Deadly Vows - Chapter 23 (Patreon)

I haven’t seen Luca since I left him in the car. It’s beginning to get dark out. To be honest, I never want to see him again. At the moment, I am scared and confused. I thought Matteo’s mother’s death was random, but the fact that the officer told me “We’ll get to the bottom of this” without asking any further questions when I am the one that found the body, I began to get suspicious. When Luca told me to go to the car, I watched him speaking to the officer, and getting heated from what I could see. I went out on a limb accusing him in the car but when he didn’t respond, I knew.

But why? Why would he do this to Matteo?

I hear the front door open and sit up from my seat on the couch. I quickly walk to the entry area, thinking it’s Luca, but I am surprised when I see Matteo and Romelo. I slow my pace as Romelo stands there.

“What are you doing here?” I ask.

Matteo is looking at the ground, not acknowledging me.

“Luca said for me to bring him here. I can’t seem to find him anywhere, though. Have you seen him around? He’s not answering his phone.”

I am a little stunned at that.

“No. He never came in the house when we got back. I assumed he had business to do,” I tell him.

Romelo looks a little confused but tries to hide it.

“I can take Matteo and put him in a room until Luca gets back,” I assure Romelo.

He grows tense as I take a step toward them.

“No. That’s all right, we can wait for him.”

My irritation and nerves get the better of me, and I stand a little straighter and look Romelo straight in the eye.

“I said he can stay here. This is my home. I will tell Luca when he gets home that Matteo is in a guest room. Matteo doesn’t know you and needs to be around people he knows right now, especially with this situation.” I give him the best bitch face I can, and he shifts uncomfortably, obviously weighing his consequences in his head. He finally relents, though.

“Yes, Mrs. Pasquino. I apologize for forgetting my place.” He turns and exits.

I look at Matteo and immediately give him a hug. He stands there for a moment before the sobs finally come. I can feel his arms slowly wrap around me as he lets out his sorrowful wails for his mother’s death. I know the feeling all too well.

* * * * *

“There’s a bathroom in there. You can take a warm shower. You’ll probably want one after being in the freezing rain all day.” I walk over to him, handing him a stack of clothes.

“These are Luca’s. They may be a little big, but we’ll have to make them work until we figure out what his plans are for you.” I cringe a little at the double meaning of what I just said.

Matteo is looking at the floor with a vacant expression. He’s sitting on the bed in one of the guest rooms. I put him in the farthest one from our bedroom in fear that Luca may be looking for him when he gets home. Luca killed his mother for some reason, but I don’t know that reason. Then he had him sent here to stay with us. Something is going on behind the scenes, and I have no idea what.

“The towels and soap are all in the cupboard in the bathroom, and you can just throw those extra pillows on the floor if you don’t want to use them.”

Matteo still doesn’t respond. I walk over to the bed and take a seat next to him, rubbing his back comfortingly.

“I know how you feel right now. I lost my father also in a horrible way. But things will get better soon, and we’re here to help you get through it.”

Matteo looks up at me with his large emerald eyes, tears flowing heavily out of them.

“Thank you. I don’t know why Mr. Pasquino is doing this for me, but I appreciate you both. All I really have now are you guys.” He breaks off into a fit of violent sobs.

I wrap my arms around him comfortingly. After his sobs die down, I stand and walk to the bedroom door. I can feel my heart shattering in my chest as I replay his words. We are all he has, and the man he is appreciative of is the very reason he is here in the first place. I turn back to him and give him a small smile.

“Try to get some sleep.”

* * * * *

I step out of the shower in nothing but a towel, my wet hair clinging to my shoulders. As I open the door, my heart jumps in my chest. Luca is sitting in the bedroom. His pupils are dilated, and he has a blank expression on his face.

I freeze in the doorway as he watches me. He doesn’t say anything; he only watches me. I walk slowly toward the closet, and his eyes follow me across the room. I turn my back to him to open the door, and suddenly, I am being yanked back by my hair. I cry out in pain and stumble backward. Luca shoves me roughly onto the bed, jerking the towel off my body, exposing me to his gaze. His eyes are so dilated they look black. He runs his eyes up and down my body, still not speaking.

