Deadly Vows - Chapter 22 (Patreon)

Luca

"The body has been put into place, everything else has been taken care of." Romelo informs me. I need a fucking drink. The past 24 hours have been hell to say the least. After I left the house yesterday I drove straight into a bloodbath. That bitch Elises father knocked up found out who I was and wanted "revenge" for his death. She was nothing but a crack whore that was mad because her source was dead.

In the past year I had made myself a normal part of Matteo's life. As soon as I met Elise I pushed my way into his life. He was a good kid. He and Elise shared similar facial features which made it easier for me to be nice to him seeing as he had his fathers blood running through his veins. Matteos mother had almost gotten her son killed on several occasions, and when I met him for the first time he was starving. She had taken the money sent for his benefit and blown it all on drugs and clothes for herself.

So I took it upon myself to take care of him in the shadows. At first it was to use him against his father becauase I didn't trust the bastard one bit. But when I realized Elise wasn't aware of her half brother I realized something more powerful was at play here. So I took care of him and taught him what it meant to be a man. Even though my views were different from his, I treid to be as normal for his sake as I could. For Elise. She didn't know I had contact with him. Hell she didn't even know that she was looking at her little brother every day. And I wanted to keep it that way. For how long I had no idea.

His mother had orchestrated a very smart plan to take me out. She had one of my clubs raided, killing some of my men and wounding many. It wasn't business hours so it was just the people that I put in charge that were there. And when I showed up she had somehow gotten ahold of men to attack us. I clench my fists in frustration as I remember her threat.

"I'll kill that wife of yours. Everything she has my son deserves! I'll kill her slowly and make her suffer." She never got anything more out of her mouth before my world went dark, all the rage and hatred consuming me. All I remember is bits and pieces. Her screams of agony, her blood, the blood of I don't know how many other men. The pleasure and bloodlust that was coursing through my veins was so intense I lost myself. Even in my haze I could hear Elises voice, but I hadn't realized I almost hurt her in that state.

I woke up locked to a desk with blood crusted all over my body, and Nicholai and Romelo having bloody bruises and cuts, but not from the club. From me. Once they explained to me everything that happened I could only imagine the horror Elise was feeling. And she showed it when she looked at me this morning. She was terrified. I couldn't help the guilt I felt as I found her rubbing her skin raw in that shower. I can't imagine what I almost did to her. But I could only imagine as I looked and saw the blood stains that were everywhere. I had to get the staff to scrub it out before Elise woke up.

My phone goes off and I pull it out looking at the screen. I frown. One of my cars were taken. I had a system that let me know whenever a car was taken from the garage. But I didn't take any cars anywhere. I immediately stand from my desk.

"Go find Elise." I bark the command at Romelo and Nicholai. As they take off out the room I pull up my security system to watch the film. There's no one breaking into the garage but... Matteo? He frantically runs around the house before settling on the back door. He stands for a moment before walking into the house.

Fuck. I pull out my phone and pull up Elises tracker. Sure enough she wasn't here. But she was moving. Fast. Which meant that she was the one that took the car. And that Matteo was probably with her. And they were probably headed to his house where the fucking body was dumped.

I jump up from my seat behind my desk sprinting out of the office.

"Romelo!" They must still be searching for Elise. Fuck! If I didn't get there in time she would see my handiwork. And worse, her and Matteo were alone together. I sprint out the house to my car sending Romelo a text to meet me at Matteos while I was running. The plan was falling into place perfectly, but Elise being there was unexpected.

I make it to his house in record time and sure enough my Audi is parked out front. I open the door and the rain plummets down on me. I walk as fast as I can to the front of the house when Elises frightened face exits the house with Matteo right behind her. Shit. She found her. Elise is so panicked and frightened she doesn't even see me standing there as she slams right into me full force.

"We had been searching the house for about thirty minutes.. I-I didn't hear anything, but when I opened the door, sh-" Elise cuts off her sentence and begins sobbing again. She turns her face into my chest. I can feel the violent sobs as they shake her entire body. We'd been sitting out here for an hour in the pouring rain as the police slowly turned this area into a crime scene.

I rub her back comfortingly. I look over to where Matteo is sitting on the back of an ambulance. He looks as though he's focusing on nothing. The cop is talking to him but he isn't responding. He's watching as his mothers body is wheeled out of the house under a white sheet.  I knew that look all too well. Shock. Damn. This wasn't what was supposed to happen.

The original plan was to stage his mothers death and seeing as I was the only other important role in Matteo's life I would take him in and swear him into the family. But when his mother found out who I was and tried to kill me, well I lost control and mutilated her body. We were going to use that in our favor, telling him the truth behind his father and that someone from a rival mob must have figured out who he was. Pinning the death on someone else so his rage would fester and he would join the family without question, to 'avenge his mothers death'.

It would have been the perfect retribution for their black hearted father and his treacherous family. The only son of the infamous capo of the south, under my rule. Even if he found out the truth behind my motives there was nothing he could do about it. He would be sworn in. No way out. Everyone would see the example that had been made of the Trovolis. Completely exterminated, all but who I decided. And even then under my rule. Controlled by me.

"It's ok ma'am. We'll get to the bottom of this." The officer speaks comfortingly to Elise. She nods her head slightly. If only she knew that this officer and more than 70% of the police department were under my control. I look him in the eye as he puts away his notepad. He returns my gaze with a grim nod. He probably already knew this was my doing. But they would rule this as a random crime and move on.

"What about the boy." I ask. The officer looks up.

