Truth: A Sinful Series, Book One

by Trilina Pucci

  “To what do I owe the pleasure?” His voice is booming, but still understating his power. He’s always happy to hear from me.

  Despite myself, I laugh. “Good to hear your voice too, Zio. I have something to discuss with you.”

  He grows more serious, and his voice becomes hushed as does all the background noise. He’s made the room quiet for me. “Maybe we should say what we need face-to-face. So many ears around…” He’s referring to the bugs on his phones. Always under investigation.

  “No, no, questa è una conversazione gioiosa, tutti possono sapere, anche i topi.” No, no, this is a joyous conversation, everyone can know, even the rats. My words are met with his laughter again. “Ma questo li farà lavorare di più.” But this will make them work harder. I smile at the pleasure he takes in my joke.

  “You hear that, ya bastards? You’ll have to work just a little harder to figure it out.” His laughter continues and then dies down as he asks, “So what exactly is this happy occasion you speak of?”

  “I got married.” Silence, then a room full of yelling and cheering. He never does anything half-assed, my uncle. He must have told the room. I know every man in that room. In a way, they’re the only men I trust and suspect simultaneously. Never turn a blind eye.

  “Thank you, everyone. Zio, I wanted you to know first. You know what this means for me now. The sacrifices I will make for her.” He will understand what I mean. He knows he can’t call on me anymore. He hasn’t in quite a long time, but it’s important to be clear. We settled any debt I had, and I know as wary of him as I am, he feels the same about me.

  I hear the closeness of his voice, indicating our conversation is private again. “Yes, I understand. Dominic, I know what this would have meant to your father. He was good, and he would want this for you. I loved him,—you of all people understand what’s it’s like to have a piece of yourself reflected back at you. I sacrificed for my brother too, as you did for Luca. I love you, mio nipote . I’m always here. So live your life without worry.”

  You can’t escape your blood, especially in this life, but in another life, I may have dedicated myself to it, to my uncle and my name.

  “Will she take on Sovrano or your mangled American version of King?” I chuckle at the way he says American. He and my father came over to the States as teens. He has such a distaste for the place he calls home, always dreaming of going back to live a simpler life, but this empire has been rooted in blood and demise. It’s a pipe dream.

  “Ah, I was waiting for that question. I think King is close enough for her. It means the same without the—”

  He interrupts with a more serious tone. “It may be the translation, nephew, but our name is something to fear. Before I die, I would like to see you use it.”

  I’ll never use that name. I don’t have to.

  “I think I’ve lived up to my namesake for long enough, don’t you, dear uncle? Or have you forgotten what I’m really called?” My tone matches his with just the hint of anger.

  “Okay, okay, la tua decisione è tua.” Your decision is yours. I nod to myself, happy he’s seen his way to reason, “I’m just an old man who is set in tradition, but I love you, nephew.”

  “Grazie, ti amo, troppo zio. Addio.” I love you, Uncle. Goodbye. I end the call, setting my phone on my desk and leaning back to let out a breath.

  A shuffle catches my attention. I stand so quickly, my chair tips back and topples to the ground.

  “Jesus!” Drew screams. “You scared the hell out of me.” She puts her hands on her chest, now covered by one of my T-shirts.

  I reach back and stand my chair back up, turning back to her. “I’m sorry, baby. Did I wake you somehow? Come here.” She walks over shaking her head no and wraps her arms around my waist, kissing my chest.

  “I didn’t know you could speak Italian.” The curiosity in her voice makes me nervous. I don’t want to explain my uncle in detail tonight.

  “Yep.” My voice is cautious. I won’t lie to her, but I’m hoping for a bit more time.

  “What did you mean by close enough for me?”

  Sneaky little wifey.

  “How long were you eavesdropping on me?” I grin at her feigning innocence. The nerve of this woman—she doesn’t feel guilty at all. The thought brings me deep pleasure. “You don’t even feel bad for doing it…admit it.”

  “Not even a little. I don’t have secrets from you. You won’t have them from me.”

  “So fucking brave. I’m going to gag you tonight, tie you up, and tease you until scream and beg to suck my cock.” My dick comes to life at the thought of her hands above her head, naked and nipple clamped.

