Page 51 of Vicious Redemption

What I wouldn’t give to live in a world where it wouldn’t be a capital offense to spend time with my sister. And, of course, our isolation has nothing to do with anything she and I have done wrong. Just a bunch of power-hungry men tearing the world apart to get what they want.

Strangely enough, I don’t quite put Leo in that category in my mind.

Yes, he’s who has stirred up all this unrest over the past five years. But he just seems… different in my mind somehow.

A silly thought, I know.

“How are things at home?” I ask, worrying my lip as I think about how I left things with our father.

“Tense. A lot like how it was when you came to visit. I don’t get the feeling that Father’s going to just let this blow over, and Mother’s about as cryptic as a sphinx.”

That makes me chuckle. Leave it to Maria to bring fantasy into the conversation. “Have you had any inspirational ideas on how we can calm things down between the families yet?”

“No,” she says morosely. “It’s not like Father is any more willing to speak with me about his plans than he ever has been. And he’s caught me trying to listen in twice. He threatened to whip my hide if he catches me doing it again. Can you imagine that? Mortifying.”

Heat crawls into my cheeks as I think about the spanking Leo gave me not so long ago. It’s entirely different, I know. I’m sure if our father actually decided to punish Maria, it would hurt a hell of a lot more than what I got, and Maria would not enjoy a second of it. But still, it makes my heart flutter as it brings Leo’s fiery gaze to my mind’s eye.

“Well, definitely don’t get caught,” I say, wishing I could give better advice.

“Have you had any luck with Leo?” Maria asks.

“Honestly, I’m not sure. I feel like I’m making a bit of headway, but he refuses to discuss business with me now. Even when we went to see his father in the hospital, they were practically speaking in code.” My stomach sinks to think about it. I hate that I’ve made myself more of an outsider in Leo’s regard—even if he’s trying to forgive me for what happened.

And yet here I am, on the phone with my sister he’s told me to refrain from speaking to until he has things under control again.

“Well, maybe that’s just because you were in the hospital, right? It’s not like they can discuss that kind of stuff in public,” my sister suggests hopefully.

“Yeah, maybe,” I say, grateful that she’s trying to encourage me, even if I’m confident that’s not the case. Because Leo’s been intentionally vague at home as well.

“But you really haven’t picked up on any news?” Maria presses, her tone shifting to disappointment. “Not even his next move or if he’s going to just wipe our family off the face of the earth?”

An odd, tingling sense of foreboding ripples up my spine at Maria’s choice of words. Not the question about our family getting annihilated but the way she referred to it as “his next move.” Maybe it’s nothing, but for the first time, I wonder if I ought to be talking to my little sister.

I thought if I was careful—if I was intentional about what I told her so she couldn’t accidentally give my father valuable information—I figured Maria could still be a safe confidant. I still doubt my sister would intentionally betray me. Still, if our father coerced her into getting information from me, that would create the link my father needs to make me his spy.

It wrenches my gut to think that Maria could be lying to me. But it’s not entirely out of the range of possibilities that our father convinced her to do so, in order to ensure our family’s survival. She’s sixteen, for Christ’s sake. He can’t possibly think she’s old enough to bear that kind of responsibility.

I feel bad enough for having put the burden of creative brainstorming on my sister. Our father wouldn’t bring her into his whole twisted plan of deceit. Would he?

My thoughts send me back to the conversation I had with Leo after I snuck out to visit Maria—what he said about my father.“He used you without a second thought for your safety… And still, you think you owe them loyalty?” He’s not wrong. I know that. I can see it more objectively when he could be doing the same thing to my sister.

But what turns my stomach is the knowledge that, in Maria’s shoes, I very easily could have been convinced to pass information for my family. I was willing to marry a monster for them when we get right down to it. Of course, Maria could be capable of betraying me if Father talked her into it. He’s very persuasive when he wants to be. And she’s two years younger than I am.

And she’s all alone in that big house, trying to be the adult while our father rips apart the universe because he doesn’t want to share his power with the Morettis.

Tears sting the backs of my eyes as I realize just how dangerous this conversation might be.

Dangerous because I could easily say something to get Leo killed without meaning to.

I can’t bear the thought of it.

And I refuse to let that guilt fall on Maria if she is trying to get information from me.

“Tia?” Maria says, alerting me to the fact that I’ve been in my head for far too long. She’s picked up on my distraction.

Suddenly anxious to get off the phone, I scramble for an excuse. “I think someone’s coming,” I whisper around the massive lump in my throat. “I’ve got to go. I love you.” I don’t wait for her response. Quickly hanging up, I throw the phone onto the bed like it’s some kind of explosive device.

What was I thinking?

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