My breathing is rapid as fear swells up within me. Something is wrong with him, and I am here naked and vulnerable to him. He steps back from me and drops the towel on the floor. He comes closer to me and grabs ahold of my leg, yanking me roughly off the bed so that I fall in a heap on the floor. I cry out as the carpet burns my naked butt.

I hear Luca break into a fit of giggles as he stands over me. I look up at him, but he is not smiling at all. He is just laughing, with a deranged look on his face. I don’t know what to do in this moment.

He kneels on the floor next to me and begins speaking as he pulls my body in close to his like he is cradling me.

“I want to kill you so badly.”

My heart skips a beat as he speaks. He leans in and nuzzles my neck softly, moaning in pleasure. I can feel his erection straining against his pants as he grows aroused. I realize that I can smell something on him. Alcohol. He’s drunk. Oh god, Luca is drunk. Luca is insane when he is sober, and I have no idea what kind of drunk he is.

“But I want to fuck you too.” He purrs into my ear.

He reaches behind him and pulls out a blade. I immediately begin to struggle. Please don’t let him carve something into my skin again! His face grows serious as he brings the blade to my throat.

“You move, and I slice your throat and let you bleed out on this carpet. But wait, you wanted to die. Maybe I should go get your brother instead.” He chuckles to himself, as if he knows some kind of joke that I’m not in on.

He hauls me up onto the bed and turns me over so that I am on my stomach. He reaches under my belly and hauls me up so that I am on my hands and knees. He slaps my ass hard, and I cry out in pain.

I can feel him rubbing my butt.

“Baby, you’re so damn sexy,” he groans.

He leans in and kisses each of my butt cheeks. I begin to whimper in fear. I hear the sound of his zipper, and before I can think, he shoves into me roughly from behind. My body is still wet from the shower, so he slides in without having to get me ready for his intrusion.

He begins pounding me roughly, and I cry out in pain. He reaches around me, and I can feel his hand around my throat as he shoves my face into the bed. The sound of our skin colliding echoes throughout the room, and I have to bite my cheek to keep from crying out. Luca threads his fingers through my hair and jerks my body upright so that he is level with my ear.

“I hate all of you,” he groans out. I have no idea who he is talking about. I can barely focus from the brute force he is using as he slams into me over and over.

“You’re just like your father, manipulating me to your will. I want to kill you, but I fucking can’t. I should kill your brother instead to make you suffer, just like I killed his pathetic mother.”

I gasp. “What?” I cry out, but Luca places his hand over my mouth, silencing me.

“Yeah, I killed her. Because of you. I was protecting you. And I

enjoyed every second of it. I loved the sounds of her screams as she begged me to stop. I’ll do the same to your innocent little brother. He deserves it. He’s right up the hallway. I know, because I told them to bring him here. And I can end his life just like that.”

I begin screaming underneath Luca’s hand as realization dawns on me. Matteo is my brother. Matteo is my fucking brother. I have been looking at my brother every day for I don’t know how long. That’s why he looks so familiar. He has my father’s features! I hadn’t realized it then because I rarely saw my father. But now as I realize it, I feel like an idiot. It all adds up now.

My body is shoved forward into the mattress as Luca’s thrusts speed up, and I can feel him getting larger inside of me before he leans over my body, shuddering in pleasure as he finds his release.

He pulls out of me slowly and rolls me over so that I am on my back. His eyes are frightening pools of emptiness as he stares at me.

“Cross me, and I kill him. You’ve seen what I’m capable of. Don’t you dare speak a word of this to him either.” His voice is cold and deadly. He places his hand lightly around my throat, giving me a threatening squeeze.

“I have plans for the both of you. Big plans.”

He stares at me a moment longer and leans in and begins sucking violently on my throat. I cry out from the pain, and he finally lets go. He stares at my throat in satisfaction. He rolls over and pulls me with him, wrapping me tightly in his arms.

“The whole world will know you’re mine. All of you,” he murmurs before his breathing evens out.