  “Fai del tuo peggio, amore mio.” Do your worst, my love. I take a step back, looking into her amused face. It’s not often that someone surprises me, but she’s managed to shock the hell out of me.

  “What…how?”

  “I studied Italian in college. Studied abroad too.” She shrugs with a wink.

  “I love you, Drew.”

  “Say it in Italian.” Her words are seductive, filled with her desire.

  “Ti amerò oltre il mio ultimo respiro.” I will love you beyond my last breath. I pull her back to me, and our mouths meet in a tangle as I pick her up, carrying her upstairs to fulfill my promise.

  I WATCH HER SLEEP, WAITING for my own to take me. She’s so peaceful and content lying here next to me. The moonlight peeking through our bedroom window illuminates the love bites around her breast, and I reach to trace the marks before I consider what I’m doing. I love seeing these marks on her. My claim to her body. I can’t help myself—her body calls to me in such a forceful way that I’m compelled to lean over and take her perfect pink nipple into my mouth and suck.

  “Mmmmm.” Her body begins to wake. “Again? You’re going to kill me. Here lies Drew King, fucked to death by her husband.” My laugh fills the room, and I pull away, dragging her body over to spoon my own. “Sleep. We have a lifetime of fucking ahead.”

  She doesn’t answer, but I listen to her breath become more and more steady until my own matches her rhythm. We sleep for the first time as husband and wife.

  I don’t know what time it is, but the crashing sound of broken glass has me jumping out of bed and grabbing my Glock from the nightstand drawer.

  “Holy shit, Dominic, what’s going on?” Her eyes are wild, afraid, as she jumps out of bed, grabbing her clothes to put on.

  I point to the closet and hold my finger to my lips to show her to be quiet. “Go to the safe room, call 911.” My direction is barely above a whisper.

  “Our phones are downstairs. Dominic…” Her eyes well with tears as she reaches for my free hand.

  “Shh, baby. Go in the closet; there’s a safe room behind the shoe rack. Do it now.” As I give her direction, she shakes her head in protest, not wanting to leave me.

  “King, King, where are you? King!” George’s voice carries through the house, and I feel relieved yet suspicious.

  “Are you alone? I’m upstairs. Why are you breaking in?” I hear him bounding up the stairs to the bedroom door. Pushing Drew behind me, I wait for him to walk through the door. Why is he breaking in?

  “Oh shit!” he yells as he opens the door and comes face-to-face with the barrel of my gun. His eyes squeeze shut. “Oh fuck. King—don’t.”

  “Why are you breaking into my house?” I hold the gun against George’s head with my right hand and my left arm wrapped around Drew, who has snaked her way around my body, holding her head in the opposite direction.

  “King, fuck…Jesus, take a breath. Calm down.”

  “I’m calm,” I answer, my voice steady.

  “That was for me. It’s Luca… King, I’ve been calling, banging on the damn door. I was afraid someone had gotten to you too.”

  What the fuck does “too” mean?

  All I see is red. Just raw rage. “What the fuck do you mean ‘Luca’?” I lunge forward, pushing the gun closer to George’s temple and searching h
is terrified face for answers until I see a smaller hand cover my own, trying to lower my gun.

  “Dominic, put the gun down.” I barely make out what she’s saying. My head swings back between her and George. And I push it to his head harder as a broken sob escapes my mouth. “I don’t understand, I don’t understand.” Their mouths are moving, but my head is buzzing like I’m in some kind of wind tunnel. I drop my hand to look at her face. “I don’t understand.” Pain racks my chest as I back away, digging the barrel into my chest, unable to control the sobs coming out.

  George takes a cautious step toward me and takes the gun from my hand, passing it to Drew. He grabs my face, forcing me to focus on him. “He’s been beaten—real bad, King. He’s not going to make it. We need to go. Now, because right now he’s still alive. You need to get there.”

  I nod, but my body is on autopilot, taking the clothes offered to me by Drew. We dress quickly and grab our phones from the kitchen. The crunch of the glass grabs my attention as we walk out of our home and crawl into our waiting car.

