Page 70 of The Last Vendetta

Cecilia’s child might have been the result of incest. If Marcus—or Nickolas—fucked her, that’d be incest as a father-daughter or sister-brother incident. That would surely be something to cover up and hide. If Marcus or Nickolas fucked their own blood, then of course they’d have a motivation to cover it all up.

Then why offer her in marriage to Luka?

“As soon as the paternity test results are in, I will forward it to you via a text, if you’d like,” Dean offered.

“Yes. Please. I appreciate that. I feel that the identity of this man will be a critical development in figuring out who killed Luka.”

“I agree,” he said. “I think that this has to be a significant connection.”

But to Rocco Acardi too? And Isabella?

I sighed, wishing I had more information. I couldn’t explain why, but I felt like I was running out of time to figure this out.

Seeing Cecilia dying was a startling moment, but as hardened as I was to witnessing death, I wasn’t upset. I wasn’t stuck in a traumatic reaction to that woman dying, but it had served as a stark reminder of how short life could be.

How short the rest of my life could be, and I didn’t want to lose a second of it that I could share with Giulia. It was useless to wonder how or why we’d connected so quickly and deeply. We had, and there was no going back from it.

But time was also running out, it seemed, for the killer. Assuming that it had to be one person, the same person, they were changing up their speed. Luka was killed at his wedding, then by the time his funeral passed, Rocco was dead.

Cecilia was only killed today, and viciously, in a different manner. No poison was used on her and her unborn baby. Slashing at a person and murdering them with a knife was a much more personal means of killing. Passionate.

And it worried me that the killer was getting out of control. Whoever was picking off these prominent people in this criminal world was getting desperate and changing up their methods.

If that suggested more danger to us, to me or Giulia, I had to remain on guard and be even more alert.

She won’t be going home at all. Giulia didn’t realize it yet, but as soon as she woke in the morning, I’d need to explain it all.

I couldn’t, in good faith, take her back so she could live at the Acardi residence. I couldn’t lose her. She might trust that guard, but I didn’t. I especially couldn’t trust Isabella if she was so set on arranging Giulia to be with Nickolas.

Who might have fucked his sister. It seemed like a big conclusion to jump to, but I couldn’t ignore it now that it had entered my mind.

“This is all such a fucking mess,” I mumbled to myself as I headed back inside. I’d hung up with Dean several minutes ago, and I debated calling him back to just talk this out with him. To hear his opinions about all of it.

Sooner or later, I’d need to rely on him to help me with Giulia. She would remain with me. I made up my mind there. And I had to have some assistance in keeping her away from Giovanni.

Until he explains this stupid rivalry.

It would have to end with me and Giulia. We would have to start a new generation. The past could stay back there. I had to focus on the future I wanted.

I walked back into the master suite, ready to get into bed and hold her for the rest of the morning.

But she wasn’t there.

I narrowed my eyes, looking around the room and wondering how in the fuck she’d run off this far from home.

And why.

We were meant to stay together. She fought it more than I did, but I couldn’t blame her for that. All her life, she was trained to know she can’t change anything about what was expected of her. I had to do that. I had to step up and handle this demand for change and insist on our having a chance to stay together.

I ground my teeth, peeved that I would need to work harder to convince her.

When I stepped closer to the bed and spotted her earring, a small diamond stud, I grew worried. It wasn’t a clear sign of her struggling. The bedsheets were already tangled from having sex, but I tried to look at the room for any hint of a fight.

Did she run?

Or was she taken?

All I knew for a fact was that she wasn’t here.

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