Deadly Vows - Chapter 17 (Patreon)

Luca

Love is a strange thing. It makes you do strange things. In my case, it makes you kill. Everything I have done in my life is because my father told me to do it. And because I loved him, I  followed every single one of his orders without hesitation. Pretty soon, my life became my form of normal.

I lived to please him. I lived to keep the family strong. I lived to please myself. But now I am not so sure about that anymore. Protecting the family means killing the Trovolis, but by doing that, I will be hurting the only family I have left. My wife.

I look across the room to where Elise lies. She is on her side, staring at nothing. Small tears are running out of her eyes. Damn, if she doesn’t look beautiful. Even when she cries, she is an angel. She sniffles a bit and takes a deep breath, the sound coming out shaky. I don’t know what to do when it comes to her. Anyone else would have killed their wife by now. The fact that she told my business and the leaking of that information led to not only the capo’s but also my father’s death … well, that is a crime fit for worse than death. She just doesn’t understand. The world she lives in, the man she is married to, all of it is different now.

Her cousin is a bitch for putting her in this corner like this. She is a conniving Trovoli. She feeds off Elise’s naivete and almost got her cousin killed. And if it wasn't me that she was married too, she’d be dead. I see the knowledge that lurks behind Ariana’s eyes. She knows more than she lets on, and she has purposely kept that information from Elise so her poor cousin can come to her, unknowingly feeding her all kinds of information. She is right about one thing, though: Elise isn’t built for this world. She is too soft. Too kind. Nothing like the filthy blood that runs through her veins. She is different.

I look back over across the room and see that she has fallen asleep. Her dark lashes are touching her cheeks lightly. They are so long. I stand and walk over to her to get a better look. Her lips are parted slightly. She has to breathe out of her mouth since her nose is stuffy from all the crying.

I was taken aback when she asked me to kill her. And I almost did by accident. The rage that filled me from the thought of her willingly wanting to die at my hands was enough to force me into a rage. The look on her face, though, when she spoke those words was… heartbreaking. Many women have looked at me with that look—heartbreak, sadness, sorrow—and I have never been fazed by it. But when Elise looks at me with her almond-colored eyes, I see something that makes me stop. Makes me, for once in my life, feel pity. But it is only there for a moment because the rage takes over in an instant.

I take a seat on the bed and push her hair back from her face. It is getting longer, and pretty soon, she’ll be able to hide from me once again behind it.

“What am I going to do with you?” I murmur aloud.

I love her. There is no doubt in my mind about that. She is perfect. She is kind and innocent and beautiful. And so damn naive. I almost want to shield her from the horrors of this world. But I don’t know how to express that to her. I can’t change the way that I am. It is far too late for that. But I can prevent her from making the same mistakes and facing me because of her naïveté.

I stand and immediately text Nicolai. Hopefully, my meeting is already set up, because with my current state of emotions … well, this will be perfect.

* * * * *

Ariana Trovoli. Now Gudierri. She is married to Stefano Gudierri by her father to further increase ties in the South. No doubt Elise’s father has something to do with it. She was married off when she was eighteen to Stefano, and they have been together “happily” for seven years. Stefano is so lost in his emotions he doesn’t even realize how sneaky his wife is. I step into the interrogation room and look beyond the one-sided glass. He is sitting there calmly, probably unaware that his world is about to come tumbling down. I step into the room, and he looks up immediately. He doesn’t smile, only nods in respect.

I am guessing he's still sore from our last encounter. I take a seat in front of him and set the file down on the table between us.

“How are you, Stefano? Did you enjoy the flight?” I ask. I keep my voice level and my eyes trained on him. He is already uneasy, and he doesn’t even know what is about to happen.

“I’m good, Capo. Thank you. The flight was fine.”

I scoff aloud. “Tell me something, do you know who you’re married to?”

This catches his attention, and he looks up at me with an uneasy gaze. “Uh … excuse me, sir?”

“Your wife, Ariana. Do you truly know who she is?”

“Yes, of course, sir.” He speaks as if I were the idiot for asking that question.

I push the file across the table and motion for him to open and read its contents. I wait patiently and watch in pleasure as his whole wall of safety and comfort comes tumbling down as the proof of who his wife truly is dawns on him. I lean forward in my seat on the desk, folding my arms in front of me.

“I have a little pest problem in the South that I would like to get rid of. And with your cooperation, I think I can make that happen.”

He is still in shock, staring at the folder. “W-where did you get all this?” His voice is shaky.

“Records. Reports. And I had someone tail her for the past few months. It does help that I have a few contacts in the justice system under my wing.”

The folder contains everything Ariana has been involved in within the time she’s been married to Stefano. The whole reason behind their marriage is so she can have easy access to unlimited information about all kinds of things and report it to her father, who, in turn, reports back to his brother, the capo of the South. It is a brilliant plan, no doubt. A great way to utilize your daughters. Going for a man’s weakness in the comfort of his own home.

The Gudierris are a crime family known for their cunning. The information they gather from having contacts on the inside of every legal department across the United States makes them practically untouchable by the feds. Which is why Elise’s father wanted to utilize it. There is proof in Stefano’s database that information has been stolen by none other than his wife. Saved to a flash drive.

