Page 116 of Diavolo

Alessandro shot her a pointed look. "You have been talking to Malina again."

She bit her lower lip. Sheepishly. "You caught me."

He chuckled. "Did you know? You are the first woman in my life Malina has ever taken a liking to."

"That's an honor." Elyse meant it, too. In a way, Malina was slowly becoming the maternal figure she had never known. The older woman's advice was always steady and sound. There was a kindness in Malina that had, somehow, miraculously, survived decades of employment under the mafia.

Alessandro agreed with a lopsided grin, "You are right. Itisan honor. Malina is a very difficult woman to impress."

Elyse mused aloud, "I wonder what she saw in me?"

"The same perfection I see, I imagine."

She blushed a little. "How long have you known her?"

"Since I was a boy. At times, Malina feels more like family than my own flesh and blood."

His admission struck a chord in her. Malina sounded like a second mother to Alessandro. This thought led to a question. For the first time ever, Elyse wondered what might have happened to her husband's biological mother? Had Alessandro inherited his specks of goodness from her? Or had his father worn them all down with a life of crime and violence?

She gazed at him intently. "I know, for a fact, that Malina is proud of the man you have become."

Alessandro sighed. "If only my father shared her sentiments."

Elyse suddenly felt an urge to comfort Alessandro. Even though Vincenzo Vitale cast a large shadow, her husband's shine was brighter.

"You're not your father," she told him firmly. "You're a far better man, and you have the potential to become an even greater one."

Her statement seemed to catch him off guard. A faint blush rose on his cheeks. "How can you claim that I am the better man? You have never met my father."

"I'll never forget what he made you do to Mauricio when you were only eighteen," Elyse countered in steady tones, "and I remember you told me that, if I ever became pregnant, you'd send me away, so that our children wouldn't have to grow up the way you did. This alone tells me everything I need to know about the content of your character."

His grin broadened. "Fuck, your praise makes me feel invincible. You may have married a devil, wife, but hell will become your playground.I vow to you.The blood of our enemies will drown the flames. And stars will be wrenched from the heavens. To illuminate the darkness.Just wait and see. I will give you a life that even angels envy."

Dios, this beautiful bastard was spouting utter nonsense. But she fucking loved it. Elyse murmured wryly, "Seems excessive, don't you think? And bloodstains are impossible to remove."

"Nothing can ever be too much," he argued, "when it comes to pleasing you."

"Murder is wrong."

"Is it?"

"I think so."

"Depends on who you are killing."

Maybe he wasn't wrong. They possessed many enemies who wanted them dead. She cleared her throat. "I suppose you have a point. Tell me what I must do to help defend against Domenico."

Alessandro glanced at her shoulder and frowned. "I would prefer to keep you as far away from him as possible."

"I can't hide behind you forever. I need to learn how to be your wife at some point."

"There is no rush," he said quietly, "I will bring you in. Slowly. Little by little."

Elyse decided not to press him. For now. She would revisit this issue with him at another time. Most likely, after they met with her grandfather. But Elyse never wanted to be caught in another situation like the one Cara had sprung on her at Mariposa's party, so she requested, "Then, at least, teach me how to use a gun. I don't intend to kill anyone, but I should know how to handle a weapon properly."

Reluctantly, her husband relented, "I suppose it would not hurt. If you knew how to handle a gun. Safely. And effectively."

"Should I ask Monte or Luca to help—"

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