Page 229 of Vicious Intentions
“Shit. See what you’ve done?” Raffaele chastises me, wrapping an arm around our mother’s shoulders so she can cry into his chest. “Tact, asshole. Tact.”
But instead of getting angry at Raffaele, I stare straight into his eyes.
“I’m not the one who killed Matteo. I’m not even the one responsible for him having to go to Chicago to get his wife back. If the Romanos hadn’t been tipped off about where Matteo and Anna would be the night she was taken, our brother would stillbe here with us.” My voice hardens. “If you want someone to blame for our mother’s tears, blame that person.”
Raffaele’s expression turns ashen, an ugly smile curling across my lips.
Yeah, stronzo. I know it was you who betrayed our brother.
I don’t have proof yet, but I’ll find it.
And when I do? I’ll be coming for you.
Soon, Rafe. Soon you’ll pay for what you did to this family.
My thoughts are still tangled up in my brother’s betrayal when murmurs suddenly ripple through the church.
“They’re here,” Rocco says, appearing before me and silently reclaiming his position as my right hand.
I glance at our shattered mother one last time before cracking my neck and pushing to my feet.
Showtime.
I turn toward the commotion, knowing full well who just walked through the cathedral doors to have everyone so rattled.
The Romanos walk down the aisle straight toward us, Marcello Romano leading the pack with his wife’s arm hooked through his, while his second-in-command follows closely behind.
I hear Rocco grumble something under his breath as Stella struts down the aisle looking like a red-haired killer Barbie, while her Bratva husband, Kirill Petrov, keeps a protective hand on the small of her back, his dark eyes silently threatening anyone who dares look at his wife the wrong way.
“Thank you for coming,” I greet, my gaze locked on the new boss of the Outfit.
I can see why everyone fears Marcello Romano. His dead eyes look completely soulless. It’s only when he looks at his wife that he seems human at all.
“Thank you for having us. I’m just sorry we’re meeting face to face for the first time under such tragic circumstances,” he says, his expression a blank canvas devoid of emotion.
Got to give it to him.
There’s nothing in his posture or expression that suggests he’s hiding a secret.
Then again, neither am I.
I’m about to open my mouth to say something when Stella walks straight past me in direction to my mother.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Red,” Rocco warns, stepping into her path.
“Move it, Blondie.” She shoves him aside before kneeling in front of my mother.
I watch with bated breath as Stella takes my mother’s hands in her own.
“Hi. You must be Paolina,” she says softly. “You don’t know me, but Anna is…wasmy sister,” Stella says, emotion clinging to her every word. “I just wanted to tell you that she loved you very much. In her final days, she begged me to let her speak to you. I’m sorry I never gave her the chance to.” She swallows against the lump forming in her throat. “I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I needed you to know that she loved you deeply. And in their final hour, Matteo and Anna found happiness in each other’s arms. No one can steal that happiness away from them now. They can finally live their love in peace.” Stella smiles even as her eyes water. “I hope knowing that gives you some small comfort. I confess that it’s the only thing giving me any these days.”
My heart all but stops when my mother pulls her hand away from Stella’s and cups her cheek instead.
“Thank you. That actually does help a little. You look so much like her, you know?”
“I do? No one’s ever said that to me.” Stella smiles, an errant tear slipping down her cheek.
“I see it clear as day. You have the same good heart. Your mother must be so proud to have raised such daughters,” my mother says softly, her own silent tears streaming down her face. “I love all my boys equally, but I always wondered what it would be like to have a daughter. Annamaria was that daughter for me. I’ll miss her very much. Just as my heart will always ache for my Matteo.”
