chest. “She said that about me?”
He nodded.
“Which is why we’re here today,” Pops interrupted. “Alex, you are the only female of age to marry a Salvatore. It is imperative your wedding takes place in September.”
“I thought Luca had to marry by his thirtieth birthday.”
“The Devil’s Knights charter says the current Grand Master has to transfer his power to his oldest son by his thirtieth birthday. We can push the wedding out one month.”
“Okay,” I said, still deflated by the news about my mother.
I knew she was a horrible person, but I never thought she was capable of murder. Why would he give her a cent after what she did to his wife?
“I don’t understand all of this stuff,” I told Pops. “Why can’t the Knights have a king without a queen?”
“To maintain the balance of power,” Pops said. “The choices you make at Legare will determine the futures of the men in this room.”
“What choices do I have to make?”
“Who stays and who goes.” Pops rose from his chair, his stare aimed at Arlo. “One more thing. Whoever Alex chooses will become the new Grand Master of The Devil’s Knights.”
“This is fucking bullshit,” Luca growled. “I’m the oldest. The Knights are mine.”
“That’s your problem,” I said to Luca. “You think you own everyone and everything.”
“Keep running your mouth, baby girl.” He flung out his hand, an insane look on his face. “I’m two seconds from choking you just to shut you up.”
“Luca, calm the fuck down,” Marcello shouted from across the room. “You’re disrespecting all of us by speaking to our queen this way.”
“Fuck off, brother! This is your fault.” He tugged at the ends of his short black hair, his eyes turning a shade so dark they looked like blue steel. “You did this… How long have you been conspiring against me?”
I burst into a fit of laughter. “Do you hear yourself? Seriously, you need professional help. No one is plotting against you. You are your own worst enemy, Luca.”
His maniacal laughter filled the tension in the air.
“Says the crazy bitch who can’t even remember what she did last year.
Have you ever considered the answer to Aiden’s disappearance lies somewhere in that fucked up brain of yours?
Hmm…” He pressed his lips together. “Look inward before you accuse me of shit.”
“That’s enough,” Arlo growled.
“Both of you need to settle down and sort out your differences,” Pops commanded.
“Maybe you should bring her doctors to Devil’s Creek,” Luca said. “She’s losing it again.”
“Good idea,” I shot back. “Because you could use some therapy.”
“How about you both see a doctor?” Pops suggested. “I think that’s a good idea. Couples counseling.”
“I’ll do it,” I said as I wiggled my eyebrows at Luca. “But only if Luca spills his secrets.”
He sneered at me. “I have nothing to hide.”
“Me neither.”
I clung to Marcello’s side, squeezing his big bicep.
He slid his arm behind my back and pulled me closer.
With Marcello, I always felt safe. But with Luca, I felt like every nerve ending in my body was on fire.
It was an out-of-body experience I’d never had with anyone else.
He made me feel alive, but maybe it was just the adrenaline rushing through my veins. The fear and desire laced together.
“Are we done here?” Luca said with his eyes on Pops. “I have another meeting in twenty minutes.”
Pops nodded. “For now.”