by Cora Reilly
Cassio appeared like a wounded animal as he straightened. “Can you—?” His voice was rough, his jaw tight.
I nodded and lifted Daniele into my arms. Cassio watched with sorrowful eyes as I dressed Daniele in his PJs then put him in bed. Cassio pressed a brief kiss on Daniele’s forehead before he and I headed out and turned off the lights.
Silence tightened around Cassio and me as we stood in the hallway.
“Tell me the truth. If you want this marriage to work, if I mean anything at all to you, tell me what happened,” I begged.
Cassio looked at my bandaged arm. His shirt was half unbuttoned, and he looked exhausted. “I need a drink. Will you join me?” He held out his hand.
I hesitated, but seeing the tortured look on his face, I took his hand and followed him downstairs.
Sybil lingered in the lobby, her expression worried. “I prepared minestrone. It’s in the kitchen. I wasn’t sure if you were going to have dinner…” She trailed off. She probably heard the fighting and saw Christian flee the house.
“We’re not hungry. Go home,” Cassio clipped.
Sybil sought my eyes. I smiled. “Thank you for making us dinner. Have a lovely evening with your husband.”
She hesitated then grabbed her purse and coat before slipping out. Cassio squeezed my hand and pulled me into the living area. A fire burned in the hearth as it did every evening. Usually the sight warmed me from the inside, now it did nothing to dissipate the cold feeling of dread. He released me to head for the liquor cabinet. I sank down in one of the armchairs, stretching out my bare legs, relishing in the warmth the fireplace put out. “Fix me a drink as well.”
Cassio made a low sound, voicing his displeasure, but after a couple of minutes, he held out a tumbler with about an inch of amber liquid. I took it and sipped at it.
Cassio sagged down on the armchair beside mine, rolling around the ice cube in his glass. His eyes were on me. “I knew it would come to this. It couldn’t be any other way. It had to end like this.”
“This isn’t the end of anything,” I said. “Not if you don’t let it. Do you want to lose me?”
Cassio took a gulp then smiled bitterly. “Haven’t I already?”
“No, but you will if you don’t stop hiding the truth from me. What happened today… I can’t get over it unless you tell me what made you act that way. Help me understand.”
Cassio downed the rest of his drink. He stared into the flames and smiled bitterly.
My phone rang, making me jump. Cassio’s expression darkened, but I picked up. I didn’t have to check the screen to know who it was. “I’m fine, Christian.”
“I contacted a few of my loyal men in Baltimore. Dad won’t interfere, but I will if you need me to. Just say it and I’ll free you of him.”
That was betrayal. Considering how bad things were in the Famiglia at the moment, and how volatile Luca was, I couldn’t allow Christian to entertain these ideas. “No. I’m fine, honestly. We can talk tomorrow.”
“Giulia—”
“Tomorrow.” I hung up. “That look needs explaining, Cassio.”
He raised an eyebrow as if he didn’t know what I was talking about. I didn’t believe that for one second. His eyes practically burned with angry jealousy when I talked to Christian. It was something I couldn’t even begin to comprehend.
“How can you even consider that I’d have something with my own brother?” Downing half of my drink, I got up and knelt before him, touching his clenched fist resting on his thigh. He opened it so I could link our fingers. Behind the anger and suspicion in his eyes lingered a deep pain and vulnerability. It was the latter that hushed my own fury over what he’d done. “Please, tell me the truth.”
Cassio bent down and kissed me sweetly.
I frowned. This wasn’t the moment for physical closeness. I wanted answers.
“I needed that last kiss before you’ll always look at me the way you looked at me when I attacked Christian.” He leaned back, looking off into the flames once more. “I killed my first wife.”
The ground dropped away under me. Slowly I pulled my hand away from his, wishing I had misunderstood him and terribly certain that I hadn’t.
Cassio smiled darkly. He took his time tracing my horrified expression with his eyes. “Not with my own hands. She killed herself, but she did it because of me.”
Relief almost knocked the breath out of me. If Cassio had actually killed his wife, I couldn’t have stayed with him—not that he’d ever allow me to leave him.
