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“You fell in love with Dominic Benedetti?”
She nodded her head. “He wasn’t like this, not then. We were each other’s firsts. First love, first…”
“Then you got pregnant.”
“Yes. It was right around when things were coming to a head between the families. Dominic was going to tell his father. I told Papa.”
“That’s why he was so mad.”
She nodded sadly. “I was pregnant with the enemy’s child. Never mind that I was barely an adult and unmarried.”
“He disowned you because it was Dominic’s?”
“Yes. He couldn’t accept it. It shamed him. Infuriated him. Looking at me pissed him off. I think I was the ultimate reminder of his disgrace.”
“How long did he know before you left?”
“A month. He gave me an ultimatum. Abort the baby or lose everything.”
“Abortion? Papa?” He was a devout Catholic. As old school as they came.
She nodded, her eyes glistening again. “I couldn’t do that.” She glanced up the stairs. “I’m so glad I didn’t.”
“Does Franco Benedetti know?”
“No. Dominic never told him. In fact, we stopped seeing each other as soon as I found out I was pregnant. Well, it trickled to a stop. But things were different then. He sent money, though, after I left.”
“Well, isn’t he a prince?”
“We were both kids, Lucia, and I’ve forgiven him. You don’t have to, but this is between him and me.”
“Does Effie know?”
She shook her head. “No one does.”
“Well, I think Salvatore may.” She opened her mouth, but I continued. “He and Roman suspected it was Luke, and Roman had DNA tests done.”
“Fuck.”
“When it came back that Luke couldn’t be the father, Roman, who apparently had his suspicions, used his own DNA to test against it. Traces matched, and he’s running Dominic’s now.”
“My fucking uncle is always sticking his big fucking nose where it doesn’t belong.” Dominic leaned against the entrance to the kitchen eating a sandwich, not bothering to hide the fact he was eavesdropping. “Not that it fucking matters. Not anymore.”
Isabella stood, suddenly fuming, and went to him. “Was it you? Did you order the hit on Luke?”
He walked around her, biting off another piece, chewing like he didn’t have a care in the world. “I didn’t realize you loved him,” he sneered.
She grabbed his arm, making him turn to face her. “We had an agreement! Goddamn you, we had a fucking agreement!”
“You’re the one who wanted him involved.”
“I couldn’t meet with them, you know that!”
“Meet with who?” I asked.
They both looked at me as if they were surprised I still stood there.
“The Pagani family. Paul Jr., the old man’s son and wannabe successor,” Dominic filled in, stuffing the last of his sandwich into his mouth. “Fucking asshole.”
“Old school. They won’t deal with a woman,” Isabella said.
“Deal with a woman over what?”
“What I told you when I first came to Salvatore’s house.”
“What, starting another war? Reclaiming our place as what, the biggest and baddest? The family who sheds the most blood? Izzy, what are you doing? I don’t want this. You can’t want it.”
“I did, at first.” She dropped into a chair. “But now, after what happened? After I saw him like that, Luke hooked up to too many machines to count, barely alive? Jesus, how could we…”
She stopped and turned toward Dominic, then stood and went to him. She poked a finger into his chest.
“Did you order the fucking shooting? Did you order them to kill Luke?”
“You’re starting to bore me. What happened to my vengeful little bitch?”
“Fuck you, Dominic.”
“Fuck you, Isabella.” He took her glass and finished it before slamming it down on the coffee table. “You may be over it, but I’m not. No way I’m standing by and letting my father hand everything over to my half-wit brother. No. Fucking. Way.”
The door flew open right then, and Salvatore burst in, his face a mask of fury as he slammed Dominic against the closest wall, his forearm crushing his neck. “How the fuck did you get in here?”
Dominic shoved him back and chuckled. “Check inside the house before you plant guards outside it, dumbass.”
“Mommy?”
Effie’s voice had all of us turning toward the stairs. The fighting had woken her up. She stood there, clutching her teddy bear and watching us.
“Honey!” Isabella ran up to her and took her in her arms. “Uncle Luke is going to be okay, baby!”
“He is?”
“He is.”
“I’m so glad. Can we go see him?”
“He’s still sleeping, but soon. I’ll take you to him, and you can give him all those cookies you made.”
“They’re delicious, Effie,” Dominic yelled up.
Salvatore’s stood there, hands fisted, at Dominic’s side.
“Thanks, Dominic.”
Effie’s relaxed familiarity with Dominic surprised me and, when I glanced at Salvatore, I saw that it surprised him as well.
“It’s late,” Isabella said over her shoulder. “Go home.” She turned and walked up the stairs with Effie.
“Why was everyone yelling?” I heard Effie asking her mom as their voices disappeared down the hall. I didn’t hear my sister’s answer.
