Page 10 of Beautiful Vows

"Romeo, I need a favor," I say the moment he answers.

"Always, Dante. What is it?"

"Meet me at the club in an hour."

Riding through the hills, the engine of my motorbike roars against the stillness of the evening. The cool breeze of the Queensland night does little to ease the tension gnawing at my insides.

The winding roads and rugged terrain are a necessary evil to get to Eduardo’s home, knowing that what I’m about to do is necessary to protect Lia.

As I approach Eduardo’s large estate, I cut the engine, coast silently to a stop, and leave my bike under the bushes along the roadside for a quick getaway later.

After removing my helmet, I place a black balaclava over my head, securing it inside my black tee shirt. I check my gun before sliding it back into my holster.

Normally, I would ask for help from other mafia sons, call in the favors I've stacked, but this is personal. I want to extinguish this man myself.

Though, creating an alibi with Romeo is in my best interests.

Luckily, Eduardo thinks he is impenetrable. Otherwise, why would he not have the same high fenced security that other Syndicate leaders have? My father thinks the same. But at least his house is more secure than Fort Knox.

The man pacing the grounds is tall, rugged, and extremely vulnerable as I listen to him talking on his cell in Italian.

The Queensland heat is cooler at this time of the evening, but there’s still no need for the overcoat he wears or the boots on his feet. Maybe it’s his armor, or maybe the heavy coat is hiding a bulletproof vest. Whatever his reasons, he’s camouflaged against the night sky, draped from head to toe in black. I suspect he thinks he’s indispensable.

He’s about to find out how wrong he is.

I smile, loving that he’s so distracted by his call that he doesn’t have a clue that I’m so close I can see the muscle sliding in his jaw.

He’s tense.

His hand lifts with his voice as I creep closer. I halt when his deep brown eyes glance around, flashing with annoyance.

“Who killed him?” he asks in a deep Italian accent, surprising me as he switches from speaking Italian to English. “Do you have proof?”

I glance at my watch. Time ticks by ominously as I wait for him to finish his call and stop his heart ticking forever.

I could send a bullet through his brain right now, but that would alert Eduardo and his guards. This kill has to be deadly silent. I also want to be so close to the fucker that he sees it’s me who takes his life; me who watches him when he takes his last breath.

Just like I’ve planned to do since the moment he landed in Australia.

“Fascinating,” he says, his voice low before a smile forms on his lips. “Is that so?”

Crickets chirp in the grounds as I wait patiently for the call to end. But it’s my nerves that are rattled when he says, "Lia Bailey … The girl who works in Rafe de Luca and Cade Saunders club, Angels and Sinners?"

My target is within reach, but I force myself to remain calm. I can't let the thrill of eliminating the man who wants to rid the world of my wife get to me. Not when he is talking about my wife to an unknown person.

As I wait, my mind flashes back to the first time I learned Lia was back in Australia. It was a blow to my heart, a betrayal that I felt in every cell of my body. But nothing hurt me more than finding out she kept the knowledge of my babies from me.

I get it now.

What I don’t know is if she always knew about the assassin hired to eliminate my wife, and if so, why she came back to Australia at all.

And why did he?

Eduardo claimed he was here to protect him, but I have a sneaky suspicion Eduardo is not telling the other mafia leaders the full truth.

Does that mean Eduardo knows exactly who Lia is?

I’ll assume that’s a yes. Which means it’s time for me to up the ante and eliminate every single fucker who impedes me being with my wife and unborn children.

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