Chapter 28
28
ACE
The one where the universe laughs and strips you bare leaving nothing left but dry bone.
M y line of vision went from clear to a complete tunnel, focused only on him, the man who was supposed to be dead.
I saw him die. I was at his funeral.
We had a thing now, we always checked because people just tended to pop back to life in the five families and often at the very worst moments.
Everyone had trust issues and for good reason.
Suddenly someone was at my back, Raven was ripped away from me.
“You lied.”
It was Dante’s voice.
And I was staring at Louis’ face.
I never thought my death would come with the guy who raised me and became my father-in-law at my back and the one who supposedly already beat me to it smiling at me.
Would he get everything?
Was this all part of the plan?
And wasn’t he the bad guy?
“You’re dead.”
“Lucian’s dead,” he snapped.
“My twin brother.”
“Twin,” I repeated while Dante held me firm against him.
“Your twin?”
“Yes,” snapped Louis.
“And I would know he was dead since I’m the one who pulled the trigger.”
I snorted.
“So you’re the good guy, now? You killed him for what? Working for the enemy? I don’t buy it.”
“No.” His glare said everything and nothing all at once.
“I put a bullet in his head because he touched what was mine.”
All the blood felt like it just left my body at once.
“What?”
He looked around the room.
Raven was silent behind me.
I needed to see her, to touch her, to gauge her reaction to the news.
Was she softly crying?
Was she regretting this afternoon?
We didn’t use protection.
We were lost in each other.
I told her I loved her.
I had everything in those moments.
And now it felt like everything the universe promised me I could keep—was getting ripped away.
Louis bit down on his lower lip and put his hands on his hips.
He was wearing a black cap, similar to the one I saw on the guy who was tailing us last year.
He had a black T-shirt on and fitted jeans, his blond hair poked out from under his hat.
He looked identical to the guy who’d died.
“La Nebbia instructed us to infiltrate the family. We’d been instructed, picked up off the streets at ten and trained for a special mission. Early on we thought we were working for the government to get rid of the hold the crime families had in Sicily and in the States. It seemed legit at first, obviously, until we realized that the goal wasn’t to take you down, it was to take control.” He locked eyes with me.
“I wasn’t willing to do what it took to get close, they wanted a hold in the Alfero family by any means possible.”
My stomach recoiled.
“Get her pregnant.”
“Get her pregnant,” he repeated as Dante’s grip on my arms tightened.
“But I was falling in love with her and it felt wrong, sleeping with her should be because of our feelings not because I was betraying her with each kiss—since I refused to do it, I was taken out and Lucian took my place. I escaped and killed him, and I’ve had a price on my head ever since.”
I cursed.
“So now you’re trustworthy?”
“I’m trying to make things right. An old contact is making a move. I came here to warn you and to,” His eyes flickered past my body.
“To apologize to the only girl who ever made me laugh.”
I’ll make him laugh or at least myself smile by punching him repeatedly in the face.
I can suddenly feel the eyes of the room on me, every single individual like they’re waiting for me to fight, waiting for me to rage and lose my shit.
I can’t decide if the feeling I have in my chest is absolute hatred or terror, maybe it’s a mixture of both.
I took a deep breath and exhaled roughly.
“She’s mine.”
“She should be able to choose who she loves—don’t you agree?” His eyes narrowed.
“After all, you covered for her—claimed the baby was yours when you hadn’t even touched her, what an easy way to infiltrate.” He took a few steps toward me and held up his phone.
“After all, you learned from the best.”
“What the fuc?—”
I stopped short.
It was her.
My ex.
Sienna.
The woman who told me she loved me only to want my name and power.
I was trained long before her.
“So?” I sneered. “A picture of the woman who betrayed me and stabbed me repeatedly in the chest—who cares!”
Louis tugged his shirt down.
He had similar knife marks.
“It’s what she does—to her favorites.”
“No.” I shook my head.
“No—we were in a relationship. Together. I was going to leave this life, and she got pissed and nearly killed me.”
Louis rolled his eyes.
“Likely story—she aways gives us different ones since she’s the boss of La Nebbia Syndicate. Then again, you knew that, right?”
My memories came slamming back into the present.
I remembered moments with her.
The pregnancy that never happened.
Wanting to get married.
Being willing to do anything to keep the baby, to help her to.
My blood ran cold. “She trains…everyone?”
Louis leaned down and patted me on the shoulder.
“She’s very skilled at psychological manipulation. You don’t even realize that every day she adds another layer until she places certain scenarios and triggers—all possible—that could make you do anything and I do mean anything—to not only belong—but in your mind—be redeemed. It’s part of the sickness she spreads—she leaves just enough of a starving heart, layered and peppered with pieces of longing and betrayal that when you see a tiny flicker of light you go—this will fix it—and you believe it will until it doesn’t.”
I slumped to my knees.
“I would never hurt Raven or Lily.”
He shrugged.
“Does it really matter?” He pulled out a UV light stick and turned it out then held it up to my face.
I couldn’t see what everyone else saw but I imagined it was bad.
“The N tattoo is only visible under black light.” He shrugged.
“It spreads across your neck and crawls down your back. Whatever has control of the head can turn it, whatever controls the spine can move it—your tattoo represents exactly where your loyalty lies.”
I opened my mouth to yell when something hit me on the back of the head.
Dark spots appeared as I fell to the ground and looked up.
Raven stared at me, then over at Louis.
He took two steps toward her.
I fought to keep my eyes open.
Tried to will my body to remember we had a family to protect, to love.
But it gave out on me.
The last thing I saw was Louis reach for my wife’s hand.