  Drew is on the phone. I can’t even concentrate on what she’s doing. She’s been making calls since we got in the car. I think—I don’t even know what I think…Luca. Not fucking Luca. It should be me. He’s the better of us. He deserves to live his life, be a father, grow old. Why would someone hurt him? He doesn’t have enemies; his life is clean. Why would someone attack him? A beating is a message. It’s retaliation.

  “How,” I whisper, and the car falls silent. I draw my heavy head up to look at George’s profile in the driver’s seat.

  “They grabbed him outside of Church tonight. Beat him and left him for dead. I went by to check on him like you asked and saw him.” His voice falters. “King, they left him in the fucking gutter. Left him like some kind of animal.”

  I want to rip the car to shreds, crush the metal with my bare hands. I’m engulfed with rage and despair; his death will be my death.

  This is my fault. He was only there because I was too busy playing house.

  This is my fault. I failed him.

  This is my fault. I hate him. I hate myself.

  My fists ball up, and I grab at my hair, letting out a guttural scream. My breathing is as violent as I feel. “Call my uncle. Tell him I want them brought to me. Alive.” My voice is raw. I scream again, unable to rid myself of the darkness, so I throw my fists into the back of the seat in front of me.

  “Dominic! Stop! Stop, Dominic!” Drew reaches for me, but I can’t feel her touch. I stop hitting the chair, my breath labored, hanging my head and gripping the back of my neck. She wants me to think rationally, be a good person. She doesn’t understand—if I wasn’t so goddamn preoccupied with her, I would have kept my brother safe. He was hurt because of me, probably in place of me. I could’ve kept him safe. It’s the only thing my father ever asked of me.

  “You have to be the one, Dominic. Luca isn’t like us; he doesn’t see the devil behind people’s smiles. He needs you to protect him. It’s why you came first. It’s why I came first. We have to protect our brothers. I left so he could live. It may not have been the best life offered, but I left so he wouldn’t be robbed of his life for the sake of power and control. You have to protect Luca above all. He is your blood, your famiglia. Promise me, Dominic.”

  Shaking my head, I try and rid the memory from my mind. Drew squeezes my shoulder, and I pull away from her.

  “King, don’t do that. Let me be here.”

  My anger boils over, hatred and venom erupting from my mouth seamlessly. “You being here is the goddamn problem. If I hadn’t been so focused on pussy, my brother wouldn’t be dying in a fucking hospital room instead of me.” She grabs for my hand again. “Get the fuck off me.” I make the mistake of looking at her face. Pity. She pities me because I’m dying along with Luca. “I hate you.” My vision becomes blurry, my sight watered down by my grief.

  She grabs my shirt and jerks me to her, forcing me to look at her. “It’s okay. Be mad, hate me. It’s okay, baby, it’s okay… It’s not your fault. Let it out, Dominic. I can take it.” She pulls me to her body, and I go, sinking my face into her stomach to muffle my wails. I let go, wrapping my arms tighter around her waist as I do. I grip her body, desperate for an escape from my hell. My cries eventually calm, but I stay where I am, wrapped in the woman who would love me through my hatred. I hear her voice drift through the silence.

  “George, when you speak to Dominic’s uncle, tell him to bring these scumbags to Church. They should take their last breaths mixed with the gutter water they left Luca in.”

  My fallen angel.

  WE ARRIVE AT THE HOSPITAL and make our way to the waiting room of the ICU. The stench of death is everywhere, permeating the walls and making my skin crawl. I’m met by a doctor, who explains Luca’s condition and his chances. I can barely listen. I need to get to him. I’m two seconds from ending this doctor’s life when Drew speaks up.

  “Excuse me, Doctor, perhaps you could tell me the particulars and we could get Dominic in to see his brother?”

  “Yes, yes of course.” A nurse motions for me to follow her back, and I kiss the inside of Drew’s wrist in appreciation as I leave to spend my brother’s final moments with him.

