Page 13 of Sinister Intentions

I couldn’t help but scoff. How could a nice kid turn into such an asshole as an adult?

But then again, it was the whole nature vs. nurture thing. Could this kind of life, this kind of environment turn you from a good human being into a heartless killer, into a master manipulator?

Possibly, probably. But then, was that kid still in there, buried somewhere?

What secrets lay hidden beneath that cold, hard exterior?

I shook my head, trying to dispel those thoughts. It didn’t matter who Vince Salvini used to be. What mattered was who he was now—a dangerous man and a threat to my freedom.

I needed to stay on my toes and focused if I had any hope of outsmarting him and escaping this arranged marriage madness.

I tried to keep my tone casual as I turned the conversation back to Vince. “So, what else did Gabe say about Vince’s past? I’m almost afraid to ask, but I can’t help being a little curious.”

Sophie’s eyes took on a faraway look like she was mentally riffling through memories. “Well, from what Gabe has told me, Vince used to be this sweet, gentle kid who loved art and poetry.He’d spend hours alone outdoors, painting or writing in his journal.”

A flicker of surprise shot through me. Vince Salvini? The brutal Mafia boss? A sensitive artist? It was almost too difficult to imagine.

“But then his mother died,” Sophie continued, her voice dropping to a somber tone. “It completely shattered him.”

My stomach twisted into knots as I tried to picture Vince as a child losing his mother—had he been hurting as much as I had?

“Gabe told me that after that, Vince changed,” Sophie said. “Apparently, Salvini Sr. is a real piece of work and has always been very hard on him as the oldest. And after his mom died, he shut everyone out and became how he is today.”

Fee shook her head slowly. “It must’ve been hard for him.”

A surge of empathy welled up inside me, quickly followed by irritation at myself. Why should I feel sorry for Vince? Sophie, Cara, and I lost our mother very young, as well, and it didn’t cause us to become sociopaths. His path was one of his own choosing, no matter how he was pushed onto it initially.

And yet, I couldn’t quite silence the small voice of compassion echoing in the back of my mind.

I missed my mom, but I had Sophie, Cara, and my dad who, despite everything, provided us with love and safety. It must’ve been so much harder for Vince. His cruelty seemed to make more sense now—an armor built up around whatever remained of that scared young kid.

“Alex mentioned something similar,” Fee said, her expression thoughtful. “He said Vince is the way he is because he had to become this way in order to survive and protect his family.”

I worried my lower lip between my teeth as I mulled over their words. There was no denying the brutality of Vince’s actions, the reputation he built for himself, and the threat he posed. But maybe, just maybe, there was still a shred of humanity buried underneath all those layers of callousness and menace.

A part of me felt drawn to uncover that side of him, if it even still existed. But the wiser part of my mind knew this was stupid.

Again. Not a romance novel.

He was not a good guy.

Getting anywhere near Vincenzo Salvini would be like dancing with a tornado—equally thrilling and dangerous.

I exhaled a long breath. “Well, whatever Salvini was in the past, in the now, he’s an asshole, and a bully, and a monster.”

My words trailed off as I replayed the memory of Vince crowding me against that bookshelf, his body mere inches from mine, his piercing gaze stripping away every one of my defenses until all I could do was rip myself from the dizzying tension between us.

And not surrender.

Someone was talking to Sophie from behind the phone.

“Girls, we need to go. Let’s do this again soon,” she said, and we quickly ended the video call.

Fee put away her phone and stretched out on the bed. “This was fun.”

I nodded. “I miss them. I never knew how silent this house was without Cara and Sophie.”

Fee stared at me. “How about you come to visit us in New York City?”

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