And now that his wife has betrayed him, caused my father’s death, and helped my wife run away, well, Stefano is now in my debt, and this is the perfect opportunity.

“I’m going to make you a proposition. You will be the new head of the South.”

He looks up, startled.

“That’s right. But you have to help me deal with one little problem.”

He narrows his eyes at me, and I continue.

“I want to eradicate the Trovolis from the face of the earth.” His eyes widen for a fraction, and then he wipes his face of emotion. “What do you mean eradicate?”

“Dead. All of them. You of all people should know everything they have done and caused us. I want nothing to do with them.”

“Including your wife?” he asks.

I have to take a deep breath to keep from strangling him. “No. I want my wife alive. What you choose to do with yours is up to you. I will not interfere there.”

“I want her alive as well,” he says the words quietly. Poor fool. “Done. I hope you realize your wife is behind my father’s death.”

Judging from his reaction, he does not. “The men that shot him were relatives of hers. Sharing the same filthy bloodline. She told them the truth behind Elise’s father’s death, and she ordered the hit on my father. They were supposed to take me out too, but Elise stepped in the way just in the nick of time.”

I clench my fists as memories of that horrible night flash through my mind. I stand and push my chair back from the table, looking Stefano right in his eyes as I speak, hoping he hears me and the force behind my words are enough to sway him.

“If it weren’t for Elise, you and your wife would be dead. The only reason I am giving you an option right now is her. Even though your wife deserves to suffer for everything she’s put Elise through. You may be the capo of the South now, but you will take your orders from me. Your decisions will be my decisions. And the South now belongs to me. Do you understand?”

He stares at me for a moment before bowing his head in respect. “Yes, Capo.”

“Good.” I turn to leave but stop in the doorway as I remember something. “I will contact you with the plan to dispose of them all.”

* * * * *

I can almost laugh. Almost. Ariana sits in front of me, seething hatred. Her face is set in an angry scowl, and she obviously believes she is on top. I want to break this bitch in half.

“Do you understand how much Elise cares for you?” I ask.

She doesn’t answer me. I can’t control myself. I reach across the table before she can blink and slam her face into it. She cries out in pain and meets my eyes with fear. Fucking finally. I can feel the pleasure rushing through my system, but I need to calm down. If I kill her, Elise will be upset. Her gasps fill the chamber.

“Don’t you dare ignore me, bitch! You used your own flesh and blood for your selfish gain. You knew how naive Elise was, yet you used her to fish out information.”

She looks up at me with hatred in her eyes once more. “I love Elise, but she needs to face the realities of the real world. The only way to instill survival of our own family is to be ahead. Elise didn’t understand that. She was too weak!”

I can feel the anger inside of me boiling up at her. How Elise can’t see past her fake facade, I have no idea. But there is no way she can fool me.

“If anything, you should be mad at yourself. You shouldn’t have exposed her to so much. She’s fragile! She doesn’t know what the real world is like! And now, because of your idiocy, your own father is dead. All thanks to your lovely Elise.” She smiles wickedly at me, and it takes every ounce of my willpower to stay calm. “You don’t know what it’s like to have something so precious as Elise. You don’t deserve her!”

I slam my fist down on the table in anger. “Don’t you sit there and act like you care about her! You can cut the shit! I know everything! I have your file! I have your information to a tee! So you better not speak one more word about her, or I will rip your tongue out and make you swallow it whole. The only reason you are still alive is that Elise wants it. The only reason after her that you are alive is that your husband, for whatever reason, still wants you even after I gave him that file.”

Her eyes grow wide in shock at my words. “You what?”

“I gave him the file. He knows everything. Down to the smallest detail.”

I enjoy the defeat as it creeps on her face. I stand to leave the room. The only reason I’ve come here is to see how deep her “love” for her cousin runs. Now I can move forward with no regrets. Everything is falling into place perfectly. Elise’s father has started all this trying to gain power for himself, but in the end, he has made me the most powerful, and on top of that, I get to keep the most beautiful woman by my side as I take control.

* * * * *

I step into the room and immediately look for Elise. I just want to hold her tonight. I frown as my gaze lands on the bed. It's empty. I didn't put the collar back on her after I took her from the bath. I didn't have the heart to. But the door can only be opened with my authorization, so she is somewhere in here.

“Elise?” I call out but get no reply. I try to remain calm. “Elise,” I try again. Still nothing.

I walk around the corner and see the light to the bathroom on. I calm down a little. She is just taking a bath. I open the door to the bathroom, and for the first time since the night my father had been killed, fear explodes in my chest.

Elise is in the bathtub filled with water. The water is tinted red. Her head is tilted back, and her eyes are closed. Fuck! I sprint across the floor, vaguely registering the shattered mirror. There are mirror fragments with blood on them scattered around the tub. I reach into the water, immediately grasping for her arms, pulling them from the submerged water.

“Shit!” My voice echoes off the walls. Her wrists are sliced to ribbons. Literally. The flesh is cut in different pieces, some deeper than others, like she closed her eyes and just started stabbing. Her skin is cold and crusted with blood that has floated to the surface of the water.

I immediately grab her out of the tub and rush her to the bedroom, trying to get whatever I can to stall the wounds. In all the frantic moving and getting her to a stable condition, I don’t have the time to check for a pulse. I just pray that when I do, there is one there.