"He'll probably be placed into foster care, we'll be sure to get him in the system." I nod my head and lean into Elise whispering in her ear.

"Go wait in the car for me baby." She looks at me with watery eyes and nods here head slightly walking to the car. Once she's out of earshot. I turn back to the officer giving him a hard stare.

"You and I both know that boy isn't going into the system. I want him. I want the paperwork in my home tomorrow." The officers eyes widen and he shakes his head slightly.

"B-but sir, there are protocols we have to follow, reports we have to dr-"

"Do you know who the fuck you're talking to." I interrupt him, giving him a murderous lok to get my point across. Whoever this man was didn't understand who he was dealing with. His eyes grow wide, confusion evident on his face.

"Sir, I think you need to calm your voice down and-"

"No, let me tell you something you pathetic excuse of a human being. I'm the man that holds your job in the palm of my motherfucking hand. Whatever the fuck I say fucking goes, and I'll be damned if some mall cop has the nerve to tell me about fucking protocol." I take a step closer to him, and can feel the fear radiating off of him.

"Is there a problem here?" Officer Benson steps in between us. I knew officer Benson well. He was the man that I trusted with my cases. And I added a hefty bonus to his paychecks to keep it that way. I look back to the cop I just cussed out.

"Is there." I narrow my eyes at him. He immediately shakes his head as he takes in the gravity of the situation. I turn to officer Benson.

"Sorry, Mr. Pasquino. He's only been here a few months."

"I ignore him and keep my eyes on the "new" officer.

"I want the paperwork tomorrow." I walk away without waiting for a response. Nicholai and Romelo are waiting for me. I speak to Nicholai first.

"Take my car home." I say gesturing to the one Elise drove out here without permission. I then turn to Romelo.

"Take Matteo to my home once you're finished here." He nods to me and I walk away to my car I brought out here that Elise was now sitting in. I step into the car and Elise has her head in her hands. I don't know if I should feel angry at her for leaving the grounds, taking my car without permission, and speaking to Matteo, or if I should feel pity for her because she personally saw my handiwork.

I don't speak to her as I sit in the car.. Now that all of this was behind me, I could feel the anger and resentment boiling up deep within me. She brought this on herself. If she wasn't so damn disobedient she wouldn't have found anything. I put the car in drive and head home.

We reach the house in record time. Elise still isn't speaking. She's just looking out the window with a blank stare on her face. There are still tears flowing freely out of her eyes. I shut the car off and the only sound is the rain pelting the car. I open my mouth to speak but Elise starts before I can get a word out.

"It was you, wasn't it." The car is silent. She's still not looking at me. I can see her lip trembling. For once in my life, I don't know how to respond.

"You disappear yesterday, and came back last night covered in blood-" She chokes on a sob.

"And the next day, his mother winds up dead." She places her hands over mouth. As violent sobs rack her body.

"He told me, he searched the house. Including her room. And when we showed up there, she was suddenly in her bedroom..." She finally turns and looks at me with big brown eyes. She was too smart for her own good. I grow irritated as I feel something once more festering up inside of me. Guilt. She's searching my face for any sign that it isn't true. But I keep my expression blank. She sits back against the window and gasps.

"Oh, God Luca... Why? What did that boy ever do to you?? Why would you treat him so nice, give him a job here, just to mutilate his mother? H-how could you do that to a woman?" She seems to just be talking now. I reach out for her and she immediately recoils from me, slapping my hand away.

"Don't touch me! You-you're a monster! You're fucking sick!" She's shouting all kinds of obscenities at me and I can see that she's forgetting who I am. She's forgetting her place.

"Elise!" I snap at her. All the anger dissipates from her face as she shuts her mouth and is replaced with fear. Her training kicking in. Good. She looks back down at her lap and stifles a sob. She bites her lip softly and takes a deep breath as she brings her gaze back to mine.

"I thought you of all people would understand the pain of having a murdered parent. How could you consciously bring that pain on someone else. An innocent boy?" She keeps her gaze locked with mine as we both sit in silence. I don't know what to say. She's right. She sighs and shakes her head opening the door and stepping out into the rain, closing it behind her. I watch through the window as she makes her way into the house.

Fuck! I hit the steering wheel with all my might. There is this heavy weight on my chest, a weight that feels unfamiliar to me. That fucking bitch! How dare she make me feel this way! This was all her fucking fault in the first place! No. It was her disgusting fathers! Yes! That's why all this was happening, that was the source of our problem!

I hop out of the car quickly, all the rage and anger coming to the surface. I force open the door with all my might. This was all their fault. All her fault for making me love her! She should be dead now, along with her father and the rest of her tainted line! I take the stairs two at a time searching for her. I'm going to put an end to this right now.

I reach for my holster pulling out my gun. No more games. I walk quickly past each room until I hear it. Something I hadn't heard in a very long time. Elise's violin. A beautiful melody was pouring out on a room. I walk to the door to see it wide open. Elise is sitting in a chair, her back to me. She's swaying softly to the music. I step in the room quietly, making sure not to make a sound. I walk closer and closer to her unsuspecting body, each step bringing her fate into play. I'm right behind her as I bring the gun up, aiming it to the back of her head. She's still playing that lovely melody. Not knowing that I was directly behind her, about to end her life.

I run my finger over the trigger. Just one pull and it would be over. Completely. I squeeze the trigger. Lightly.

I can't do it. Elise is still playing. Immersed deep in her song she's creating unaware of the danger that was standing behind her. I slowly back out of the room.

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