I knew suicide was more common than people liked to admit in our circles, but usually it was the result of abuse and despair. What had Cassio done to his wife? He was good to me and to his kids. I couldn’t imagine him abusing his late wife, unless her death had made him change his ways. Even the cut on my arm… even if that hadn’t been Christian’s doing, it hadn’t been his intention. He’d looked guilty afterward.
“Why?” I asked, half scared to know the truth, but I wanted to be rid of the past’s dark shadows and shedding light on what happened was the only way to do it.
Cassio smiled without humor. The flames created shadows on his sharp face. “Because I killed the man she loved.”
I was shocked into silence.
The Past
This day had been an absolute clusterfuck. Losing two men to those fucking bikers was bad enough. Losing them because we had a rat was worse. I wasn’t sure who he was, not with certainty. Many things pointed to Andrea. He hadn’t been at Christmas dinner two days ago, but he was supposed to watch Gaia today.
It was close to midnight when I entered our home, expecting everyone in bed as usual. Light streamed into the foyer from the living room. Following it, I found Daniele on the sofa playing on a small tablet, his brows puckered in concentration. I went over to him. “Why are you still up?”
“Can’t sleep. Uncle Andrea gave me this.”
“Where is he?”
“Upstairs with Mom. They’re playing.”
He didn’t even look up, completely mesmerized by the colorful screen. It was exactly why I hadn’t wanted him to have one of these things.
“Playing?”
Daniele nodded distractedly. “Yeah. Uncle Andrea gave me this to play too.”
“Stay here and keep playing,” I said firmly and walked toward the stairs, drawing my gun. I crept up the stairs, making sure I didn’t make a sound.
In front of the door to Gaia’s bedroom, I stopped, listening. Behind the door, someone grunted and a woman cried out. They weren’t sounds of torture.
I shoved open the door. It smashed against the wall behind it.
Fury slithered through my veins at the sight before me. Gaia, my heavily pregnant wife, straddled her half-brother, both of them naked.
My wife was fucking her half-brother.
For a second neither of us moved.
Gaia let out a shriek, covering her breasts as if I had less right to see them than her fucking half-brother. A look passed between them, and I knew this had been going on for a long time, maybe longer than she and I had been married.
The bitter taste of betrayal bloomed in my mouth, followed by the irresistible thirst for revenge. I closed the door. Andrea pushed Gaia off him and lunged for the gun on the nightstand. I pulled the trigger. The bullet tore through his palm, blowing it apart. Blood and flesh splattered everywhere.
He roared in agony.
“No!” Gaia shrieked, stumbling to her feet and moving toward the gun. I was by her side in two large steps, wrapped my arms around her ribcage above her belly.
“No!” she shrieked, struggling in my hold. I covered her mouth with my palm and dragged her toward the bathroom. “Stop screaming,” I growled. “Daniele doesn’t need to hear this.”
Her muffled screams didn’t cease. She didn’t care if our son heard this. I pushed her into the bathroom and locked the door before I turned back to Andrea who was coming out of his pain-induced daze. Gaia hammered against the door. Andrea tri
ed for the gun again. I shot his other hand too, feeling sick satisfaction at his cry of agony. He fell back with a choked cry, holding his ruined hands in front of him.
“Don’t hurt Andrea! Don’t, Cassio, or I swear I’ll kill the child in my womb.”
I froze, my eyes slanting to the door, not able to believe what Gaia had said. I stalked into the walk-in closet and grabbed tape and handcuffs before I returned to the bedroom. Andrea wasn’t a danger to me in his current state.
I opened the door and Gaia almost fell toward me. The second she saw what I was holding, she stumbled back and grabbed my cutthroat razor, pressing it to the underside of her belly. “Don’t hurt him, or I’ll cut Simona out of my belly.”
“You’d hurt your daughter for that man?”
“You wouldn’t understand!” she croaked. “I’ve loved him all my life. He’s all that matters.”
“Put the razor down, Gaia, and we can talk.”
