Page 74 of Vicious Redemption

I was so focused on her comments about Leo tying her up and their sexual history that I hadn’t really put it all together at the time. But I’m pretty sure Leo said something about how he took that restaurant from Don Fiore when the Fiore family chose to surrender to him.

My mind flashes back to those dinners from so long ago—back when my father was trying to form an alliance with another family against the Morettis. Don Fiore had always been outspoken against Leo and his grab for territory. To have to bend the knee was probably a tough pill to swallow.

And from the way Leo had Elena thrown out of the Sky Lounge, I can imagine she might be salty enough to want retribution. It’s a stretch, I’ll admit, but if I’m right, then I can’t just sit back and let my father be tortured to death for a crime he didn’t commit.

Taking a fortifying breath, I rise from my chair and turn my attention to the balcony doors once again. I know it’s reckless, but this is the only real plan I have. I can’t just ask Rico to let me go. And if I draw attention to myself before I make a run for it, I’m more likely to get caught.

Quickly changing into an athletic outfit of leggings and a loose-fitting tee, I then slip into my tennies and tie my hair up in a ponytail. Dressed and ready for anything, I creep out onto the patio leading off our bedroom to begin my grand escape.

My eyes flit to the spot where Leo and I had sex on our wedding night. My pulse quickens as shivers race across my skin. At the time, I’d been utterly mortified. Now, it makes my body warm, and my panties moisten just thinking about it—how brazenly he claimed my body so everyone could hear and see. I don’t care how or when Leo takes me anymore. I don’t even care who sees.

So long as he still wants me, that’s all I need.

How different our relationship turned out to be than what I imagined on our wedding night. Never in a million years did I picture I would be the one desperate to earn Leo’s forgiveness. We’ve come so far from that place—where Leo married me grudgingly because he got me pregnant, and all I wanted was revenge, which I thought the arrangement would facilitate.

I’ve become a different person since then. In my time with Leo, I’ve become something more. He’s become so much more. Together, we make something far better than either of us could be on our own.

And more than anything, I don’t want Leo to do something irreversible that he might one day come to regret.

So once again, I lean far over the balcony railing to find the drainage pipe I can shimmy down. But this time, I’m not running from my father in search of who I am. I’m not escaping Leo’s cage to prove to myself I’m strong enough.

This time, I’m sneaking out to try and protect the home I’ve built with him. And that sense of purpose makes it so much easier to ignore the nervous flutter in my gut when I look down. I ease over the concrete railing, praying I don’t hurt myself or the baby being so reckless.

And a breath of relief rushes from me when my hands wrap around the drainage pipe, giving me a small sense of stability. My feet hit the gravel within seconds, and I turn to make sure no one saw me.

The garden looks utterly empty. If my plan were to simply leave the property, I get the sense that it would be all too easy. Because the grounds are hauntingly bare of Leo’s typical regiment of guards. But this time around, I’m not running away.

This time, I’m in search of the very man who locked me up.

And to find him, first, I need to locate Luigi.

35

LEO

Don Fiore is notably reluctant to approach me—not that I can blame him with the white bandage for his stitches still covering the majority of his cheek. Still, he kneels before me like all the rest as he offers up his signature cherry-red Corvette.

“Are you prepared to pledge your loyalty to me in blood, Don Fiore?” I ask as his lips pucker, his face souring like he’s just sucked on a very tart lemon.

“Yes,” he growls, though his eyes tell me he’s anything but willing. He’s swallowing humble pie because he knows the cut will go much deeper this time if he decides to challenge me again.

Only after Don Fiore rejoins the processional do I sense Johnny relax beside me. I smirk, knowing he would have loved an excuse to take care of the piece of shit once and for all.

Each don does his duty and comes before me to present a gift and give me their oath. Each homage is no small token, the gravity of the occasion marked by the value of their offerings. I’ve crushed them all into submission, and with my rise to don of the Moretti family, there can be no room to question my authority. Now, all they can do is hope their tithe is enough.

Don Valencia offers up considerable acreage that borders mine to the south. Don Malteccino gifts me his mountain home in the Eastern slopes of Colorado. Don Vecchio grants me a stable of horses. Don Lorena, his newly established Greek restaurant in Piovosa’s historic downtown. Don Russo offers up his vineyard in Sicily.

The most generous offer comes from Don Paglia, who gifts me one of his lucrative coal mines—a meaningful present and a smart maneuver for his family, considering he has no heirs to leave the business to. It will grant his family favor down the line if he’s generous now, and he knows it.

Then, it’s time for Don Guerra to determine where his loyalties lie.

This is the moment I’ve been waiting for—the opportunity to crush Don Guerra, to declare that he has committed the ultimate betrayal and will pay for it with his life. Vindication thrums in my veins, crushing the hint of remorse that rises involuntarily at the thought of taking someone so significant from Tia.

She betrayed me, and for all I know, that small act of defiance is what made it possible for her father to kill mine.

“Don Guerra,” I state cooly as he steps forward and away from the audience gathered in the ballroom. “Tell me, after all that you’ve done, do you intend to stand before me and believe that I will trust any vow you care to give?”

“After all I’ve done?” he says, his voice soft, though his inflection accuses me. “This coming from a man who dragged me here today under the ruse of a ceremony. And yet it would seem you don’t want an oath from me. So, tell me, why did your men take me from the comfort of my home for this indulgent ceremony?”

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