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“Get tired! That won’t stop me from telling the truth, and it damn sure won’t stop me from loving you. This is crazy, and you know it! We’re talking about the fucking DeLucas. They are the goddamned mafia royalty!” she spits.
“Whoa! What the hell is going on? What about the DeLucas?” Carmine asks, folding his arms and looking around at the three of us.
Sighing, Dario says, “Mila is going to Cagliari, Italy.”
“No.”
“What?”
“I said ‘no,’ you’re not going. It’s too dangerous.”
Laughing, Paola says, “Thank God! Someone finally has some sense.”
“You know this would be an interesting conversation if you had some say so or authority over me, but since you don’t, I’ll forgive you for that little faux pas.”
“Mila, I’m not going to argue with you about this. It’s ludicrous, and I will not allow you to do this.”
“Again…you have no say in this, Carmine. You’re not my father or my husband.”
“No, I’m just the man that cares deeply for you.”
I’ve seen how this man looks at me, how he tenderly tries to care for me and how protective he is over me, but this is the first time he’s spoken his feelings out loud. His attraction isn’t new. The first time Carlo brought me over to meet his family, I could tell Carmine was attracted to me.
Nothing will ever come of it because I could not betray my husband’s memory that way.
“And power-of-attorney isn’t automatically bestowed because of that,” I challenge, choosing not to feed into his statement too much.
“Mila, come on,” he says, placing his hands firmly on my shoulders.
“Come on, what, Carmine?” I ask, reaching up and removing his hands.
“Do you know that the name DeLuca incites fear in people? They’re dangerous and aren’t meant to be taken lightly. Did you see how my father reacted when he learned I had an interview with him? Do you think he’s going to just let you do that?”
“I’m a grown woman capable of making my own decisions,” I argue.
“The DeLucas has politicians, policemen, and other authority figures in their back pockets. Most folks tremble in fear when they hear that name, and you want to run on their stomping grounds? In their home region, no less?” Carmine asks.
“DeLuca? Men might tremble in fear when they hear that name, but these bitches ain’t seen shit until they find out Zahra Blade-Valentino is on their asses!”
“Mila Campbell. Zahra Blade-Valentino is dead,” Carmine says through clenched teeth.
I storm from the room, daring anyone to follow me. I’ve made up my mind, and there isn’t a damned thing anyone can do about it.
Using the identity and the passports that have been created for me since my “death,” I will get close to Alessandro DeLuca. I will seduce him, and then I will learn everything that he knows about the hit on my family, and then I will destroy the person responsible for it. And I’ll make this happen by any means necessary.
Any. Means.