“You’ll never let him live. I know you. It’s either him or you.”
“And you want me dead.”
“Yes.” There wasn’t a hint of hesitation in the word. “I’ve wanted you gone for so long. I want nothing more.”
I lunged, grabbing her wrist before she could hurt herself and the baby. Despite her struggles, I managed to tie her feet and hands together and carefully put her down on an array of towels. I covered her mouth with tape so her screams wouldn’t alert Daniele. “I can’t allow you to kill our child.”
Her eyes were frantic as I straightened and left the room. I closed the door with a soft click. Andrea had stumbled to his feet, but I got to him before he could flee. I chained him to the heater with the handcuffs then taped his mouth as well. We’d talk later.
Taking a deep breath, I checked my clothes for blood then changed my shirt before I went downstairs. On the way, I texted Faro that he needed to come over with a doctor who could treat Gaia. I ignored his following questions.
Daniele hovered in the center of the living room, the tablet still in his hand. His small face showed confusion. I smiled despite the darkness swirling in my insides. “You were right. Your mom and Uncle Andrea were playing.”
“I heard screaming.”
I chuckled, even as my throat tightened. “Yeah. They were chasing each other and Mom got startled.”
Heading to his side, I stroked his head. “I’m going to take you to bed now. You can keep playing if you want.”
He nodded. I lifted Daniele and carried him upstairs, relishing the feel of his warm body. He called to the good part of me, a part Andrea wouldn’t get to see today. After I put Daniele in bed, I left and locked his door.
I returned to Gaia’s bedroom. Before I dealt with Andrea, I checked on Gaia again. She still lay where I’d left her. Her eyes begged me to spare Andrea—the man she’d been fucking behind my back for eight years.
I turned my back on her, not able to bear the look in her eyes, and went to Andrea. After unfastening the handcuffs, I grabbed him by one wrist and dragged him after me, enjoying the sound of his muffled cries. He struggled like a madman. I pulled him down the staircase, when Faro entered the lobby with his keys, our most-trustworthy doctor behind him.
Faro’s eyes dipped to Andrea’s bleeding form, widened, then shot back up to meet my gaze. The doctor’s face remained unmoving—he knew the rules. None of what he saw would ever leave this house.
“Gaia’s upstairs,” I said. “Treat her, make sure she and the child are all right. And don’t leave her out of sight for a fucking second. She threatened to hurt the baby.”
I didn’t wait for a reply. Instead, I wrenched Andrea toward the basement door and shoved him down the stairs. The sound of his fall ended with his muffled cry when he landed at the base. I followed after him. Steps rang out behind me. I didn’t have to turn to know it was Faro.
Andrea lay in a crumpled heap at the base of the steps, groaning. I grabbed him again and dragged him toward a soundproof room where I hoisted him onto a chair.
Faro regarded me cautiously. “Is he a rat?”
“Maybe,” I said. “But he’s a man who fucks his sister.”
Faro’s eyes shot open wide as he scanned Andrea’s naked body. “Cassio—”
“Don’t,” I growled. I didn’t want compassion. It was worth less than the dirt under my shoes. Compassion was for the weak and stupid. Maybe I was the second, but definitely not the first.
“Fuck,” Faro said, shaking his head. He knew what would have to happen, what I needed—wanted to do.
I stepped close to Andrea and ripped the tape off. “Now we’ll talk.”
Andrea spat against my chest. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Oh, there is.” I grabbed his throat. “How long have you been fucking my wife?”
Andrea smiled grimly. “She’s been mine before she was yours.”
“What does that mean?” I shook him hard.
His eyes rolled back briefly before they met mine. He’d lost a lot of blood, was losing more with every passing second. He wouldn’t leave this basement alive. “We’ve been together since Gaia was fifteen. We’ve been fucking since she was sixteen.”
Rage boiled up in me like an unstoppable wave. “You’re lying.”
“Why? Because she bled your first time together?” He laughed nastily. “There are doctors for everything.”
