Page 127 of Righteous Enforcer
One to end her betrayal forever.
The second to remove Ivan off the face of the earth.
But Mirabella's face flashes in my mind. The only innocent in this twisted game. I can’t kill her mother, which only proves how much of a sap Eva has turned me into.
I lower my weapon, vowing that Eva will pay for her betrayal, but not by my gun.
I back away from the door.
I move with stealth through the mansion, each step moving away from the woman I thought I loved.
My chest feels like a black hole, as if Eva reached inside and carved out everything that made me human.
The night air hits my face as I slip outside. I reach my car and slide behind the wheel. I grip the steering wheel, wantingto scream. I want to go back inside and make her feel the pain tearing through me.
I start the engine and pull away from the Bratva compound. With each mile, I let her betrayal settle deep into my soul until she’s dead to me. And this time, I'll make sure she stays that way.
But a new thought comes to me. What the hell am I supposed to tell Mirabella? How do I explain that her mother chose the Bratva over her?
That betrayal is even worse. I hate Eva for forcing me to have to break a three-year-old's heart.
"Your mommy isn't ever coming home." I can't do that to her.
This isn't how it was supposed to be. I'd imagined us as a family, the three of us against the world.
A world Eva said she never wanted to live in.
I remember Eva's words about losing her dreams when her father joined my father. How she'd wanted college, normalcy, choices. How she’d said Mirabella would end up the same, end up in an arranged marriage for business.
No. That won’t happen. Mirabella won't suffer the same fate. I'll make sure of it.
Mirabella will have her heart's desire in life. Ballet lessons if she wants. College wherever she chooses. A life outside this world if that’s what she really wants.
I'll give her what Eva never had.
And maybe someday, I'll find the words to explain why her mother never came home.
The Dante compound looms before me. I drive in and kill the engine. As I enter the house, an emptiness spreads in my chest. It's different from grief. This betrayal is worse. Like my heart hasn’t just been broken but stomped on as well.
Alessandro is waiting in his office, nursing a whiskey. One look at my face and he sets the glass down.
"You found her." It's not a question.
"Yeah. I found her." I drop into the chair across from him, my body suddenly impossibly heavy. The words stick in my throat. Speaking them aloud will make them real.
"Tell me," Alessandro says, his voice gentle as if he knows she’s broken me again.
"She was having dinner with him," I finally manage. "Not tied up. Not hurt. Having fucking wine and steak while discussing her new job with Ivan."
Sympathy flickers in Alessandro’s eyes, for a brief moment, before satisfaction replaces it. The "I told you so" remains unspoken, but it’s there.
"The Bratva didn't take her," I continue. "She went to them. She's been working for them all along. Since before Father suspected her. She's their spy. Probably worked with Pyotr and Victorio.”
Alessandro nods slowly. "I'm sorry, Brother."
He doesn't have to say more. I’m well aware of my blindness, my willful stupidity.
"You were right. About everything."
