Page 50 of Into the Fire

Fuck, I hadn’t even really considered that information. Dominic De Santis was my brother.

“She cracked the moment he came into the room,” he continued. “Told us everything. I do not deny she was probablya kind girl stuck in a world that was unfair to her. I did her a favor by killing her. My information told me Everett planned on selling her off shortly after she got him what he wanted. They’d have fucked her before using her for dessert.” He drank again.

I hated to admit it, but if he was telling the truth, then he did do her a favor. It still sucked though because the bit I knew of Macy, she’d been a decent person.

“What do I do, father?” I asked softly. “I’ve done so many bad things. I want to protect those I love, but I can’t do it alone.”

“Are you asking me for a war, my son?”

“Yes,” I whispered. “In a way. I’m asking for your help to end a war.”

He sat forward. “Nothing in this world is free, even for you, Alessandro.”

“What do you ask of me?”

His eyes twinkled. “Protection for protection. An ear to the ground.”

“A spy?”

“A helper.” He smiled.

“What do you need from me?”

“Simply keep my men safe if you see them out and about. If you hear anything, report it back to me. I have ears everywhere, but it would be nice to know my son is involved.My heir.”

“Dominic is your heir, not me.”

He let out a soft chuckle. “Oh, Alessandro. Nothing is as it seems in our world. We have certain traditions in our family. Do you know them?”

“Arranged marriage?”

“Yes, but more than that. You see, the father of the groom gets to fuck the bride before the groom does. In front of him.”

My guts twisted at this information. It was sick and depraved.

“That happened to you?”

He nodded. I watched as he poured another drink.

“I loved your mother deeply. I’d have died for her. And for my children. I am a wicked man, Alessandro, but I am not without a heart, however tarnished it is. The thought of her succumbing to that torment, well, it didn’t sit well with me. Perhaps she could have been my wife in another life, but in this one, my marriage was arranged. She knew this. She hated it. Cried and begged. I cried with her,” he said softly. “I wanted my family, but if I chose them, they’d perish because your mother was a commoner. To me she was magic.” A sad look washed over his face as he stared at his glass of whiskey. “She was smart enough to run. It broke my heart because I wanted so much more for us. I was going to leave everything behind to be with her, but before I could tell her, she’d packed you and your brother and sister and left. My best friend helped her. Anthony DeLuca.”

I watched him swirl his drink in his glass.

“He hid her well. I’d have killed him, but he was always an untouchable prick. We were going to break away from this life. Keep our women safe. His betrayal ended our friendship. With your mother gone, I married. Brokenhearted, I married.Annabella.A sweet woman. Kind. Compassionate. Quiet. She reminded me of Delilah,” his voice shook on her name, and he visibly swallowed. “She didn’t want me as much as I didn’t want her, but she cried for me as my father fucked her in front of me. Reached for me. Begged me to help. To save her. I was cold and far too broken to move. I hated that I was grateful it was her beneath him and not your mother. She suffered in my bitterness. And she continued to suffer in our marriage until she too was taken from me. Dominic was young. A child. I couldn’t stand to look at him. Everything in my life had been a lie. My marriage. My son. Friendships. I am a bitter man, Alessandro. But I’m grateful for that bitterness because it makes me who Iam. Someday, I’ll have revenge on those who have wronged me, starting with my brother Santino.”

“Santino?” I frowned at the name.

He nodded and drank. “The true heir. My eldest brother. He ran out when I was just shy of seventeen. Disappeared. Our father disowned him. He went into hiding to never be seen again. Until a few years ago when I got word he lived in Black Falls.The Carpenter.Married to a woman named Amy. A son named Fox.”

I stiffened, and he winked at me.

“A horseman.”

I nodded silently.

“Life is funny that way, is it not? My brother has fucked both our lives by leaving. It put me into a position I wasn’t wanting. His wife was taken from him like mine was from me. Like your mother. Like Dominic’s.”

“Was it you?” I whispered. “Did you kill Fox’s mom?”

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