Almost eight years. That was how long Gaia had been cheating on me. I’d been faithful even when she hardly tolerated my presence most days and had only slept with me once or twice per month. I didn’t care. I kept my marriage vows, and she trampled on them from day one. I trusted her and Andrea, had let him become her only bodyguard because she asked me to. I didn’t give a fuck about what had happened before our wedding night, if she’d been a virgin or not, but every betrayal since then cut me like an acid-coated knife.
My hands balled to fists.
“Remember the bikers,” Faro said, but I barely heard him. “We need info.”
Andrea swallowed. “If you want an heir, you need to keep Gaia alive because Daniele and Simona aren’t yours. They are mine.”
Static rushed in my ears. I threw myself at him, raining punches down on his face, his chest, his stomach. I beat every inch of him I could reach.
“Cassio, stop!” Faro gripped my shoulders, but I shoved him away with a roar, more animal than man. He collided with the wall and crumpled to his feet.
Then I whirled on Andrea again. His gaze said he knew he would die.
My fists burned with every new punch. I hit flesh and bone, even the floor beneath us in my blinding rage. I punched and punched until I couldn’t breathe anymore, until my knuckles throbbed with pain, until my ribcage ached under an invisible weight. Shoving away from the corpse, I sank down against the wall, chest heaving. My knuckles were split from impact with the stone floor.
I gasped for breath and closed my eyes. When I opened them again, I was calm. Andrea was a bloody mess. I didn’t have to check for a pulse to know he was dead. I’d killed many men with a knife, gun, hammer, razorblade, but never with my bare hands. I didn’t let rage dictate my actions. Today I had.
Faro sat across from me, eyeing me warily. “You all right?”
I stretched out my blood-covered arms. My shirt and pants were drenched. My fingers ached when I wiggled them. I smiled wryly. “My wife has been fucking her half-brother our entire marriage… Daniele…” My words died in my mouth, throat becoming dry.
Faro got up with a wince. He stepped over the corpse and almost slipped on the blood. “Fuck,” he growled before he stopped in front of me. He held out his hand.
I took it and let him pull me up, even as sharp pain sliced through my fingers.
Faro touched my shoulder. “Andrea might have said it to provoke you, Cassio. You don’t know if he said the truth. Daniele and the baby could be yours. Do you really think Gaia would have risked putting cuckoo’s eggs in your nest?”
“Don’t call them that,” I rasped.
I regarded the bloody mess on the floor. “I doubt it was the painless end he’d hoped for.”
“Not painless, no,” Faro said, following my gaze. “But fairly quick. Better than he deserved if you ask me.”
I leaned back against the wall, not sure where to go from here. My wife had betrayed me, had admitted that she’d rather see me dead, had threatened to kill our baby… if it was even ours.
My chest constricted until every breath was a struggle.
“What are you going to do now?” Faro asked. I met his cautious gaze. “With Gaia,” he clarified, as if I didn’t know.
“I don’t know.” I couldn’t—wouldn’t kill her. She was still my wife, still the mother of Daniele and Simona. My head fell forward under the force of emotions slamming into me.
“Cassio.” Faro squeezed my shoulder, his voice imploring.
“Call my father. Ask him to come over. He needs to know. Don’t alert anyone else yet. We need to come up with a story.”
“You’ll keep Gaia’s affair a secret?”
“Of course. I don’t want people to know. We’ll blame this on Andrea. Declare him a traitor, as he probably was anyway.”
“Gaia might know more. If she was his lover, they might have talked.”
I shook Faro’s grip off. A new wave of rage and despair rose in me. “I need to check on her.”
“Cassio,” Faro said, gripping my shoulder. “Even if you don’t kill her, you can’t trust her anymore. Your marriage is over.”
I didn’t say anything, only walked up the stairs. I found Gaia and the doctor in her bedroom. She lay in bed, looking drugged. The doctor was covered in sweat and had a swelling on his forehead. “She struggled. I had to sedate her and drag her to bed. She would have hurt herself and the baby otherwise.”
Doctor Sal scanned my blood-covered clothes. “Should I check on your injuries?”