Page 90 of Diavolo

Her brow pinched. "I see."

"I do not know if you truly see."

Elyse couldn't disagree with him. She might never be able to understand his side of this argument. Her entire career had been focused on saving lives. Not murdering people in cold blood. In pained tones, Elyse said in a shaky whisper, "I understand where you're coming from, but I don't get how you can make these difficult choices so easily."

"The choice is easy when I have no choice."

"We always have a choice."

"Not in the mafia, and especially not as a Vitale." An uncharacteristic heaviness settled over Alessandro's countenance. Her husband's face became devoid of expression.His eyes grew distant and cold. "My father once told me that those in power,men like us, must never show weakness. If there is a threat, we remove it.Swiftly and decisively.Those who falter and fail to act will not survive."

Elyse's heart rate picked up. She could sense Alessandro's story was about to take a dark and sinister turn.

"On my eighteenth birthday, he brought me one of the seedier districts in Palermo. There—my father introduced me to a man named Mauricio. I believe he was homeless. There was no bad blood between us. Mauricio was a stranger. Unarmed and helpless. Then, my father took out two guns. He handed me a Beretta and raised the other to my head. I will never forget what he said to me that day."

She waited with bated breath.

"Either Mauricio dies. Or you die. Choose, my son, and prove that you have what it takes to be a Vitale."

Elyse gasped. Clearly, Alessandro was alive, which meant—

Oh, Dios.

Elyse didn't know how to respond, so she chose to stay silent. Her heart, however, plummeted as she lay in bed beside Alessandro. She eyed him anxiously. The same hands that brought her mind-numbing pleasure had also put a bullet in Mauricio's head. Alessandro's eyes turned bleak. "I should have killed my father that day."

Gently, she urged, "If Mauricio's death still weighs on you, it's not too late to change course. You don't have to become your father."

"I do not want to be anything like my old man. But his brand of violence is necessary to keep the peace. Someone has to be the peacekeeper. Might as well be me."

Elyse didn't know if she agreed with Alessandro. In her old life, only God was allowed to decide whether a man lived or died. Yet, she could also sympathize with the upbringing her husband hadendured to become his father's successor. Morality no longer mattered when men were staring death in the face. She dared to question, "What about the officer in Paris? Why did he need to die?"

"He knew too much."

"Would you ever kill me if I knew too much?"

The sheets rustled as Alessandro turned toward Elyse. He gazed deeply into her eyes. The intensity rolling from him was unsettling. Alessandro vowed solemnly, "Gun to my head, I would gut myself before laying a hand on you."

"Only time will tell," Elyse drawled, "which one of us is right."

Alessandro promised once more, "I will prove myself to you."

She ignored him and moved on, "Why couldn't you tell me all of this last week?"

"I was being cautious."

Cautious? "Didn't know you knew the meaning of the word."

"At the time, I had not confirmed if authorities were still tracking my movements. I did not want to incriminate you. Especially since we were not wed yet. I wanted to give you the opportunity to plead ignorance if the police came to question you."

His consideration for her well-being was oddly moving. But, then, Elyse picked up on what he had left unsaid. "Are you being tracked by the Paris Police Prefecture?"

"No," he said with a scoff. "My men and I are smarter than Morrone. Our operations are untraceable."

"I'm surprised that you're actually answering my questions.For once. I assume this means you're safe from the authorities?"

"To be honest," Alessandro replied, "you and I are never safe. Not even when threats have been removed. The only reason I am sharing everything with younowbecause you are my woman.My wife. I need you to see me for what I am. As a monster and a man. And stand by me, regardless."

Elyse stilled at the weight of his words.This—would be the trade-off for the life of luxury that Alessandro was offering her. Gun to her head, would she be willing to pull the trigger on someone like Mauricio? Her soul was going to mirror Alessandro's sins if she stuck around long enough. Elyse knew her virtue would be tested when she decided tostayand notrun, but her decision had never felt more devastating than it did at this moment. "That's a big ask, Alessio."

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