“He’s as good as dead, and not even a sliver of the man he used to be. I can declare him dead if you want to be free of him officially.”
“Yes, that’s what I’d prefer,” she pressed out. Her eyes searched mine as if she hoped to find an answer in them. “Amelia wants him gone.”
I looked away before my rage could make me lose control. Flavia didn’t say anything else. Maybe she realized the danger she was in.
After we arrived at the mansion, Niccolo and I led Flavia toward the guest bedroom. He probably wanted to make sure she didn’t touch me again.
I knocked, then opened the door. The room was still brightly lit as it had been when I’d left. Amelia lifted her head, her eyes heavy with sleep. The moment she spotted Flavia, her facecrumpled, and she started crying. Flavia rushed in and hugged Amelia, then lay down beside her sleeping son and kissed his entire face.
Amelia gave me a quick smile before she looked back at Flavia. She probably wouldn’t join me in bed tonight.
I closed the door.
“That’s the family reunion I would have loved to have,” Niccolo said with a chuckle.
I frowned at my cousin. “When I first saw you, I wasn’t sure if you had betrayed me. Count yourself lucky I didn’t kill you.”
Niccolo sighed. “All right, all right. I guess you not killing me is good enough then. Get some sleep. You look like death warmed over.”
He turned and left.
I leaned against the door. Returning to our empty bedroom didn’t sound enticing at all. There was no way I would find any sleep without Amelia beside me.
Pushing away from the door, I headed into the basement instead. Lamorgese needed to hear the good news of his nephew’s brutal death.
Lamorgese jerked away when I reached his cell. He struggled into a sitting position on his cot and eyed me fearfully. His patchy beard was matted in places, and strands of unwashed hair stuck to his forehead.
“Your pet chimps ripped apart your nephews and his accomplices.”
He didn’t say anything. “I hope the boy died too, so my whorish ex-wife suffers the rest of her life.”
I cocked an eyebrow at his cruel words. Not that I had expected anything less from a man like him. “The boy’s your son too, but I reckon that doesn’t mean much to you. You only love yourself, don’t you?” I leaned one shoulder against the bars and crossed my arms over my bare chest.
“Don’t talk about love as if you know what it is.”
I moved my hand toward the lock, causing Lamorgese to fall silent and wince. Smirking, I dropped my hand. “Your son is fine, and so is your wife. She sleeps upstairs in one of our guest bedrooms and was happy to hear that you are suffering.”
“One day, all of you will die.”
“True, that’s the usual course of events, but I assure you, you’ll be long dead by then.”
“Will I? When are you ever going to kill me?” The tremor of longing in his voice brought a smile to my face. I, too, had experienced moments when I longed for death while in Achille’s hands, and it was gratifying now that the tables had turned.
“You haven’t begged me enough for death. Maybe next time I spend some quality time with you, you’ll give it another try.”
I turned on my heel and left.
“She doesn’t love you, you know? You’re too monstrous to love.”
I faltered in my steps but then continued up the stairwell. Even after all this time, even when I held the power over life and death in my hands, Achille Lamorgese still managed to wound me with words. No matter how much he cried and begged when I tortured him, he always managed to remind me of the boy who’d been helpless.
It was so good to see Flavia again. She looked pale, and her cheeks were tearstained, but her face was alight with relief and love while she stroked Luciano’s hair. He was still fast asleep, but when he woke, he’d be ecstatic to see his mom.
“How are you?” Flavia whispered as she scanned my face.
“Fine, now that Luciano is safe.”
She smiled briefly before her expression became serious again. “I’m talking about you and Nestore. He kidnapped you, and you’re his wife, right?” She glanced at the ring on my finger.
