Page 82 of Malevolent Secrets

“So why are you calling?”

“To strike a bargain with you.”

“I’m sorry, Bruno, but there’s nothing you could offer me that would change my mind. Massimo went after someone he really shouldn’t have gone after and that someone isn’t safe as long as he’s in the picture.”

“Free trade through our domains. Your men are welcome here at any time, and our products will be sold to you at half price.”

“Bruno…”

“He’s my only son. We have no heir without him.”

“And maybe you lot are better off that way.”

“Your mother would hate to see this happening.”

I close my eyes as his words wash over me. Using my mother as leverage is pretty fucking pathetic, which tells me how desperate he really is. But my mother is a lure I can never resist. Memories of Massimo, Renee, and myself playing together as children come to me.

I hate that this is how things have turned out. I hate that Renee and I barely see one another as she schemes for her own benefit, and I hate that Massimo is my mortal enemy. I decide to be lenient, for old time’s sake.

“Keep your men in line, Capo. I won't be as benevolent next time.”

“Thank you, Capo.”

I sigh and settle in my chair, ready for this day to be over.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Daniella

The night is heavy with silence. I sit on the edge of the bed, staring at the wall, my mind a chaotic swirl of emotions.

The events of the day have left me feeling numb, yet beneath the surface, there’s a storm brewing. I can’t believe how quickly everything has unraveled and how deeply the deception has cut me.

A soft knock on the door breaks the silence. I don’t respond, but the door opens anyway, and Renee steps in, holding a tray with dinner on it. The sight of food only makes me feel sick.

“Hey,” she says softly, her voice filled with concern. “I thought you might be hungry.”

“I’m not,” I reply flatly, not looking at her. The weight of betrayal is too much to bear, and the sight of her, someone I once considered a friend, now feels like a cruel joke.

Renee sets the tray down on the bedside table and sits beside me. “Dani, please. You need to eat something.”

“I don’t need anything from you,” I snap, finally turning to face her. The anger in my voice surprises even me, but I can’t hold it back. “You and your brother have been deceiving me all this time. How could you?”

Renee’s eyes widen with hurt, but she quickly composes herself. “I know you’re angry, and you have every right to be. But you need to understand—”

“Understand what?” I interrupt, my voice rising. “That you’ve both been lying to me? That you’ve been watching me, manipulating me? How long, Renee? How long have you been playing this game?”

She takes a deep breath, her eyes pleading with me to listen. “Since the beginning, Dani. Since Jeremy started working for Massimo.”

I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. The mention of Jeremy’s name is like salt in a wound that will never heal. “What do you mean?”

Renee sighs and begins to explain. “Jeremy was working for Massimo for a long time. Massimo sent him to spy on the Durettis, to gather information and feed it back to him. But Jeremy wasn’t very good at covering his tracks. I noticed something was off and told Lorenzo. He didn’t believe me at first.”

“Of course he didn’t,” I mutter, the bitterness in my voice evident.

“Vincent found out later that I was right,” Renee continues, ignoring my comment. “Jeremy was a double agent. He was feeding information to Massimo, and when we found out, Lorenzo wanted to handle it in his own way. The tradition in the Cosa Nostra is brutal—betrayal is met with death. But Lorenzo...he didn’t want to kill Jeremy immediately.”

I’m stunned, the anger momentarily giving way to confusion. “What do you mean he didn’t want to kill him?”

---