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Why else would Maury have such clear disdain for Leo’s authority?
Leo’s back stiffens, his countenance shifting in an instant to the cool, apathetic man I witnessed outside the cabin in the woods. My blood turns to ice as a sense of foreboding takes hold of me.
“Perhaps a wedding won’t stop you, but after the right number of Guerra men die, I’m sure I can bring your family to heel just like the rest,” Leo states coldly, his voice entirely too calm all of a sudden.
The transformation is what terrifies me most. Like he’s flipped a switch, shutting off the emotion that has made him seem so incredibly human this past week. And with horror, I realize just how close my cousin is to delivering his own death sentence.
My stomach plummets as Leo reaches for something in his suit jacket, and I recognize the distinct sound of a gun cocking a moment later.
In sheer panic, I don’t stop to think. Sprinting across the room, I fling myself in front of Maury. “No, Leo, please. He’s my cousin,” I beg, my heart hammering in my throat.
“Get out of the way, Tia,” Leo growls, his hazel eyes like iron as they stare past me at my kneeling kin.
And though I’m terrified, I can’t bring myself to do as he says. Thick tears flood my eyes, spilling down my cheeks as I start to cry. “Please, Leo, show mercy!” I sob. “If you have a drop of love for me in your heart, don’t kill my family. I’ll do anything.”
For a moment, I see a flicker of doubt in his eyes. A conflict that makes him hesitate.
Then his iron will wins out. “You might be my wife, but you get no say in this business. In my line of work, betrayal is the ultimate sin. And your family just proved how useless their vow of loyalty is. Now, they get to pay the price.”
Trembling from head to toe, I force myself to stand my ground, praying I can think of something to save Maury while I use my body as a shield. Because I’m fairly confident that, even in his fury, Leo won’t shoot me when I’m carrying his child.
But before I can come up with a single idea, my eyes shift to the suddenly occupied doorway. My father enters with Mayor Romney at his side. A look of thunderous fury takes over the mayor’s usually kind features as he takes in the sight—Leo’s men holding what appear to be unarmed members of the Guerra family at gunpoint.
“What is the meaning of this?” Mayor Romney demands.
Leo turns slowly, seeming to come back to himself as he lowers his gun. And from his expression, I can see all his plans come crashing down around him as he realizes his efforts have failed.
“You see, Honorable Mayor,” my father says smoothly, his silken tone like a knife to my gut. “I told you he was nothing more than a violent brute. He’s not to be trusted.”
“Says the man who sold off his daughter on the pretense of forming an alliance,” Leo growls. “You don’t just dishonor your word. You betrayed your own daughter just to get revenge on me.”
“Is that so?” my father sneers, his gaze condemning as he finally turns it on me. “But you see, Leo, Tia probably knows better than any of us about the business of vows and betrayal. After all, she’s the one who told me about your desperate deal with the mayor. She’s the one who informed me about the importance of this event. How your men would need to prove themselves as legitimate security. And why? I can only imagine it would be to convince the mayor that he should entrust Piovosa’s security to you. And once you gained control of the law, who could possibly stop your reign of terror then?”
The room falls deathly silent, and the blood drains from my face as my father deposits me squarely in the line of fire. I have nothing to defend myself. And he just announced Leo’s plans to the world, exposing him in front of the mayor. I don’t see how Leo will recover.
But my father’s not done twisting the knife. “You failed, Leo, and it doesn’t matter what you do now. You’re done. All your efforts to impress the mayor are for nothing, especially when you’re so clearly willing to take an innocent, unarmed man’s life right here in the middle of a charity event.”
It’s a cruel truth, and yet, I can’t help but feel like my father’s betrayal is so much worse. He used me, led me like a lamb to slaughter. And for what?
By the Maury’s reckoning, it was just another move in some dark, twisted game.
But as I meet Leo’s penetrating gaze, all I can think about is the utter betrayal in his eyes. And suddenly, I know without a shadow of a doubt that I made a terrible mistake.
I picked the wrong side.
And now it’s too late.
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Ready for the end of Leo and Tia’s love saga? Click here to get, Vicious Redemption, the final chapter of this love saga.
My worst enemy turned out to be the only one I can trust…
Until I betrayed him.
Leonardo Moretti showed me my first glimpse of freedom.
And in exchange, I gave him my virginity.
