Page 54 of Tainted Ties

It was a very risky plan and hard to believe Roman would have that type of information lying around, especially in his house.

More importantly, I walked out on him only a few hours ago. He wasn’t naïve to think I had forgotten about what he had done so easily.

Yet, I sat quietly, contemplating whether it would be worth gambling my life over.

Roman took my brother from me and after the tender moment we shared last night, how could he have faced me knowing what he had done? That was inhumane, even for him.

I rubbed my sweaty palms against my jeans, my decision made. “This is for Enzo.”

My father’s smile was wide, his hand waving in the air. “For Enzo.”

Chapter18

Roman

“Enzo Bianchi is dead. Did you have anything to do with that?”

“And jeopardize prolonging their suffering?” Uncle Stefano divulged, taking a hit from his cigar before blowing out a puff of smoke. “No.”

The pounding in my head intensified. For the past week, I’d interrogated my men thoroughly and they weren’t too happy about me questioning their loyalty.

I gritted my teeth. “Someone did, and I’m being blamed for it.”

He shook his head with a shrug of his shoulders. “Why does it matter? We would have killed each of the Bianchis one by one anyway.”

That was the problem. For some reason, it mattered, and it all had to do with the five-foot and seven-inch woman who walked away from me last week.

Admission was never easy, not for me, but that moment in the suite at the Underground Club, we laid bare a piece of ourselves to one another. It was as if we had forgotten who we were for a split second—forgotten that we hated each other. The fine line between physical and emotional attraction had blurred, and I couldn’t undo the damage.

“I don’t want to be accused of a crime I haven’t committed.”

Uncle Stefano waved a hand in the air carelessly, “Semantics. It’s one less Bianchi to worry about. Let’s focus on what the next step is.”

“The next step?” I huffed out in exasperation. “You do understand that because I’ve been falsely blamed, the contract is void.” Not that a piece of paper would stop me from taking back what belongs to me.

“She’s still your wife.”

Whether Aurora knew it or not, our marriage wasn’t void.

“And you let her walk away,” he sneered. “When you should’ve shackled her in the basement and kept her prisoner.”

The lack of sleep from the past week must have messed with my head because the way my uncle spoke about Aurora sent needle-like sensations down my spine.

I sipped my whiskey, the burn dulling the ache that had suddenly rooted in my gut. “According to Ricardo, she hasn’t left Italy.”

Aurora had gone to her father’s house, which surprised me, considering the relationship they had.

“Oh?” he grumbled. “It seems you still have time to redeem your actions after all. Don’t forget that she’s responsible for my son’s death.Your cousin.”

I pinched my lips together to suppress my anger. “I haven’t forgotten,Zio.”

Images of Aurora on that dance floor surfaced to the forefront of my mind. She had looked so serene and angelic that it had me questioning whether she was capable of even hurting a fly.

But beauty was an illusion. It didn’t matter if it was in the eye of the beholder.

Chapter19

Aurora

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