  The walk back is exactly fifty-three steps, but the hardest are the seven from the door to his lifeless body littered with tubes and wires. He doesn’t look like himself; he’s bloodstained and bruised, every part of his body swollen and riddled with the consequence of someone’s hatred. I keep trying to walk forward, but my feet won’t move. I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how to say goodbye.

  I stand at step five and watch his chest move every time the machine makes a whoosh sound.

  Taking two more steps, I stop, mesmerized by the rhythmic beeping of his pulse, closing my eyes to try and remember the sound.

  On step two the machine starts beeping strangely, and the room fills with people moving around him and shoving me aside and screaming at me to leave, but I can’t. I have to be here. A nurse comes to push me out of the room, but I push back. I only see Luca. I can feel him dying. No, no, no…this isn’t happening.

  “Do something! Do something!” I know I’m screaming by the burn in my throat, but I can’t hear my own voice. I only hear the sound I memorized, but it’s been replaced by a flatline.

  Someone calls for paddles, and everything starts to move in slow motion. I’m being held in place by faceless bodies. I’m straining against all the arms trying to hold me back from getting to him, but they’re too strong. I dig in harder, pushing people from their hold on me. We were together in the beginning, and I’ll be here in the end.

  He’s dying. I can feel it.

  The machine comes to life, and they squirt some kind of gel on it before rubbing the paddles together. I can hear the current, like a hum and squeal at the same time. Someone screams, “Clear,” and his chest pops up off the bed. I feel the shock. The room falls silent, waiting.

  “Nothing—again! Clear!” His body lifts off the bed and lands with a thud. I can feel the pain, the horrible ache right in the center of my chest. Don’t leave me, Luca. My body stops fighting to move forward.

  “Clear.” I hear the thud of his body and then everything goes black, zooming back into focus just as fast. I grab for my chest.

  “No, no, no, no, no…I can’t feel it. I don’t feel it. Someone, help him. Please.” I keep turning to look at the faces in the room as I grab at my chest. I don’t feel the pain. My pleas are prayed, begged between my broken sobs. “Please help him.”

  Beep, Beep, Beep.

  “We’ve got a pulse,” the doctor calls out, and for the first time in forever, I drop to my knees and thank God.

  I’m still on my knees when George and Drew come through the door. She walks to me and mirrors my position, kissing my face.

  “Baby, he’s going to be okay. He’s going to make it.”

  “What? What are you saying? They just had to shock his body back to life. I’
ve been praying for forgiveness, begging for God to take me instead.”

  She wipes my cheeks, drying the wetness.

  “Dominic, they’ve been trying to speak to you for hours. The nurse said you’ve just been praying. They finally let us back, hoping we could get through to you. All his vitals have taken a miraculous turn. Baby, he’s going to be okay. He’s fighting, Dominic.”

  “Hours?”

  George helps me to my feet, but I’m still confused by Drew’s words.

  “Seems your prayers have worked, boss. Luca will make it. He’s getting stronger by the minute. They’re talking about taking him off the machines as soon as tomorrow if he keeps on at this rate.”

  My head is swirling, but all I feel is gratitude. He’s going to make it. I grab George and plant a kiss right on his lips, making him jerk back, laughing and spitting. Grabbing Drew, I pick her up and plant a real kiss on her lips. She wraps her arms around my neck, kissing me back. I pull back to look into her eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said what I did—”

  “Shhh, it never happened. I love you.” Caressing my face, she kisses the tip of my nose.

  “I don’t deserve you.” I mean that. She’s the happily ever after I shouldn’t get to have.

  “True, but you get me. Always.”

  I kiss her again, thankful she’s by my side. That thought triggers another. “Did anyone call Shelby?” I walk to my brother, sitting down on the edge of his bed. George and Drew exchange a worried look. It’s clear to me that someone knows something I don’t. “What’s going on? One of you, spit it out.” I look between them.

  Drew speaks up first, making her way over to my bruised brother, moving his hair from his head gently. “She was too busy to make it down. She said she couldn’t find a sitter and didn’t want Ella around the hospital. She also called the lawyers to get a copy of the will sent to her.”

  “Fucking gold digger. I never trusted her,” George grumbles from the seat he’s taken by the door.